June 17, 2026 

“The Alzheimer’s brain is adding too many of these sugar structures, and this seems to contribute to the disease rather than protect against it.”  

— Matt Gentry, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, who co-authored a study on how joint supplement glucosamine may be linked to an increased risk of dementia, with The Daily Mail, June 9 

“Each type of cancer has its own puzzle.” 

— William Donahoo, M.D., Clinical Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism, discussing the need for further research to establish whether GLP-1 drugs have anti-cancer effects, with NBC News, May 21 

“With the ability to activate brain resilience pathways, our therapeutic candidates may be effective in other neurological disorders like stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and even age-related cognitive decline. With our collaborators in Gainesville, we have started testing them in these other disease models.” 

— Gavin Rumbaugh, Ph.D., a professor at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, discussing how a medication that improves brain resilience, intended for treatment of a rare brain developmental disorder, has potential for treating other neurological disorders, via PBS South Florida’s documentary “The Resilient Brain,” April 29 

“With the Andes virus, this virus actually infects very deep in the lungs. It doesn’t typically infect the upper airways, so it’s a lot harder for it to transmit from one person to another.” 

— Nicole Iovine, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical professor in the Division of Hematology/ Oncology and chief epidemiologist at UF Health Shands Hospital, about how the Andes virus spreads and whether it’s likely to spark another pandemic, for Wired, May 12 

“For decades we have warned that certain pesticides increase the risk of Parkinson’s and other serious diseases. This moment proves that advocacy, data and courage can change the trajectory of disease.”  

— Michael Okun, M.D., director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health and a professor in the Department of Neurology, discussing the “public health milestone” of Syngenta discontinuing production of its paraquat weed killer linked to Parkinson’s disease, with The Guardian, March 4 

“We’ve discovered that mRNA doesn’t need to be specific, to reprogram the immune response. We’re trying to create a new paradigm. It takes weeks to create a personalized vaccine. The idea of universalization is to wake up the immune system more rapidly.”   

— Elias Sayour, M.D., Ph.D., the Stop Children’s Cancer/Bonnie R. Freeman Professor for Pediatric Oncology Research in the Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery, on developing a generalized mRNA vaccine able to bolster the immune system of cancer patients, for CNN, April 20 

“It’s probably one of the better ones (surgeries) to have in the shorter term … take out the pieces, do a little cleanup. Short-term, you can bounce back relatively quickly.” 

– Kevin W. Farmer, a professor at the Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, on Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal’s upcoming surgery to remove loose bodies, small fragments of cartilage and bone, in his pitching elbow, for AOL, May 4.  

“These are pollutants most people are exposed to every day. They come from things like traffic, shipping and other forms of combustion.” 

– Dimitry S. Davydow, M.D., M.P.H., the vice chair for clinical operations and a professor in the Department of Psychiatry, on how prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide is linked to higher rates of Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease dementia, suggesting that improving air quality could serve as a preventative measure to protect the brain health of aging populations, for MSN, May 16