Research Publications

Stories about recent journal articles featuring work by MCB faculty and students.

Team discovers naturally occurring DNA-protein hybrids

A man in a plaid shirt and glasses standing in a laboratory.
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...

Arc protein sheds light on cellular trafficking pathway

A man in a blue shirt and a woman in an orange shirt standing next to a microscope
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...

A new approach to fighting breast cancer: Researchers identify compound that may help the immune system slow or stop tumor growth

Three researchers smile for headshots.
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...

Overcoming drug resistance in breast cancer treatment

A group of six researchers stand in a lab.
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,...

Building blueprints for drug-producing enzymes: A Q&A with Chu-Young Kim

A multi-colored digital rendering of molecules
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...

New AI model promises to speed up process of antibody characterization

Two men stand in a lab next to a computer graphic.
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...

Light targets cells for death and triggers immune response with laser precision

Two men standing in front of a computer.
A new method of precisely targeting troublesome cells for death using light could unlock new understanding of and treatments for cancer and inflammatory diseases, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report...

When an orange behaves like an apple: New research pinpoints rules governing reaction outcomes of G-protein-modifying toxins

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A group of researchers from the University of Illinois has identified a set of rules governing the reaction preferences of a family of G-protein-modifying toxins. G proteins are proteins that regulate cellular processes through interactions between hormone receptors and downstream signaling...

From 'CyberSlug' to 'CyberOctopus': New AI explores, remembers, seeks novelty, overcomes obstacles

A man and woman sitting next to an octopus tank
By giving artificial intelligence simple associative learning rules based on the brain circuits that allow a sea slug to forage — and augmenting it with better episodic memory, like that of an octopus — scientists have built an AI that can navigate new environments, seek rewards, map landmarks and...

New antibiotic kills pathogenic bacteria, spares healthy gut microbes

Researchers gather around staircase within the Institute for Genomic Biology
Researchers have developed a new antibiotic that reduced or eliminated drug-resistant bacterial infections in mouse models of acute pneumonia and sepsis while sparing healthy microbes in the mouse gut. The drug, called lolamicin, also warded off secondary infections with Clostridioides...