A head-scratching set of symptoms. A boy who may be in grave danger. Can researchers solve this medical mystery before it’s too late?   Xander Auld was not a fussy baby. He slept well, at least for an infant. He didn’t get sick often. And on those few occasions when he did, he didn’t carry […]

Mentors helped shape Dr. Courtney Griffin’s scientific career. Now she’s doing the same for the next generation of aspiring researchers.   As a teenager, Courtney Griffin kept busy during the summers. Sometimes, she babysat her siblings. Others, she’d lend a hand at her father’s law office in Athens, Georgia, where she grew up. But it […]

“I had a really fantastic eighth-grade biology teacher, Mr. Whitaker. He taught us the coolest things about science, like slime molds and other organisms and how viruses infect bacteria. His descriptions really spoke to me. I was the kid who’d do the regular classwork plus more for extra credit. It was easy to do all […]

Dear Dr. Prescott, How close are we to solving food allergies? Russell Edwards, Norman   Unfortunately, not as close as we’d like. For many years, health experts didn’t focus on the cause of food allergies. Instead, they devoted their efforts to helping those with allergies—and those at risk to develop them—avoid offending foods. These efforts translated […]

With OMRF’s new germ-free facility, researchers can study the role of microbes in human health We are outnumbered. For every human cell in our bodies, 10 others belonging to microorganisms reside in our mouths, on our skin and in our digestive tracts. To study the role these hordes of tiny hitchhikers—which we commonly think of […]

Scientific excellence requires a host of ingredients: dedication, attention to detail, resilience, innovation. Each of these, in turn, relies on having a staff that’s both talented and committed to solving difficult problems. In other words, says OMRF President Dr. Steve Prescott, “The key is people. They have to believe in the scientific mission of the […]