The University of Wisconsin-Madison will use its share of a three-year, $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HS) to investigate ways to detect intentional contamination of the nation’s food supply.

Synthetic molecules can mimic the proteins that control the expression of certain genes, according to a recently published report by a UW-Madison biochemist. This finding brings scientists closer to being able to activate or suppress genes, which may someday help fight cancer and other diseases.

Like pieces in an elaborate jigsaw puzzle, molecules interact based on the way they fit together. A tiny crevice or bump might cause a reaction to proceed, or keep it from happening at all. Working at the crossroads of mathematics, chemistry, and biology, one UW-Madison scientist uses computers to model molecular shapes and identify features that may influence interaction.

From fad diets to herbal supplements, healthy eating can seem like a complicated chore these days. But eating well doesn’t require a degree in biochemistry. Fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat, cheese and other foods grown by farmers across southern Wisconsin are simple ingredients in a healthy diet.

Vitamin A, a nutrient found in foods like eggs, meat and dairy products, appears to play a key role in preventing heart defects in developing embryos and may promote healthy adult hearts as well, according to a UW-Madison scientist.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are developing a vaccine against Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that is the third leading cause of foodborne deaths in the United States.

At this time of year, most people are aware that some holiday plants, such as mistletoe and poinsettia, can be toxic. In addition, wintertime is the season for poisonings from a variety of toxins, especially in rural settings, says Donna Lotzer, poison education coordinator at the UW Hospital Poison Prevention and Education Center.

With childhood obesity on the rise, parents are paying more attention to what their children eat at school.

As a freshman at Madison East High School, Lynette Brennan Childs knew that genetics was for her. Today, Childs is a research associate for Infigen, Inc. in DeForest. Formed in 1997, Infigen is a biotechnology company commercializing cloning services in the fields of human health and animal agriculture.

The 1984-1985 famine in Ethiopia has had a lasting impact on Noelle Johnson. After reading about the famine, she was determined to go to Africa to help. Today, she works with Catholic Relief Services to improve food security and sustainable agriculture in Africa. There, she applies what she learned earning a bachelor?s degree in nutritional sciences from the UW-Madison and a master?s in international agricultural development from the University of California-Davis.