From Lab to Real Life: The Impact of UC s Applied Research

News media around the world continually recognize the University of Cincinnati as a research leader.

Not surprising considering that UC ranks 28th in the nation among public research-intensive universities based on National Science Foundation data on federal research expenditures. In addition, UC is designated a “very high research activity” university by the Carnegie Commission.

In March 2009 alone, UC’s research enterprise earned headlines from the following international and national outlets:

• Boston Globe
• Cleveland’s Plain Dealer
• CNN.com
  
• Forbes
• HealthDay News
• Medscape
• Modern Medicine
• MSNBC
• ScienceDaily
• ScienceMode
• USA Today
• U.S. News & World Report
  

• MSNBC, Cleveland’s Plain Dealer and global media provided coverage of joint research by UC and Columbia University showing that children born in congested, high-traffic cities (with more pollution) are at greater risk of developing asthma due to genetic changes experienced while they are still in the womb.

• CNN.com, USA Today and the Boston Globe featured UC research on the topic of penicillin allergies. The paper noted that UC had recently completed a study which showed that 90 percent of emergency-room visitors who thought they were allergic to penicillin were not actually allergic to the medication.

• Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, HeathDay News, Medscape, MedPage Today, Science Centric, ScienceDaily, PhysOrg.com, a news service produced by WebMD.com, and Australia’s News-Medicalnet ran a story about new study results from UC showing that a family history of aneurysm does not necessarily mean someone has a greater risk of suffering an aneurysm at an early age.

• Global media like Nantotechnology News and ScienceMode as well as outlets in Asia and Europe – specifically in India, Thailand, and the United Kingdom – featured UC’s research focusing on new wireless applications for carbon nanotubes. The university is known for its world-record-breaking carbon nanotubes. And now, researchers at UC have discovered new uses by spinning carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into longer fibers with additional useful properties for military and consumer applications.

• ScienceDaily, ScienceBlog.com, PhysOrg.com and others throughout the U.S. and Europe reported on how UC researchers have identified the specific biological mechanisms believed to lead to an incurable form of anemia. This cellular discovery may lead to targeted treatment for this rare form of anemia known as Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA).

• HealthNewsDigest featured UC research related to the geographic variations of the presence of minerals in water. Mineral content – such as calcium, copper and magnesium – in tap water varies by city and region. While naturally occurring and safe to drink, minerals may interact with and change the effect of beauty products such as hair coloring kits.

• OncologyNursingNews and many others carried news of UC’s discovery that the cancer drug bortezomib may be effective at treating and reversing the rejection of transplanted kidneys. The drug seems to target antibody-producing plasma cells that can cause organ rejection, according to the UC study published in the journal, Transplantation.

• Nurse.com, produced by Gannett News, ran an article about a new study at UC to research ways to stop violence against direct-care providers in emergency medicine settings.

• Nurse.com and others provided coverage of research that UC contributed to linking behavior issues in asthmatic boys to tobacco smoke.

• View headlines earned by UC research in February 2009.  

• View UC’s research funding report released in November 2008, when the university announced an all-time high in terms of research funding at $353 million.

• Visit UC’s research page and news page.