Discovering new treatments and battling dangerous infections are the focus of MSU research projects targeting the genetic disorder cystic fibrosis, with support provided through a series of grants from Hunt for a Cure, a Grand Rapids-based advocacy organization.

A tiny Australian songbird may hold the answer to discovering the biological source of stuttering. A team of MSU scientists will investigate the brain and behavior of the zebra finch in the first in-depth study of whether stuttering stems from a lack of rhythm.

Many who live in poverty in Bangladesh resort to extreme measures in order to survive: selling their organs. In the first in-depth study of its kind, MSU’s Monir Moniruzzaman details his time spent infiltrating the black market for human organs to expose the often horrific experiences of victims and the consequences of organ trafficking.

Think keeping in shape is an uphill battle? Try staying fit in space, where living quarters are cramped and prolonged weightlessness withers muscle and bone. That’s the challenge a group of MSU researchers will address with a new three-year, $1.2 million grant from NASA.

Sometime in the next quarter-century, NASA plans to send the first humans to Mars, a mission that will push the boundaries of teamwork. MSU researchers aim to arm the astronaut crew with innovative devices that will monitor interactions and provide instant feedback when conflict or other issues arise.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that affects a half million people in the United States, with about 50,000 newly diagnosed cases each year. There is no cure and, until now, no reliable method for detecting the disease. But an MSU research team has developed an innovative detection method that is a major breakthrough in diagnosing Parkinson’s in early stages—the point at which treatment to control symptoms is most effective.

The U.S. Army has put an MSU physician in charge of its efforts to keep soldiers and civilians healthy.

The announcement by actress Angelina Jolie that she had a double mastectomy has put a spotlight on the genetics behind breast cancer, and could even have implications for a pending Supreme Court case. MSU experts are available to sort out the science behind Jolie’s decision, what it has to do with coming high court ruling and what women need to know about their genes and breast cancer.

“She was fine yesterday,” the mother repeats in a state of shock and disbelief.

Mosquitoes are deadly efficient disease transmitters. Research conducted at MSU, however, demonstrates that they also can be equally adept in curing diseases such as malaria.