One of Michigan State University’s most significant medical breakthroughs happened somewhat by chance when researchers discovered the cancer-fighting properties of platinum in 1965. This led to the breakthrough creation of cisplatin, one of the world’s most widely used cancer-fighting drugs that continues to change lives to this day.
Today, medical breakthroughs from labs at MSU typically don’t happen by chance. They’re the result of the intentional collaborative culture among researchers at the university, access to specialized facilities and equipment that accelerate discovery, and partnerships that deliver research to real patients.
Many of those breakthroughs wouldn’t be possible without federal funding. Not just an investment in science, it’s an investment in people’s lives and futures, and it keeps the nation at the forefront of medical innovation. From artificial intelligence tools that detect disease earlier to probiotics that strengthen bones to tiny synthetic hearts that help test new cardiovascular therapies, Spartan researchers work every day to shape a healthier future for all.
Diagnosing disease earlier with AI
Finding the earliest signs of a serious illness can drastically change a patient’s life — and may even save it. But in many cases, those warning signs are buried deep within the body and go undetected by current testing methods.
That’s why an MSU-led team is combining nanomedicine and artificial intelligence, or AI, to uncover “hidden” disease markers in the blood, giving doctors the potential to spot conditions like cancer or heart disease much earlier.
“Human blood plasma contains many different proteins,” says Morteza Mahmoudi, associate professor in the Department of Radiology and the Precision Health Program in the MSU College of Human Medicine, “and many of the rare and low-abundance proteins are the ones that contain valuable insights into diseases.”
Discovering those rare proteins is no easy task. To tackle this challenge, the research team from MSU, working with scientists from Augusta University, Karolinska Institute and Stanford University, used nanomedicine, AI and a method for studying cause and effect. Funding sources for this collaborative work include the American Heart Association, the U.S. Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program’s Physician Research Award, the National Cancer Institute and the National Science Foundation.
The goal was to find rare and low-abundance biomarkers for prostate cancer that has spread and a condition called atherosclerosis, which causes clogged arteries.
According to Mahmoudi, biomarkers discovered by nanomedicine, actual causality and AI can provide valuable clues about a patient’s health status or disease, and they can be collected and studied, which can pave the way for a significant advancement in the development of personalized medical treatments, or precision medicine.
“It’s the first time that nanomedicine, protein corona, AI and actual causality have been used together to identify a cause for disease,” he adds. “We’re excited because this discovery has the potential to advance early detection and develop targeted therapies for cardio-oncology.”
Tiny beating hearts could create life-changing treatments
Congenital heart defects affect 1% of all newborns. Certain conditions carried by the mother such as obesity, diabetes, infections or drug use can increase risk even further. First created at MSU in 2020 and now featuring exciting advancements in their development, patented synthetic human-like hearts allow researchers to study human heart development and congenital heart disease on highly accurate models.
Similar in size and development to fetal human hearts, these mini heart organoids are becoming increasingly complex and realistic. Funding for the development of mini hearts has come, in part, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
According to Aitor Aguirre, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and chief of the Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology in MSU’s Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, synthetic human mini hearts can facilitate the development of new therapies and pharmaceutical drugs to treat a variety of heart-related diseases.
“Although 90% of cardiovascular disease is thought to be preventable, it has become the leading cause of death in the developed world,” Aguirre says. The mini hearts, he adds, will revolutionize medical approaches to treatment and prevention because researchers will be able to understand the mechanisms of diseases.
Since 2020, the hearts have become even more realistic.
“There are still technological advancements that we can include to make the synthetic hearts even more similar to the human heart,” Aguirre says. And he and his team are hard at work creating more advanced models. They have created mini hearts with immune cells — research he hopes will be published by the end of 2025. These more advanced hearts will allow Aguirre and his team to study diseases like endocarditis, pericarditis and myocarditis.
Aguirre’s long-term goal is to create fetal and adult models of the human heart for research, therapy and technology development. These models, according to Aguirre, will enable a new era of treatments for cardiovascular conditions in children and adults.
Gut health leads to stronger bones
One in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 will have an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime because of low bone density. And while most people think of calcium when it comes to strong bones, MSU Research Foundation Professor Laura McCabe, who works in the Department of Physiology and the College of Osteopathic Medicine, was an early pioneer in investigating how the gut impacts our bones. She and a colleague have even partnered with a Swedish health care company to patent the use of a probiotic as a preventative against osteoporosis.
McCabe’s lab investigates the mechanisms behind the connection between gastrointestinal health and bone health, as well as what kind of foods and supplements can be used to enhance gut bacteria composition and barrier function.
“I thought, ‘We know that inflammation causes bone loss, but what if we did the reverse and we reduced inflammation, would it be possible to benefit bone health?’” says McCabe, whose career at MSU has spanned nearly three decades and who was named a 2024 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. “And that led us to try this probiotic in mice in osteoporosis-producing conditions. It was so exciting because we found that we could prevent bone loss by giving the mice this probiotic.” Additionally, McCabe's laboratory is investigating the impact of prunes on bone health, focusing on their benefits for both gut and bone function across various conditions.
McCabe’s research could have a large impact on those who are impacted by osteoporosis, including postmenopausal women. The concept of improving bone health by targeting the gut, or treating one organ to benefit another, represents a different perspective in developing treatments. Animal models are needed to help identify these signaling pathways.
Her internationally recognized research program has been funded through various grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and several private foundations. She holds several patents related to the treatment of osteoporosis, and her research is leading to new patents, therapeutics and ways of thinking about this chronic disease that affects so many. McCabe’s goal is to eventually move toward human studies.
Read more on the College of Osteopathic Medicine website.
Turning common nutrients into autoimmune treatments
Some of the most common autoimmune diseases are Type 1 diabetes, lupus, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis, and according to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, as many as 50 million Americans may be living with an autoimmune disorder.
James Pestka, a University Distinguished Professor at MSU in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, has dedicated his career to understanding more about the causes of — and potential alternative treatments for — autoimmune diseases, particularly lupus.
With funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Defense, Lupus Research Alliance and the Lupus Foundation of America, Pestka and his team found that consuming the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid, commonly known as DHA, can prevent activation and progression of lupus when caused by toxin exposure. DHA and other omega-3 fatty acids are produced in marine algae and abundant in cold-water fish.
Ashley Anderson, a research associate in the Department of Microbiology, Genetics and Immunology in the College of Natural Science, works on Pestka’s team. She was diagnosed with lupus as a teenager and for years has been on a regimen of medications. Studying lupus since her undergraduate degree, she was eager to work with Pestka and has even been taking omega-3 fatty acids, which seem to be working well with her medications.
“Living with lupus can be tough,” Anderson says, “but I think with the continued efforts like what we’re doing in Dr. Pestka’s lab, hopefully, that won’t always be the case. Having something like omega-3 fatty acids that enhances the current treatment or could be the basis for the development of new treatments, can hopefully make living with lupus not be the burden that it is.”
For Pestka, the more time to work on this research, the better. “I’ve been here since 1982 and I’ve had National Institutes of Health funding since 1984,” Pestka says. “With my first research, I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m going to cure lupus.’ But that’s the beauty of NIH funding. It allowed me to get into different areas and make advancements that don’t happen in an instant.”
MSU’s medical research has shaped lives for generations, and the work is far from finished.
Every discovery builds on the one before it, creating momentum that drives new ideas forward. Federal funding provides the stability and resources needed to take risks, explore new solutions, train future scientists and turn early findings into tested treatments.
The next life-changing therapy could be in motion in an MSU lab — and continued support ensures it will reach the people who need it most.
Read more stories about how MSU researchers are turning medical breakthroughs into better outcomes for communities all around you.
For generations, Spartans have been changing the world through research. Federal funding helps power many of the discoveries that improve lives and keep America at the forefront of innovation and competitiveness. From lifesaving cancer treatments to solutions that advance technology, agriculture, energy and more, MSU researchers work every day to shape a better future for the people of Michigan and beyond. Learn more about MSU’s research impact powered by partnership with the federal government.
