Muhammad Furqan, M.D., professor of hematology-oncology at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and Associate Director of Clinical Research at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, is leading a national clinical trial evaluating whether immunotherapy can improve outcomes for patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following surgery.

For 46 years and counting, G. Frans Currier, D.D.S., M.S.D., M.Ed., has been a faculty member at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. This year, the American Association of Orthodontists recognized his service with a conference named in his honor and the opportunity to give a lecture to his fellow orthodontists from around the nation.

Scientists at the University of Oklahoma have identified a previously unrecognized immune system pathway that helps explain how cigarette smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. The findings, published in Circulation Research, show that cigarette smoke activates immune cells that trigger widespread inflammation throughout the body, accelerating the buildup of plaque in arteries.

An experimental treatment strategy for metastatic pancreatic cancer may help patients live longer by making tumors more visible to the immune system, according to a study published in Nature Medicine. OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center enrolled patients on the clinical trial, which studied a new drug called quemliclustat.

Microplastics – minuscule pieces of plastic broken down from larger plastic waste – are a growing concern for human health, especially for the liver. A study from the University of Oklahoma, published today in Science Advances, demonstrates that a common type of microplastics is particularly harmful to the liver under high-fat dietary conditions.