The virus that causes COVID-19 is new and mysterious, presenting more questions than answers. But University of Arizona Health Sciences immunobiologists are laying the groundwork to answer some of those questions. Janko Nikolich-Žugich, MD, PhD, lead a team devoted to developing a COVID-19 antibody test, which is different from the test that detects if someone is infected with the virus.

(Reuters) - Arizona on Tuesday said it would provide coronavirus antibody tests for 250,000 health-care workers and first responders in the largest such testing in the United States to date.

The blood tests show who has been exposed to the novel coronavirus and successfully built immunity, the University of Arizona, which will produce and carry out the tests, said in a statement.

SARS-CoV-2 virus, the causative agent of the coronavirus infectious disease-19 (COVID-19), is taking the globe by storm, approaching 500,000 confirmed cases and over 21,000 deaths as of March 25, 2020. While under control in some affected Asian countries (Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam), the virus demonstrated an exponential phase of infectivity in several large countries (China in late January and February and many European countries and the USA in March), with cases exploding by 30–50,000/day in the third and fourth weeks of March, 2020. SARS-CoV-2 has proven to be particularly deadly to older adults and those with certain underlying medical conditions, many of whom are of advanced age.

TUCSON, Ariz. - The human body gets stressed every single day. Whether we contract a minor infection or even argue with a loved one, these small stressors impact our immune system. Over time, these repeated stressors can impact how we age, says Janko Nikolich-Zugich, MD, PhD, an internationally noted immunologist and co-director of the University of Arizona Center on Aging at the College of Medicine - Tucson.
Now, thanks to a $4.5 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the physician-scientist will study how common infectious, psychological and physical stressors affect our immunity, lifespan and the aging process. The new grant is called a MERIT Award (Method to Extend Research in Time) will double funding from five years of funding to 10.

TUCSON, Ariz. – In a move to address both the severe statewide primary care physician shortage and the growing burden of student debt, the University of Arizona Colleges of Medicine in Tucson and Phoenix will begin providing free tuition in the spring semester to students who agree to practice primary care in a federally designated underserved community in Arizona for at least two years after completing their residency.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day was June 15. The day was designated by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization to increase sensitivity to the fact that, worldwide, 15.7% of older adults experience some form of mistreatment. In the U.S., about 1 in 6 is a victim.