Researchers used the gene-editing technique CRISPR to successfully repress the gene and increase pain tolerance in mice. The effects lasted up to 44 weeks. If it proves safe in people, the therapy could offer an alternative to opioids, the authors say. "The problem is, we need pain to live, "said Rajesh Khanna, a pharmacology professor and chronic pain researcher at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy who wasn't involved in the Navega Therapeutics study. "Pain serves as a warning signal that something is wrong."

The University of Arizona's high-capacity state vaccination site has over 4,000 volunteers registered but the clinics will need a steady stream of volunteers for the next several months. "While we have a lot of interest right now, interest can fade,” said Kristen Pogreba-Brown, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and an organizer of the task force's volunteer campaign. “We are really going to need volunteers at least until June, so even if you sign up and don't get a shift right away, don't despair."

The rise of COVID-Somnia, a term used to describe the increase in sleep disturbances caused by the pandemic, means many of us will be springing forward already sleep-deprived. “If your bank account is already empty, getting hit with a mandatory expense is extra stressful,” says Dr. Michael Grandner, Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. “For people already starting out with sleep debt, that extra hour lost can have implications for mental and physical performance, that can have a measurable impact on health and safety.”

The academic partnership prepares pharmacy and nursing students at UArizona Health Sciences for careers that address critical gaps in health care.

Dr. Amanda Sokan finds contentment in helping students develop intergenerational partnerships and building their awareness of the aging experience.

University of Arizona Health Sciences Innovation Building was named the best higher education/research project in Engineering News-Record's "Best of the Best Projects 2020."

A study in mice shows certain types of pain can be prevented or reversed without apparent side effects by silencing a gene involved in pain signaling. "It's a beautiful piece of work," said Rajesh Khanna, a neuroscientist who studies pain mechanisms and potential treatments at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. Despite successes of gene therapy against rare and life-threatening disorders, few teams have explored genetic approaches to treating pain, he said. "I think this study is going to be our benchmark."

Arizona's Native American population has been hit disproportionately hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Native Americans make up about 5% of Arizona's population but at least 8% of the state’s deaths from the virus. But since vaccines started rolling out across the state, Native Americans have been getting vaccinated at higher rates than the general population. Agnes Attakai, a member of the Navajo Nation and director of Health Disparities Outreach and Prevention Education at the University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is interviewed.

Within shoeboxes, beef jerky bags and TV bubble wrap, lie tiny white packets stamped with a very clear "DO NOT EAT" warning. These are silica gel packets, a solution for people everywhere looking to keep their products at perfect humidity levels. Since there can be confusion sometimes over what exactly is in the packet, the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center recommends calling poison control if someone swallows a desiccant packet, just in case.

The University of Arizona Health Sciences received a $1.5 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to support research to examine how being a firefighter affects women's stress levels, as well as their risk of cancer and reproductive health issues.