Latest news releases from NIH-funded organizations

Funded Research News

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 25-Jan-2026 20:11 ET (26-Jan-2026 01:11 GMT/UTC)

7-Oct-2025

Questionable lead reporting for drinking water virtually vanished after Flint water crisis, study reveals

University of Massachusetts Amherst
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Public water systems in the U.S. were far less likely to report suspiciously rounded lead levels after the Flint, Michigan water crisis drew national outrage and federal scrutiny, according to new research led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Journal

American Economic Review Insights

Funder

NIH/National Institutes of Health

7-Oct-2025

Brain-on-a-chip technology reveals how sepsis and neurodegenerative diseases damage the brain

University of Rochester
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In lieu of animal experiments, researchers from the University of Rochester are using state-of-the-art microchips with human tissue to better understand how the brain operates under healthy conditions and is damaged through neurodegenerative diseases or conditions like sepsis.

Journal

Materials Today Bio

Funder

NIH/National Institutes of Health, International Foundation for Ethical Research

7-Oct-2025

Secrets of the butterfly supergene that controls wing colors and patterns

University of Chicago
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study published in PNAS this week by scientists at the University of Chicago dissects the inner workings of a “supergene” called doublesex that helps a species of swallowtail butterfly (Papilio alphenor) mimic the wing patterns of other, distantly related species that are toxic to predators.  

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Funder

NIH/National Institutes of Health

7-Oct-2025

Microbiome and nanoparticle discoveries hold promise for treating gut pain

New York University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Abdominal pain is a hallmark of many digestive disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome. In an effort to develop targeted treatments for gut pain, scientists have discovered a new enzyme in gut bacteria and are using nanoparticles to deliver drugs inside cells.

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Funder

NIH/National Institutes of Health, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Stanford University, U.S. Department of Defense

7-Oct-2025

Researchers find key to stopping deadly infection

WashU Medicine
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research from WashU Medicine identified a key enzyme that enables rotavirus to infect cells. Disabling this enzyme prevented infection with the potentially deadly virus, suggesting new treatments against rotavirus and other pathogens that rely on similar mechanisms.

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Funder

NIH/National Institutes of Health