Research is the cornerstone upon which world-class medical education and patient care are built. UT Southwestern has a superb international reputation for life-changing research, including some of the most important discoveries of our generation.

• Dr. Alfred Gilman, chairman of pharmacology and winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize for the discovery of G  proteins, is at the forefront of a $10 million-per-year, 10-year project allowing researchers around the world to pool their efforts in studying one of the biggest unsolved problems in biomedicine – how cells interact with, or signal, each other. Work of these Alliance for Cellular Signaling researchers in the post-genome era could lead to the development of a "virtual cell" that could be used to test new drugs. The AFCS involves 20 universities, 50 participating investigators from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and more than 400 scientists worldwide. Dr. Gilman’s research on G proteins is leading to the development of drugs that precisely target cellular malfunctions.  

• Most people didn’t know anything about cholesterol until Drs. Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein discovered the basic mechanism of cholesterol metabolism at UT Southwestern and won the 1985 Nobel Prize. Their research led to the development of today’s cholesterol-lowering drugs, which are saving lives. They continue to work on advancing the understanding and management of cardiovascular disease.

• Dr. Johann Deisenhofer’s work is considered a milestone in structural biology. He won the 1988 Nobel Prize for research using X-ray crystallography to reveal in three-dimensional detail the structure of protein in the membrane of cells, atom by atom. Understanding detailed structure makes possible the development of new drugs.

• In 1999, UT Southwestern launched its first biotechnology company in 10 years. The company, now known as Myogen, is focused on the development of new therapies for congestive heart failure and is publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange as ‘MYOG.’ It was quickly followed by the launch of Eliance Biotechnology based on a platform technology developed within the Center for Biomedical Inventions. The technology enables large-scale genetic screenings that will reinvent the way vaccines are developed. In 2002, Eliance was acquired by MacroGenics, Inc., and continues operations in Dallas. Most recently, UT Southwestern launched Reata Discovery, Inc., a Dallas-based company that is built upon seven separate technologies acquired from UT Southwestern and M.D. Anderson of Houston. The company is developing small molecules for the treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, and recently received $6.2 million in financing.

• The Alzheimer’s Disease Center is one of 29 Alzheimer’s centers receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health. Patients participate in clinical trials aimed at finding treatments, while molecular researchers look for causes.

• The Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research has been involved in pioneering drug studies and is responsible for developing four drugs for kidney-stone prevention, a popular calcium supplement (Citracal), a widely used diagnostic kit for detecting causes of stones. The center also has  kidney stone and osteoporosis drugs now under the Food and Drug Administration’s review.

• The research in the Center for Human Nutrition is significant for everyone who eats. Center  investigators were the first to prove the "Mediterranean diet" healthy, discover that antioxidants help prevent arteriosclerosis and define the varieties of fatty foods that are harmful.

• UT Southwestern neuroscientists in the Kent Waldrep Foundation Center for Basic Research on Nerve Growth and Regeneration are participating in an international consortium of scientists to help solve the clinical puzzle of nerve regeneration and find effective treatments for paralysis caused by spinal-cord injuries.

• With funds appropriated by the Texas Legislature, the Institute for Innovations in Medical Technologies was created in 2001 at UT Southwestern with a special appropriation of $9 million per year. The Institute will include centers for genetic, molecular and cellular biotechnology, new drug and vaccine development, computational biology, and advanced medical devices and imaging technology.

• A $13.9 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has expanded genomic research at UT Southwestern. This research is aimed at the identification of genes that contribute to heart disease and could ultimately lead to the development of individualized drugs and gene therapies.