Research

An inherited form of blindness directly comparable to a common inherited optic nerve disease in humans has been discovered in rhesus macaques at the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis. The work, published April 15 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to a better understanding of autosomal dominant optic atrophy, or ADOA, and potentially to new treatments. 

Among dog breeds, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers (tollers) have an unusually high rate of Addison's disease, a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones, notably cortisol and aldosterone. In humans, Addison's disease is thought to occur when the body's immune system attacks the adrenal glands, making it a type of autoimmune disease.

In February 2025, Nature Medicine published a startling report by a team of researchers at the University of New Mexico that estimated the human brain was 0.5% plastic by weight.

A major five-year study on California’s Central Coast led by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Western Center for Food Safety at the University of California, Davis, is helping scientists better understand how harmful bacteria can move through the environment.

An unassuming metal barn erected recently at the southern edge of the University of California, Davis campus houses some advanced video technology for a uniquely UC Davis project.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have uncovered new details about how a once-deadly coronavirus disease in cats spreads through the immune system. The findings may help scientists better understand long COVID and other long-lasting inflammatory illnesses in people.

A recent publication in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association marks an important contribution to radiation-safety understanding in veterinary imaging. The lead author of the review is Lisa Carstens, a registered veterinary technician at UC Davis.

When Tommy Ma and Tiffany Pan adopted a 3-month-old Ragdoll kitten named Lychee in 2022, they expected joy, not heartbreak.

“Lychee was a dream come true,” Pan said. “Growing up, I’d never been allowed to have any large pets. Even cats are considered a large pet in my family.”

Just weeks after coming home, Lychee fell gravely ill. He began showing signs of feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, a disease that was once fatal for cats.

***This article first appeared in the UC Davis Health Clinical and Translational Science Center Connections newsletter***

In the near future, a researcher works in a lab to receive and analyze data when an alert goes off. The data, from a network of strategically placed sensors, indicates the pandemic potential of a disease spreading between animal species. The researcher informs other teams of scientists to further investigate the issue, possibly mitigating the spread of that disease and stopping a new pandemic before it even starts.