Vote Now in STAT Madness!

Not one but two of our discoveries from 2025 have been named as contenders for the year's biggest scientific advance, and your vote could help win us the crown!

STAT Madness, an annual online tournament to highlight major scientific achievements, selected research from the labs of our Harald Sontheimer, PhD, and Jie Sun, PhD, to face off with 62 other notable findings from across the country. The contest works like the NCAA basketball tournament, with rounds eliminating contenders until there is only one victor left standing.

Our contenders are pretty impressive, if I do say so. Professor Sontheimer and his team discovered why Alzheimer’s patients lose their ability to recognize friends and loved ones, opening the door to new treatments, while Professor Sun and his collaborators revealed an unknown cellular mechanism that drives long COVID and identified a drug that could benefit patients. (This is the second time STAT Madness has recognized work from Professor Sun’s lab as being among the year’s best and most exciting.)

The winner is decided by the public. You can vote daily using STAT's online bracket. Please do, if only to show your support for this important work.

Go Hoos!