Research

The human gut is a diverse and densely populated environment filled with bacteria and other microbes in fierce competition for resources. One major colonizer in the human colon is Bacteroides, a genus of bacteria that can break down a wide variety of complex carbohydrates indigestible by...

Investigators from the University of Illinois have created a whole-genome map that charts the occupancies of RNA polymerase enzymes in humans, discovering unexpected patterns in the process. Their findings appear in ...

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will develop a radically new platform to manufacture tumor models and expand their availability for medical research and personalized medicine, thanks to a $21 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects...

Thanks to a serendipitous discovery and a lot of painstaking work, scientists can now build biohybrid molecules that combine the homing powers of DNA with the broad functional repertoire of proteins — without having to synthesize them one by one, researchers report in a new study. Using a naturally...

What talks without being seen or heard? It sounds like a riddle, but neuronal communication had perplexed biochemists until a few years ago, when scientists discovered ways in which neurons talk to each other — not with cell phones or instant messaging, but through the exchange of virus-like...

For typical illnesses, the body’s immune system is a robust, pathogen-killing machine. It provides a general defense against harmful germs while also adapting and producing antibodies that target specific bacteria or viruses. After fighting off an infection like the flu, the body produces...

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Illinois has discovered a potential new treatment option for drug-resistant breast cancer. Their findings, published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment,...

A new review article co-authored by Chu-Young Kim, Professor of Biochemistry, discusses the architecture of modular polyketide synthases (PKS), a type of enzyme found in various organisms that synthesize widely...

An AI language model developed by Illinois researchers for sequence-based antibody specificity prediction and published in Immunity will accelerate epitope mapping and improve scientists’ understanding of the B-cell...

The National Institutes of Health has approved the T32 grant, “Interdisciplinary Research Training at the Interface of Reproductive Sciences and Bioengineering." The training program is aimed at predoctoral students who want to work at the interface of reproductive sciences and engineering, two...