The Human Pangenome Refence Sequencing Project seeks to gather genomic sequences from a diverse representation of human participants. Two new grants from the NIH will support project contributions by researchers at WashU Medicine, which houses two centers crucial to this work.

Globally, over 600 million people are infected with the skin-penetrating threadworm, Strongyloides stercoralis, mostly in tropical and subtropical regions with poor sanitation infrastructure. Infections are treated with ivermectin, but some nematodes are starting to develop resistance to this first-line drug. UCLA biologists have discovered that the nematodes respond differently to carbon dioxide at different stages in their life cycle, which could help scientists find ways to prevent or cure infections by targeting the CO2-sensing pathway.

The B vitamin mitigates manganese neurotoxicity, which produces symptoms that resemble Parkinson's disease. The vitamin improves dopamine production in the brain and offers potential therapeutic benefits.

A new study from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine shows that only 3½ years of intensive blood pressure control continues to significantly reduce the risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia long after stopping this treatment in adults with hypertension and high cardiovascular risk.