In the second season of The Fundamentals podcast, co-hosts Kelly Malcom and Jordan Goebig talk to several leading experts from the Medical School about their fields and the fundamental questions they are trying to answer — and discover why U-M is such an amazing place for research. Six new episodes of the popular podcast were released on May 6

Today on The Fundamentals is Dr. Maria Castro, the R.C. Schneider collegiate professor of neurosurgery, and a professor of cell and developmental biology at the University of Michigan Medical School. Her research program aims to develop immunotherapies for primary and metastatic brain cancer, studying basic immune biology mechanisms leading to clinical implementation. She has been inducted into the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, the Latin American Academy of Sciences, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows. She has won numerous awards for her contributions to basic science and cancer research and is a diversity ambassador for the Cancer Biology Graduate Training Program. You can learn more about Dr. Castro here, and you can follow her @castro2355_mg, the Rogel Cancer Center @UMRogelCancer, the department of neurosurgery @umichneuro, Michigan Neurscience Institute @UM_MNI and the department of cell and developmental biology @UMCDB on X

Experts in brain cancer outline current discoveries and offer a path of hope for glioblastoma treatment

Researchers improved memory and reduced neuroinflammation in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s Disease, suggesting another avenue for potential treatment.

Researchers recently revealed a new mechanism behind antiphospholipid syndrome that the investigators hope will eventually allow treatments to be targeted closer to the source of the problem.

At-home test can detect tumor DNA fragments in urine samples, providing a non-invasive alternative to traditional blood-based biomarker tests

As guest editor for a themed journal issue, Lori Pierce helps highlight the multiple factors that can make cancer care and prevention more equitable and reduce the burden of this disease for all

The death rate for patients with functional, nonepileptic seizures is higher than expected, with a rate comparable to epilepsy and severe mental illness, a Michigan Medicine-led study finds.

Vaccination against the coronavirus was much lower in adults and children with sickle cell disease despite a higher risk of severe COVID-19.

Research from Michigan Medicine experts is shedding light and potentially expanding options for patients living with an aggressive childhood cancer.

Investigators found that people with obesity who underwent bariatric surgery had stable cognition two years later. Researchers say it suggests that bariatric surgery may mitigate the natural history of cognitive decline expected in people with obesity.

How two newly approved gene therapies, including novel technology CRISPR, may help kids and adults with inherited blood disorders

Post-traumatic stress worse among Mexican American caregivers compared to white caregivers.

Piotrowski consulted with a spectrum of doctors, physical therapists and chiropractors, each with a different recommendation for how to treat a herniated disc in the lower portion of his spine until he found one at Michigan Medicine recommending lumbar microdiscectomy, a procedure that involves small incisions to remove portions of the herniated disc and ease pressure on the spinal cord nerves.

A car accident at age 20 left Sahar Mashhour in the intensive care unit for three months. Almost six years later, Mashhour is still pursuing her passions proving that her disability doesn’t limit her ability, but instead helps her see life through a different lens.