UC Davis Health
Health Magazine
FALL/WINTER 2025
Laboratory and research at UC Davis Health
In brief

Body of knowledge

A summary of recent findings in clinical, translational and basic science research at UC Davis.

  • Preschoolers exposed to potentially harmful chemicals

    A national study published in Environmental Science & Technology finds young children are routinely exposed to potentially harmful chemicals through everyday activities, such as eating, drinking, breathing and touching contaminated surfaces. These findings concern researchers because early childhood is a critical period for brain and body development. The research was conducted by multiple institutions in coordination with the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO), a program supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

  • Link between parents’ workplace chemical exposures and autism

    A new study in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health finds parents’ workplace chemical exposure may be linked to a range of behavioral challenges and developmental delays in their children with autism. In collaboration with the UC Davis CHARGE Study team, researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) studied data from families, focusing on children already diagnosed with autism, as well as their parents’ exposure to plastics, car fluids, disinfectants, medicines and other chemicals.

  • UC Davis part of landmark clinical trial on brain health

    UC Davis Health, in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, was involved in conducting the U.S. POINTER Study, a clinical trial that tested two different lifestyle interventions in older adults at risk for cognitive decline and dementia. Researchers found that both interventions improved cognition and benefits were consistent across age, sex, ethnicity, heart health status and apolipoprotein genotype. The results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

  • Genetic mutation may have made humans more vulnerable to cancer

    New research from UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center has uncovered an evolutionary genetic change unique to humans that may explain why humans are less effective at fighting solid tumors compared to non-human primates, like chimpanzees. The findings may help explain why certain therapies can be effective in blood cancers but often fall short in solid tumors. The insights from this study, published in Nature Communications, could lead to more powerful cancer treatments and open doors for improving cancer immunotherapy.

  • MicroRNAs may hold the key to psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders

    A study published in Nature Aging from researchers at the UC Davis School of Medicine has identified microRNAs that likely contribute to some psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. The researchers used post-mortem brain samples from 604 donors and looked at tissue from the region involved in cognitive processes, working memory and planning. They identified 49 unique microRNAs associated with brain traits, including major depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease.