Oddly enough, zebrafish have comparable organs and tissues to humans -- reason enough for molecular and cellular physiology associate professor Jay Hove to study the fish at the UC's Genome Research Institute. By using a high-tech "treadmill" to study physical activity levels of the fish, Hove hopes to better understand how "fidgeting" affects caloric balance.

First effective antihistamine -- The late professor George Rieveschl, A&S '37, MS (A&S) '39, PhD (A&S) '40, HonDoc '56, developed the first FDA-approved prescription antihistamine, Benadryl, originally marketed in '46.

First medical laser lab -- The late dermatology professor Leon Goldman, MD '29, considered the "father of laser medicine," opened the country's first medical laser laboratory at UC in 1961.

First heart-lung machine -- In 1951, cardiologist Samuel Kaplan, chemist Leland Clark and surgery professor James Helmsworth developed the world's first functional heart-lung machine, located at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

First YAG laser used -- In 1984, neurosurgery professor John Tew was the country's first surgeon to receive FDA approval to use the YAG laser to vaporize previously inoperable brain tumors.

First genetics center funded -- UC has the nation's first federally funded Center for Environmental Genetics (established in '82), where professor Daniel Nebert identified genes on a human chromosome that are key to lung-cancer development.

Study of birth defects pioneered -- The late pediatrics professor Josef Warkany, HonDoc '86, is regarded as the "father of teratology" (the biological study of birth defects), and his book "Congenital Malformations" ('81) is considered a medical classic, as it was the first to associate causes, not mere chance, with birth defects.

Organ transplant discovery -- In 1989, UC researchers discovered how to make a drug work more effectively to prevent rejection of a transplanted organ.

Heart-failure treatment -- Pharmacy professor Michael Bottorf helped develop national and state guidelines for the treatment of heart failure in the mid '90s.

Heart-failure gene identified -- In the early 2000s, UC researchers identified two genes that put people at 10 times greater risk for heart failure, with the gravest risk among African-Americans.

Cancer gene discovered -- In 1995, UC researchers isolated a gene that leads to an increased risk of colon cancer, which may lead to understanding how people inherit a predisposition to the disease.

Lead effects in children -- UC was the first university-based research facility to become nationally known for studying the health effects of lead in children, and the environmental-health department was one of the first to test a drug that effectively removed high lead levels from the bloodstream.

Sniffing out disease -- UC researchers Robert Frank and Robert Gesteland invented a test to measure how well a person can detect an odor, which in turn can flag brain damage early in the progression of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Saving preemies -- UC pediatrics professor Jeffrey Whitsett identified a protein that was both vital for lungs to operate and lacking in babies born early, which led to a routine treatment for immature lungs and respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants. The groundbreaking treatment is saving babies worldwide.

10 things you didn't know about UC research

Million support UC research, propel investigators to nation's top

Research fuels UC's top-ranked graduate programs