Baylor College of Medicine has claimed victory in the 2025 STAT Madness, marking the second consecutive year it has won the popular vote in STAT’s research competition. This year's winning research was conducted by Dr. Benjamin Deneen, a professor at the Department of Neuroscience. Dr. Deneen's work focused on discovering a new method for memory storage and recall involving astrocytes, star-shaped cells previously not associated with memory recall, a function traditionally linked to neurons.
Describing his accomplishment, Dr. Deneen said, “It is an honor to receive this title and to be recognized alongside other prominent biomedical research in a nationwide competition amongst other top-tier institutions.” Deneen also holds the position of director at the Center for Cancer Neuroscience and is part of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center at Baylor, as well as a principal investigator at the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital.
The research was supported by contributions from a team that included co-first authors and postdoctoral associates Michael Williamson and Ukbong Kwon, along with several other Baylor associates. Dr. Ukbong Kwon explained the significance of their work, stating, “Our work expands theories on memory by showing direct roles for non-neuronal cells in the storage and retrieval of memories.” Dr. Michael R. Williamson remarked, “These studies open the door for new lines of investigation that will decipher how astrocytes store memories, while further dissecting their specialized interactions with neuronal engrams.”
The competition, organized by STAT, an online news source dedicated to health, medicine, and scientific discovery, involved five rounds of voting with Dr. Deneen's research receiving 63.6% of the 92,001 votes cast in the final round.
