It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Medical School research team receives $10 Million NIH grant to study how animals fight infection
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (7/15/2026) — A University of Minnesota Medical School research team received a 5-year, $10 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to discover new ways that animals fight virus infections. This has the potential to be translated into novel therapies against emerging viruses in humans.
To fight an infection, all cells use their innate immune systems to detect and respond to viruses. These innate immune defense strategies can vary significantly across animal species. Differences in how species naturally defend themselves against viral infections have major implications for understanding how viruses spread from animals to humans. These differences also affect the health of animal populations, including livestock and other agriculturally important species.
Through collaborations with the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Como Zoo Conservatory and San Diego Zoo, the research team has already built a collection of living cells from over 100 animal species to utilize this innate immune diversity.
“This new grant will allow us to utilize this ‘cellular zoo’ to determine how diverse animals recognize and fight virus infections,” said Ryan Langlois, PhD, a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and the project’s leader.
The research will initially focus on arboviruses, which are a group of viruses spread by insects such as mosquitoes and ticks that cause disease in people. One of the viruses that will be studied is West Nile virus. In 2025, Minnesota reported its highest number of human West Nile virus cases and deaths on record. The research will examine how animals naturally respond to West Nile virus and other arboviruses to better understand how these viruses spread and cause disease.
“This research will reveal how natural immune defenses differ across species and how those differences influence whether emerging viruses can spread to humans,” said Michael Gale, Jr., chair of the Medical School’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology and director of the University of Minnesota Institute on Infectious Diseases (UMIID). “By studying these natural defenses across species, we hope to identify new ways to prevent and treat viral diseases. This work reflects UMIID’s One Health approach, which recognizes that the health of people, animals and our shared environment are closely connected.”
This work was supported by UMIID and helps to further its mission of responding to and mitigating emerging infectious disease outbreaks.
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About the University of Minnesota Medical School The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. We acknowledge that the U of M Medical School is located on traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of the Dakota and the Ojibwe, and scores of other Indigenous people, and we affirm our commitment to tribal communities and their sovereignty as we seek to improve and strengthen our relations with tribal nations. Learn more at med.umn.edu.
Scientists tame seizures and heal injured brains with gut chemical
A natural therapy heals brains after traumatic injury, making seizures both harder to trigger and rarer, while pointing to a future that could cure epilepsy.
Visual representation of Dr. Samba Reddy’s research on epileptogenesis following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). His work investigates whether early intervention can interrupt the cascade of inflammation and brain changes that can lead to post-traumatic epilepsy. At the center is sodium butyrate, a naturally occurring gut chemical that, in Dr. Reddy’s studies, made seizures both harder to trigger and rarer while also promoting the growth of new brain cells and improving memory and learning.
Credit: Dr. Samba Reddy/Texas A&M University Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
The skull heals its cracks, the bruises fade, the swelling subsides and the bleeding stops. From the outside, a traumatic blow to the head, whether from a battlefield blast, car crash or even a tackle gone wrong, may seem like it’s healed. But that’s only the opening act of traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Deep inside the brain, a hidden cascade of damage is already underway. Inflammation engulfs vulnerable brain tissue, the immune system spirals out of balance and injured circuits rewire themselves in dangerous ways.
Then, weeks, months or even years later, the brain damage emerges, and this time, it’s for life. Without warning, the body convulses, muscles stiffen and consciousness slips away into a violent seizure — a devastating neurological condition called post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE).
For the millions of people living with the aftermath of severe TBI, modern medicine can manage PTE once it starts but is practically powerless against the brain’s slow decline in the first place.
Better yet, the treatment reduced brain inflammation, improved memory and mood, protected brain cells, made seizures both rarer and harder to trigger and, remarkably, helped injured brains heal.
The study, led by Texas A&M University distinguished professor of neuroscience and experimental therapeutics Dr. Samba Reddy and published in Experimental Neurology, points toward a new generation of therapies designed to not just manage epilepsy after it begins, but to target the biological processes that manifested it.
"Severe seizures induced by TBI are a serious public health concern worldwide. My goal is to keep patients safe, mentally sharp and potentially cure PTE by intervening at the right time and before brain damage becomes permanent," Reddy said.
The critical window before the first seizure
For the last 50 to 60 years, TBI-caused epilepsy has largely been treated the same way: wait for the first seizure, then try to manage the disease.
Reddy’s research flips the script. Instead of reacting to seizures after they appear, his team is targeting the hidden decline after a brain injury — the period when the brain is slowly transforming into an epileptic one — through a process called epileptogenesis.
“Epileptogenesis identifies the earliest biological markers associated with TBI, intervening at the earliest stages, to prevent PTE from manifesting in the first place,” Reddy said.
For combat veterans, car crash survivors, athletes and the nearly 70 million people worldwide who’ve suffered a TBI and leave the hospital believing the worst is behind them, unaware that their brains may still be changing, the stakes are enormous.
“Seizures, memory loss, depression, anxiety and cognitive decline can emerge long after the initial impact has healed,” Reddy said. “If we can intervene during the critical window after the initial injury, we have the potential to not only treat seizures, but to preserve overall brain function.”
The common thread: inflammation
The significance of Reddy’s research may extend far beyond epilepsy.
Because inflammation and epigenetic changes drive long-term damage throughout the body, the team’s therapy, sodium butyrate, hints at broad applicability.
In spinal cord injuries, for example, its anti-inflammatory properties could help protect vulnerable nerve cells and improve motor recovery. In cancer research, the treatment has also been studied for its ability to suppress tumor growth, by forcing cancer cells into a programmed death.
The same principles apply for neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and brain injury-related diseases, including dementia, anxiety and depression, where inflammation can disrupt healthy brain function.
“Across a spectrum of diseases, the fundamental process is the same: intervening upstream rather than downstream and at the molecular level by targeting pathways that drive inflammation and lead to the manifestation of diseases,” Reddy said.
The goal is simple: to stop the downward spiral of a disease as early as possible, before it gains momentum.
‘Healthy gut, healthy brain’
The findings also shine a spotlight on one of medicine’s fastest-growing frontiers: the gut-brain axis, or the two-way network connecting the digestive system to the brain.
“Through direct signals and molecules secreted into the bloodstream from our gut microbes and immune cells, which are carried to the brain, if any one of them is thrown off, then it can increase the risk for neurocognitive disorders.” Reddy said. “Healthy gut, healthy brain.”
At the center of this connection is sodium butyrate, a molecule created by bacteria in the gut microbiome as they break down foods rich in fiber and other nutrients. Once released into the bloodstream, sodium butyrate can travel throughout the body, including crossing the blood-brain barrier to influence cells inside the brain.
“Microbes inside the gut don’t just digest food, they manufacture chemicals that influence inflammation, immune activity, metabolism and even certain brain cells,” Reddy said. “Sodium butyrate is unique because it’s already produced naturally in the body, making it a universal and non-invasive dietary treatment.”
Its power comes by blocking a family of enzymes called histone deacetylases (HDACs). After a brain injury, if left unchecked, HDACs can cause the brain to enter a prolonged crisis, contributing to harmful brain inflammation and long-term neurological damage.
“HDACs are a sort of molecular switch for immune pathways. Sodium butyrate acts on these switches by turning them off, suppressing harmful inflammatory pathways,” Reddy said.
In the study, that translated into less inflammation, greater survival of existing brain cells and healthier growth of new brain cells. In other words, the treatment didn’t just dampen the frequency and intensity of the seizures, it physically supported how an injured brain could heal itself.
“With treatments like sodium butyrate, we can develop entirely new ways of preventing and treating neurological diseases,” Reddy said.
Putting the treatment to the test
But bold ideas require equally convincing tests.
For Reddy and his team, that test came in re-creating the kind of TBI seen after a severe car crash, violent fall or even battlefield explosion, but in a well-established laboratory.
“To replicate similar conditions of TBI, we used a technique called the controlled cortical impact model, or CCI,” Reddy said.
CCI is a lab technique that drives an impactor into exposed brain tissue, triggering PTE.
Why? To mimic, then precisely test for the biological, behavioral and neurological outcomes of a TBI treatment.
And the researchers didn’t stop at the immediate aftermath of a traumatic injury. They followed changes in the brain for months, tracking inflammation and seizure development.
“After four months, we found that the groups treated with sodium butyrate showed significantly less inflammation, had less dangerous rewiring of their brain and experienced significantly fewer seizures, and when they did occur, they were lower intensity,” Reddy said.
Behavioral tests confirmed the biology. The treated groups showed marked improvements in not only recognizing new objects, but in spatial navigation tests, too, reflecting stronger learning, memory and adaptability.
“It was so exciting, seeing the brain repair itself from the inside out,” Reddy said. “But this is just the beginning, and sodium butyrate is giving us the platform to pursue a new option in the treatment against epilepsy.”
While further research is needed, and although not currently FDA-approved for any therapeutic use, sodium butyrate has been extensively tested in previous studies, showing a strong safety record.
“The successful clinical use of related butyrate derivatives in other diseases supports its strong translational potential for conditions like PTE, stroke and cancer,” Reddy said. “Also, because FDA-approved HDAC inhibitors already exist, this epigenetic therapy for epilepsy prevention has potential for rapid translation into clinical trials for patients with TBI.”
That means the road from lab discovery to future PTE clinical trials may be more straightforward than developing an entirely new medicine. To Reddy and his team, that’s the long-term vision.
A decade-long chase for a cure
The discovery didn’t just start with sodium butyrate. For Reddy, it began more than a decade ago with a simple but ambitious thought.
“Can we completely cure seizures and epilepsy disorders?” Reddy said. “So that when soldiers who have suffered from a combat-related TBI come back home, they don’t have to suffer from more cognitive decline like PTE and compromise their quality of life. That’s been my goal, to give patients the chance to live normal, healthy lives.”
Reddy’s mission-driven spirit reflects a broader culture of world-relevant research at Texas A&M, where researchers are encouraged to pursue ambitious questions with the potential to transform lives.
“I’m a clinical pharmacist, too, and in my 25 years of practice, I’ve seen the pain of patients living with TBI and epilepsy, and how little control they feel they have. I want to give them back that control, in a way that promotes their well-being,” Reddy said.
So, while the skull heals its cracks, the bruises fade, the swelling subsides and the bleeding stops, scientists are learning for the first time how to heal what remains hidden beneath the surface after TBI: the injured brain itself.
For more information: Epigenetic histone deacetylase inhibition by sodium butyrate reduces neuroinflammation, improves neurological dysfunction and promotes disease modification of epileptogenesis following traumatic brain injury, Experimental Neurology (2026).
Hosted by the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM), The Simpson Centre for Food & Agricultural Policy, Canadian Federation of Agriculture, and the Canadian Pork Council, the two-day workshop brought together representatives from organizations including the Canadian Cattle Association, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Farm Credit Canada, TELUS Agriculture, Royal Military College of Canada, and the University of Guelph to examine how geopolitical tensions, biological threats, trade disruptions and supply chain vulnerabilities are reshaping Canada’s food system.
The resulting report, Securing Canada’s Food System: A Resilient Food System for an Age of Geopolitical Uncertainty, outlines seven recommendations, including formally recognizing food security within Canada’s National Security Framework, developing a national strategy for critical food infrastructure and farm inputs, investing in domestic processing and storage capacity, and strengthening biosecurity and cybersecurity.
“Canada has an opportunity to strengthen its food system before the next major disruption occurs,” said Dr. Guillaume Lhermie, professor of animal health economics at the University of Calgary and lead author of the report. “Our recommendations focus on protecting critical infrastructure, improving preparedness and building resilience across the entire agri-food sector.”
Despite being one of the world’s largest agricultural exporters, workshop participants noted that Canada remains heavily dependent on imported fresh produce, critical farm inputs and global supply chains.
“A large part of our vulnerability is our heavy reliance on foreign imports for fresh fruits and vegetables, but also value-added food products,” said Dr. Sara Edge, Arrell chair in food, policy & society at the University of Guelph. “If any of that gets interrupted, we would run out of food quite quickly.”
The workshop also explored where food security fits within Canada’s broader security agenda.
“Food security absolutely has a place in the national security conversation,” said Dr. Adam Chapnick, professor of defence studies at the Royal Military College of Canada. “National security is as much about resilience as it is about anything else.”
The report identifies actions to strengthen Canada’s long-term food resilience, including protecting critical food infrastructure, increasing domestic processing capacity, coordinating food resilience across government departments, strengthening biosecurity, and accelerating adoption of Canadian agri-food innovation.
Background
The recommendations stem from the workshop “Is Food Policy Part of National Security Policy?”, held in Calgary on May 12-13, 2026.
Participants represented expertise across agriculture, food manufacturing, veterinary medicine, trade, defence, public policy, investment, food innovation and supply chain resilience. Presentations and focus group discussions were analyzed using an international systems framework to identify policy actions at the international, national and community levels.
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Securing Canada’s Food System: A Resilient Food System for an Age of Geopolitical Uncertainty
Article Publication Date
10-Jul-2026
Himalayan forests: A dual strategy for carbon capture
New research reveals altitude-dependent carbon storage mechanisms in diverse forest ecosystems, offering targeted climate mitigation insights
Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels pose a significant global challenge, making the assessment of natural carbon sinks, such as forests, ever more critical. New research conducted in the Garhwal region of the Indian Himalayas investigates how different forest types contribute to carbon storage across varying altitudes. The investigation by Arvind Singh, Vinod Prasad Khanduri, and colleagues identifies distinct carbon partitioning strategies, where high-altitude conifer forests excel at storing carbon in biomass, while lower-elevation mixed broadleaf forests are superior in stabilizing soil carbon. This understanding is vital for developing effective climate mitigation plans.
Unpacking Himalayan Carbon Dynamics
To understand these dynamics, scientists evaluated three distinct forest types: Deodar (1900–2300 m), Pine (1550–1950 m), and Mixed Forests (500–1000 m). The team meticulously analyzed tree biomass carbon density (TCD) and soil organic carbon (SOC) pools at two depths (0–15 cm and 15–30 cm). This comprehensive field-based comparative study across a significant elevation gradient provides a process-oriented assessment of how carbon is allocated within these crucial ecosystems.
The findings indicate that Deodar Forests, characterized by large, long-lived conifers such as Cedrus deodara, exhibit the highest tree biomass carbon density (230.85–274.85 Mg ha⁻¹). These forests, typically found at higher altitudes, function as important long-term biomass carbon reservoirs. In contrast, Pine Forests, often dominated by Pinus roxburghii, showed lower biomass carbon density, although they still contribute to regional carbon sequestration.
Crucially, Mixed Forests, which are rich in broadleaf species and located at lower elevations, demonstrate superior soil organic carbon storage. These diverse forests show the highest levels of very labile carbon (7.43 mg g⁻¹) and non-labile carbon (2.06 mg g⁻¹) in their topsoil, alongside the largest active (13.48 t C ha⁻¹) and passive (6.41 t C ha⁻¹) carbon pools. This suggests that mixed forests are particularly effective at converting organic inputs into stable, long-term soil carbon forms.
Tailored Strategies for Climate Resilience
The observed divergence in carbon storage patterns — with biomass carbon peaking at higher altitudes and soil carbon stabilization dominating at lower elevations — carries significant implications for climate mitigation strategies. These results suggest that effective forest management in the Himalayas requires altitude-specific approaches. Conserving existing old-growth Deodar Forests is essential for maintaining significant biomass carbon stocks, while promoting mixed-species reforestation and protecting existing mixed broadleaf systems can enhance soil organic carbon sequestration.
While the study offers robust insights, the authors note that disentangling the precise effects of forest type versus elevation-related microclimatic situations remains a complex challenge. Future investigations could benefit from expanded temporal monitoring to capture seasonal and interannual variations, microbial community analyses to understand decomposition processes, and the development of species-specific allometric equations for improved biomass estimation. Such research would further refine our understanding of these intricate ecosystems.
Integrating these ecological insights into forest management plans is critical for strengthening India’s carbon sink potential and meeting climate commitments, aligning with the National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) and UN Sustainable Development Goal 15. A dual strategy that combines the preservation of high-biomass coniferous forests with the expansion of biodiversity-rich mixed broadleaf plantations offers a powerful pathway toward enhanced carbon storage and greater climate resilience in the vulnerable Himalayan region.
Suggested author quote for approval: "Our research underscores that a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to forest carbon management in the Himalayas is not effective. Instead, recognizing the complementary roles of coniferous forests in biomass retention and mixed broadleaf forests in soil carbon stabilization allows us to develop targeted, altitude-specific strategies that optimize carbon sequestration and enhance ecosystem resilience against climate change."
Corresponding Author: Vinod Prasad Khanduri, Deepa Rawat or Bhupendra Singh
Original Source: https://doi.org/10.1007/s44246-026-00287-z
Contributions: Arvind Singh contributed to conceptualization, methodology, analysis, and investigation of the study. Vinod Prasad Khanduri contributed to supervision, study design, methodology, data validation, writing, review, and editing of the manuscript. Deepa Rawat contributed to methodology related to soil analysis, supervision, data validation, writing, review, and editing. Bupendra Singh contributed to original draft preparation, writing, editing and review. Munesh Kumar contributed to writing, review, and editing. Manoj Kumar Riyal, R. K. Chaturvedi, Tarun Kumar Thakur and Gaurav Mishra contributed to statistical analysis and software support. Tarun Kumar Thakur, R. K. Chaturvedi, and Gaurav Mishra also contributed to review and editing of the manuscript.
Americans increasingly view illicit drug policy through a partisan lens, new analysis finds
A Brown University researcher finds fewer than half of Americans believe the country is making progress against illicit drugs, with perceptions increasingly shaped by political affiliation
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University]— A new study finds that while most Americans continue to view illicit drugs as a serious national problem, their views about whether the country is making progress have become increasingly divided along partisan lines.
The study comes from Brendan Saloner, the Donald G. Millar Distinguished Professor of Alcohol and Addiction Studies in Brown’s School of Public Health. It analyzed Gallup Poll Social Survey data from 2000 to 2025 to understand how Americans view the effectiveness of drug policy, both nationally and in their own communities.
The research offers one of the longest looks at how Americans' views of drug policy have evolved during a period marked by the overdose epidemic, cannabis legalization and shifting federal approaches to illicit drugs.
Among the findings:
In the majority of years between 2000 and 2025, fewer than half of Americans perceived progress against illicit drugs. Perceived progress was at its lowest ebb in 2023, at just over 23%, and rose in 2025 to 44%.
Americans were more likely to perceive progress when their preferred political party occupied the White House. This partisan effect, which has grown since the mid-2010s, is illustrated by the 54-point increase in Republican perceptions of progress between 2023 and 2025.
Most Americans viewed drugs as a serious national problem, while only a minority said drugs were a serious problem in their own communities.
“There’s no year in which a majority of people say we’re making progress," Saloner said. "People are not, generally speaking, seeing this as an issue that we’re winning.”
Saloner said the growing role of partisanship could make it more difficult to build broad public support for a long-term national drug strategy and suggests policymakers may need to rethink not only their messages, but also who delivers them.
"It pains me to say this, but public health officials are not viewed as credibly and with as much deference as they used to be,” Saloner said. “The pandemic really soured a lot of people on their state and local public health agencies, particularly among conservatives. So, there may need to be other kinds of messengers — faith leaders, people from law enforcement who can speak on these issues — so that people don’t immediately tune out the message.”
The study also highlights a longstanding disconnect between how Americans view the drug crisis nationally and how they perceive it in their own communities. It’s a paradox that Saloner says is central to understanding public opinion on drug policy.
"We experience the issues related to drugs in personal and direct ways, whether it’s in our own life, in our family, in the place that we live,” Saloner said. “The idea of drug policy seems so removed, so abstract, so far from our own lives. Finding ways to reduce that gap, I think, is key to a more successful strategy."
The study appears in the Journal of Addiction Medicine.
