Breakthroughs like GLP-1 therapies often seem to arrive all at once, transforming how we treat disease overnight.

But on academic medical campuses like ours, we know such discoveries are built over years, and often decades, of foundational research. They begin long before headlines or clinical success, sometimes in the most unexpected places.

That long arc of scientific discovery was the focus of our spring Transforming Healthcare Lecture: From Lizard Venom to Lifesaving Medicine, where faculty experts explored the path from basic science to new therapies and technologies. 

 

Breaking Ground With Basic Science

A common theme was that scientific breakthroughs often begin with curiosity and questions whose answers are far from clear. From GLP-1s and addiction research to advances in osteoarthritis treatment, chromosome research and novel therapeutics, our faculty demonstrated how foundational science and laboratory research drive new possibilities in medicine.

EXPLORE: How Our Experts Are Breaking Ground

 

These advances reflect the continuum of discovery that defines our campus ‒ from lab science to life-changing medicine.

They also remind us why basic science remains essential, not only for the breakthroughs already on the horizon but for the ones we cannot yet imagine.