A breast cancer survivor and longtime supporter of the University of Arizona has given $8.5 million to the University of Arizona Cancer Center to strengthen the center's breast cancer patient care and research programs.

The Tohono O'odham Nation has committed $1 million to the University of Arizona to help researchers fight COVID-19. UA researchers have been involved in understanding the coronavirus and testing people across the state since the pandemic’s arrival in the United States in the spring. An antibody test developed by immunologists in the College of Medicine-Tucson has been deployed throughout Arizona in partnership with Gov. Doug Ducey, according to the UA.

Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said Arizona is at a "pivotal" moment for COVID-19. Daily case reports are about the same as seen in late May and early June, four weeks before the peak of the outbreak. Given that Arizona is at that level now, it's possible rapid infection could take off, said Joe Gerald, an associate professor at University of Arizona's Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. "It's almost as if we have a loaded gun in our hand and if we're not careful, it can go off and hurt someone," he said of the case trends.

Can Some Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients Skip Radiation? The new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, enrolled 132 eligible patients with stage I and II diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The study was led by Dr. Daniel Persky, a professor of medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and associate director for clinical investigations at the University of Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson.

Quit smoking. “Cigarette smoking is probably public enemy number one,” says Joseph Alpert, MD, a cardiologist as the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center. “People who smoke a pack of cigarettes a day are twice as likely to get a heart attack over non-smokers.”

A microRNA that can be found in a blood sample may make it easier to detect gastric cancer and could lead to improved treatment for diseases that are resistant to common immunotherapies.

There is concern among ophthalmologists that increased screen time might further accelerate the myopia epidemic. “As ophthalmologists, we have now an opportunity to raise awareness among parents and teachers and eventually engage with policy makers and curriculum developers to set up strategies for myopia mitigation that will help students also beyond the pandemic,” said Jordana M. Smith, MD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.

Community spread of the coronavirus is back to the levels Arizona saw in late May, according to Joe Gerald, an associate professor in the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, with increases now in all age groups, not just college students.

University of Arizona Heath Sciences researchers developed one of the most accurate COVID-19 antibody tests available and now have shown antibodies persist for months after infection, providing long-term immunity.