UW scientist finds more ways to fight diseases
"Isn't just for bones anymore" says DeLuca
By Samara Kalk Derby
In the beginning, vitamin D research at the University of Wisconsin was all about building better bones, especially for children.
But "vitamin D therapy isn't just for bones anymore," pioneering UW-Madison scientist Hector DeLuca told a crowd of 250 at the Overture Center Tuesday night in a rare public lecture.
Now, he said, the vitamin D frontiers include developing treatments for psoriasis, dialysis patients, diabetes, osteoporosis, prevention of hip fractures, and even cancer.
DeLuca, who holds more than 200 U.S. patents, led his audience through the story of vitamin therapy, beginning in the 1850s, when German biochemists dominated science.
