Scientists at the University of Arizona Health Sciences say the virus that causes COVID-19 may have a surprising ability to relieve pain. Laboratory experiments with rodents show when the virus enters the body by binding to a gateway protein called neuropilin, it blocks the first step in the pathway that causes pain. That might explain why so many people diagnosed with COVID-19 don’t feel any symptoms. KNAU spoke with the study’s senior author Dr. Rajesh Khanna from the UArizona College of Medicine, about his findings.

The University of Arizona is launching a $7.7 million yearlong study funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify patterns of COVID-19 immunity over time in previously and newly infected individuals. Dr. Jeff Burgess, associate dean for research and a professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, is serving as principal investigator for the study, named the Arizona Healthcare, Emergency Response, and Other Essential Workers Surveillance, or AZ HEROES, Study.

Part of the virus that causes the illness Covid-19 could be used to help relieve pain, a new study suggests, by blocking the body’s pain pathway at a cellular level. Rajesh Khanna, a professor in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, and his research team found that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binds to neuropilin in exactly the same location as VEGF-A.

Doctors are saying that the president is doing extremely well after being hospitalized with COVID-19 over the weekend. Dr. Shad Marvasti, of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, on what we are hearing about the president’s condition. Air time: 10:19 PM

The new faculty cardiologists, Drs. Keng Pineda and Andrew Williams, bring expertise in interventional cardiology, cardiac imaging, cardio-oncology and sports cardiology to the University of Arizona Health Sciences and Banner – University Medicine Tucson.

As more older adults use smartphones, College of Pharmacy researcher Dr. Jeannie Lee hopes to improve medication adherence and blood pressure rates with a management system in the palm of their hand.

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death among Native Americans, prompting calls for increased screenings to improve detection and treatment of colorectal disease. The University of Arizona Cancer Center is working to address this problem. The program was recently awarded $3 million by the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative, which aims to accelerate cancer research and prevention.

A new study from scientists at the University of Arizona Health Sciences center shows that the novel coronavirus has a second receptor that is linked to pain signaling.

In a small preliminary study, researchers affiliated with the University of Arizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center exposed 29 people—all of whom experience episodic or chronic migraine and failed multiple traditional therapies, such as oral medications and Botox injections— to white and green light.

Q&A with Environmental microbiologists and public health researchers at the University of Arizona: Kelly Reynolds, professor and chair of the Community, Environment and Policy Department at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and Charles Gerba, an environmental microbiologist from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.