Research at Marshall
Marshall University is recognized as an R2 research university with high research activity in areas ranging from biotechnology and engineering to health sciences and the humanities.
Through our research corporation, we secured over $73 million in new research awards during FY 2024, supporting groundbreaking work and economic growth in the Appalachian region.
With state-of-the-art facilities including the Biotechnology Science Center and the Arthur Weisberg Applied Engineering Complex, we continue to foster interdisciplinary innovation and impactful community partnerships.
Continue reading to explore some of the newest advances and developments happening at Marshall University.
Marshall University researchers, working with an international investigative team from Chili and Canada, have identified a group of fossils as belonging to a new genus of sea creature, unlike any previously known.
Traskasaura sandrae, officially named in the new study, was a 39-foot-long, long-necked creature with large, sharp and robust teeth well-suited for crushing. It also could attack prey above by virtue of its elongated neck.
A newly published study in the Journal of Neurophysiology reveals how blow flies (Calliphora vicina)—despite their minimal body weight—reliably detect forces through specialized sensory organs in their legs. The research offers new insights into insect biomechanics and presents promising applications for the design of next-generation walking robots.
Researchers at Marshall University and West Virginia University examined the behavior of campaniform sensilla—strain-detecting sense organs in the fly’s hindleg tibia—and how they encode mechanical forces during posture and movement. Experiments showed that these sensors are highly sensitive not only to the magnitude of force but also to the rate at which it changes. Even very small, transient decreases in force strongly inhibited the sensors’ firing.
Researchers at Marshall University have developed a promising treatment strategy to address overdoses involving fentanyl and the veterinary sedative xylazine, a combination increasingly linked to severe health complications and reduced effectiveness of standard overdose reversal agents.
In a new study published in The Journal of Translational Research, Michael Hambuchen, PharmD, PhD, associate professor at the Marshall University School of Pharmacy, and pharmacy graduate student Jyostna Yalakala, BVSc, MS, in collaboration with Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine clinical researcher Todd Davies, Ph.D., associate director of research and development in the Division of Addiction Sciences, and addiction medicine fellowship team, report that combining naloxone with the investigational drug atipamezole dramatically improves recovery outcomes in animal models of fentanyl-xylazine overdose.
Researchers at Marshall University explored whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to a higher risk of lung cancer. Using data from over 125,000 matched patients, they found a small but statistically significant increase in lung cancer incidence among those with OSA. While the clinical impact is still being studied, the findings suggest that people with OSA may benefit from closer monitoring or early screening.
Marshall University and Marshall Health have partnered with Intermed Labs, a renowned medical technology (medtech) startup studio, to drive more health care innovations through advanced technologies and breakthroughs that enhance patient outcomes and foster a dynamic ecosystem for health care solutions.
Based in Morgantown, West Virginia, Intermed Labs will help the clinicians and researchers at Marshall University and Marshall Health bring their innovative ideas to life—from design, prototyping and validation to patents, presentations and publication of top concepts.
