Life-Changing Innovation: How Duke Research Saves Lives
LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Alfonzo Grafton is battling stage 4 lung cancer with a Duke-led NIH trial
When Alfonzo’s lung cancer wasn’t responding to chemotherapy, his doctors at Duke offered to have him join a Duke-led clinical trial for a new type of therapy. He jumped at the opportunity and, two years later, is still responding well to the treatment. Dr. Eziafa Oduah, Alfonzo’s oncologist, recently visited him at his Durham home to hear more about his journey.
From cradle to old age, lives across North Carolina, the country and the world are being saved by Duke research.
Medical researchers are pioneering treatments for pediatric diseases, cancer treatments and dementia. Engineers are developing new therapies to relieve debilitating pain. Earth science and public policy faculty are working with communities to address health issues related to environmental challenges. Experts in a range of fields are working to protect us from the next generation of viruses and help build community resilience for the next natural disaster.
This work would not be possible without decades of consistent federal funding placing bets on projects that are too early for industry. With taxpayer support, the United States has become the world leader in research and innovation – and it all starts with the engine of university research.
You, the taxpayer, helped build this. We welcome you to learn more about lifesaving Duke research.
Why Research Matters:
Brain Breakthroughs
Alzheimer's Advancements
A patient enrolled in a clinical trial and a leading Duke Alzheimer’s disease researcher discuss their shared family histories of Alzheimer's, hopes for treatments and a cure, and the concern that loss of public funding will delay these advances and harm patients.
I want to be the bridge between a generation that had no help, no medicine, no treatment, and to another generation in which there may be at least some kind of treatment, because it's not going to go away.
Mary Beth Humphrey
Episcopal priest and Alzheimer's patient
Hope for Parkinson's
Basic science is what most research is. Students, faculty, scientists and others explore how things in nature behave through careful observation and experimentation. Communities everywhere benefit when basic science uncovers new knowledge, leads to new technological advancements, and solves everyday problems with facts and evidence.
How NIH supports this brain researcher
Postdoctoral researcher Jessica Moore had grandparents affected by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Now, she studies the brain to help find treatments for these devastating diseases. As part of the UMR My WHY campaign, Dr. Moore shares why NIH funding is crucial for this work.
The lifesaving legacy of Duke
Duke research to Duke bedsides
Research funded by the federal government has led to amazing discoveries at Duke, from the genetics of breast cancer to identifying rare pediatric conditions. These discoveries take time and ongoing support to make it to treatment of patients – including for those that are part of the Duke community themselves.
Seven Health Breakthroughs From Duke
Federal research funding played a critical role in helping Duke researchers make foundational advancements in science that now, decades later, are making a big impact on your health. From better medications to better helmets, Duke researchers have laid the groundwork to save lives.
Life-Saving Cancer
Sabrina Lewandowski woke up one morning with a headache that should have killed her.
She was diagnosed with a stage four glioblastoma multiforme — a particularly insidious brain tumor that most people don’t survive. Many hospitals would have advised her to go home and get her affairs in order. But Duke proposed a more complicated, aggressive therapy that would attempt to outwit the tumor through unconventional means.
Clinical Trials
A clinical trial is a research study where doctors test new treatments to see if they are safe and work well. At Duke, clinical trials for cancer treatments are not possible without the infrastructure provided by Duke’s Cancer Institute, a part of the network of federally funded cancer centers created in 1971.
Turning Failure into Success
When a drug doesn’t work for its intended purpose, researchers often investigate its effects more thoroughly. Sometimes failure provides a critical insight that eventually leads to a groundbreaking discovery.
Groundbreaking Surgical
Alternatives to Surgery
Surgery can be painful and require long recovery times, and in some cases may have life-changing impacts. Finding alternatives can take years of research and dedication but can result in a higher quality of life.
Robotic Surgery
Directed by humans, robotic surgery allows for a precision that human hands can’t match. The smaller incisions result in less pain, a lower risk of infection and faster recovery time.
Kara Pace received a new liver, and a new life, undergoing the first robotic liver transplant surgery at Duke Health.
Pediatric Heart Surgery
Infants can’t tolerate or recover from surgery the way older children or adults can. A baby’s heart is the size of a strawberry, and total heart transplants in infants often last for just 21 years. Procedures developed by Duke faculty surgeons not only have saved the lives of infants, they have provided options that should last a lifetime.
Pediatric heart surgeon Dr. Joseph Turek performed the world’s first partial heart transplant on a 17-day-old baby.
And the work doesn’t stop with one win. Dr. Turek and colleagues continue to work on better approaches to heart transplants for children. In 2025, they showed that kids were growing up well with partial heart transplants. This promises an expansion of the use of this technique for more heart conditions.
Biomedical Engineering
New Ways to Diagnose Disease
Diagnosis of a disease or condition is often based on symptoms, medical history and tests. Researchers are continuously inventing advanced diagnostic methods, improving accuracy and early detection, which are essential for effective treatment and better patient outcomes.
Reducing Pain
Many painkillers can interfere with the healing process but a Duke invention, an injectable gel-like substance, simultaneously promotes healing and alleviates pain.
Delivering drugs better
How do you get lifesaving drugs to perform even better with fewer side effects? Supported by federal funding, Duke researchers are using AI to create new drug delivery methods, with promising results for improving cancer drugs already being shown in the lab.
Clean Environment
Reducing Pollution
Research helps us figure out where pollutants come from, so we can tackle them more effectively. This means we can create and promote cleaner technologies to make our environment healthier.
Understanding Health Risks
By studying samples collected from Black Mountain, researchers hope to better understand the health risks mold and other fungi pose after flooding. Their findings could also pave the way for new drug targets and easier ways to treat fungal infections.
A Day In The Life Of A Fungal Researcher
Searching for new antifungal approaches is a huge part of microbiologist Erica Washington’s typical workday, but she also makes time for her family, friends, and teammates.
