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Stories about recent journal articles featuring work by MCB faculty and students.
Arc protein sheds light on cellular trafficking pathway
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...
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A new approach to fighting breast cancer: Researchers identify compound that may help the immune system slow or stop tumor growth
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...
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Overcoming drug resistance in breast cancer treatment
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,...
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Building blueprints for drug-producing enzymes: A Q&A with Chu-Young Kim
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...
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New AI model promises to speed up process of antibody characterization
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...
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Light targets cells for death and triggers immune response with laser precision
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...
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When an orange behaves like an apple: New research pinpoints rules governing reaction outcomes of G-protein-modifying toxins
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...
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From 'CyberSlug' to 'CyberOctopus': New AI explores, remembers, seeks novelty, overcomes obstacles
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...
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New antibiotic kills pathogenic bacteria, spares healthy gut microbes
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...
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New study highlights need for cell-type-specific therapies in treatment of HIV
Researchers from the University of Illinois have demonstrated the importance of cell-type-specific targeting in the treatment of HIV. Their findings, published in PNAS, are one of the first to examine the differential or cell-type...