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Johns Hopkins researchers invented the “liquid biopsy,” transforming a routine blood test into next-level cancer detection. With near perfect accuracy, the test detects ovarian, liver, stomach, pancreas and esophageal cancers—cancers that are not screened for in seemingly healthy individuals. When tested on nearly 10,000 women with no symptoms or history of cancer, the liquid biopsy uncovered cancer in 26 of them—giving them all a chance to treat is early. 

Researchers developed technology that helps doctors diagnose and treat people with epilepsy—one of the most commonly misdiagnosed diseases. By non-invasively pinpointing the precise spot in the brain where seizures originate, the tool helps surgeons determine if and where they should operate, improving the success rate of epilepsy surgeries—life-saving work for the roughly 21 million epilepsy patients worldwide whose seizures aren’t relieved by medications.  

One of the top causes of death in hospitals is sepsis, the body’s extreme reaction to an infection. Using AI, Johns Hopkins researchers found a way to identify sepsis nearly two hours earlier than traditional methods, a game changer for a condition where every minute counts. The system has not only cut sepsis deaths by nearly 20% in hospitals nationwide, saving thousands of lives a year, it’s getting people out of the hospital faster and reducing the need for intensive care. 

Many of our researchers don’t just work in the lab—they treat patients every day at our medical centers in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Florida—and they train the next generation of providers through the world-renowned Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Learn more about how research saves lives. 

Johns Hopkins has approximately 600 NIH funded trials underway with more than 3,000 patients enrolled, including work on cancer, pediatrics and children’s health, heart and vascular studies, pulmonary and critical care, the brain and nervous system, and more. Read how one NIH-funded clinical trial at Hopkins saved the life of a Baltimore woman using an innovative cancer immunotherapy treatment developed over 30 years by teams of researchers here and across the country.  

Millions of people are diagnosed every year with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. Johns Hopkins is currently testing novel ways to slow cognitive decline and ease some of the most frustrating hallmarks of the disease. One clinical trial is testing how an existing medication for depression could treat distressing symptoms like agitation and aggression and potentially slow cognitive decline. Another trial is studying how repurposing an inexpensive generic version of Ritalin could ease apathy, one of the most common and most devastating symptoms of Alzheimer’s.    

Imagine a treatment tailor-made to fight an individual patient’s specific cancer. Hopkins researchers are in the process of developing medicines, built with a patient’s own cells, that target and destroy only malignant tumors, sparing healthy tissue. The treatment is precise and potent, stopping tumors from growing and spreading, without the toxicity of other medicines. This antibody-like treatment, now in clinical trials, appears effective for an array of challenging tumor types.  

Promising findings from Johns Hopkins researchers are offering hope to the thousands of people diagnosed every year with pancreatic cancer, which is already one of the deadliest cancers and is predicted to become even more prevalent in coming years. A new vaccine supercharges the immune system, enlisting cells that typically allow cancer to grow to instead seek out and kill pancreatic cancer cells throughout the body. The treatment, a new form of immunotherapy, is being tested now in clinical trials and appears to delay cancer recurrence for nearly two years.  

Johns Hopkins is harnessing the power of AI and other cutting-edge technology to improve the health and well-being of older adults, especially people without easy access to high-quality dementia care. Working with tech firms and universities across the country, from Florida to Texas to Washington, we’re seeking out and supporting the most creative ideas from researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Projects underway include a mobile device that seniors and their caregivers could use at home to monitor brain health, a virtual reality world where people with dementia can receive therapy and engagement, and software that detects the earliest signs of cognitive impairment. 

People with type 1 diabetes need daily insulin shots to regulate their blood sugar levels. Johns Hopkins researchers are developing a therapy that would eliminate those burdensome insulin injections and pumps. It’s a long-lasting cell-based immunotherapy that would prevent the immune system from attacking insulin-producing cells in the first place. The treatment would greatly improve the day-to-day lives of millions of people living with diabetes worldwide.  

In addition to supporting tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs, the university is also a major purchaser of goods and services, a sponsor of construction projects, and a magnet for students and visitors. In fiscal year 2024, we estimate that Johns Hopkins and its affiliates directly and indirectly accounted for $40 billion in economic output in Maryland and approximately $7.3 billion across other Johns Hopkins operating geographies (Washington, D.C., Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Florida).

Over the past 15 years, startup companies fueled by licensed university technology have grown by 80%—direct evidence of the ways in which university research sparks innovation and catalyzes the private sector. Johns Hopkins has created more than 130 active startup companies that collectively employ more than 1,500 people, and these startups have raised $4.4 billion in cumulative venture funding since 2014.  

Universities make long-term investments to construct and operate the cutting-edge scientific facilities that conduct federally supported research. The construction of the two academic buildings that will house the Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Institute, to name just one example, is expected to create over 4,000 jobs in Baltimore and generate more than $800 million in net new economic impact across Maryland. 

Federal funding only covers part of the cost of groundbreaking research done at universities. Johns Hopkins uses institutional funds, including our endowment, to co-invest in research that saves lives, spurs innovation, and boosts the economy. Overall, APLU estimates that American research universities covered 25% of the costs of federally backed research in 2023. 

Funded in part by a research grant from DARPA, the HEPIUS (Holistic Electrical, Ultrasonic, and Physiological Interventions Unburdening Those with Spinal Cord Injury) Innovation Labs bring together teams from multiple schools and campuses at Johns Hopkins. Together they are working to design and develop an entirely new class of implantable and wearable medical devices to aid spinal cord injury patients in both the acute and chronic phases of injury.

Hopkins leads a research alliance that includes 17 institutions and 37 researchers across the United States working to understand, predict, and control the behavior of materials in the extreme conditions caused by weapons of mass destruction to ensure that the equipment our armed forces depend on is safe and effective. The project is supported by research funding from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) within the Department of Defense (DOD).

A multidisciplinary team from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Carey School of Business, and School of Medicine is conducting research as part of a broader DOD initiative to inform decision-making to ensure that critical medications remain accessible for U.S. service members and the American public.

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, working with NASA, successfully altered the orbit of an asteroid in 2022. It was the first time humanity changed the motion of a celestial object and a stunning demonstration of the planetary defense plan that could one day save Earth from an incoming threat. APL built DART and the spacecraft’s single instrument, a camera that captured images of the asteroids on approach and supported the spacecraft’s navigation.