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High-volume antibody testing platform could accelerate disease research and treatment development
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Antibodies are the critical targeting agents of the immune system and the crux of immune therapy and vaccine development, but studying them is slow, expensive and labor-intensive. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new high-volume method that can rapidly build and test large numbers of antibodies at […]
Kidney fibrosis linked to molecule made by gut bacteria
A molecule made by bacteria in the gut can hitch a ride to the kidneys, where it sets off a chain reaction of inflammation, scarring and fibrosis — a serious complication of diabetes and a leading cause of kidney failure — according to a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Mie University in Japan. The group also developed a new antibody that could counter it.
Study: Multiracial women at greater risk of bipolar disorder during the perinatal period
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A recent study of more than 3.8 million women who gave birth in California found that those who were multiracial were more likely to have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder compared with women of a single race. The number of women in the study sample with bipolar disorder diagnoses was more than […]
Ukrainian teachers benefit from mental health training that helps their students
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Educators in three conflict zones in Ukraine who participated in a virtual program to learn about supporting the mental health needs of their students significantly reduced their own symptoms of anxiety and depression, a recent study found. Researchers at universities in three countries — the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the U.S., […]
Map-making neurons change even in familiar settings, study finds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Neurobiologists at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found the brain’s internal GPS changes each time mice navigate a familiar, static environment. Even when a mouse walks the same path every day — and the path and surrounding conditions remain identical — each journey activates different “map-making” neurons in the […]
Why is basic science support important for cancer breakthroughs?
CONTACT: Liz Ahlberg Touchstone, Biomedical Sciences Editor, 217-244-1073; eahlberg@illinois.edu CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The proposed fiscal year 2026 budget from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services includes a 40% reduction to the National Institutes of Health, among cuts to other scientific agencies. Basic scientific research is an essential foundation for advances in technology and […]
Beyond the mammogram: Study finds differences between benign and cancerous breast calcifications
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Benign and cancerous calcium phosphate deposits that may look identical on a mammogram have distinct differences in their structures and formation processes, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Texas at Austin found in a new study that provides the first detailed […]
Paper: FDA needs to develop labeling standards for AI-powered medical devices
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Medical devices that harness the power of artificial intelligence or machine learning algorithms are rapidly transforming health care in the U.S., with the Food and Drug Administration already having authorized the marketing of more than 1,000 such devices and many more in the development pipeline. A new paper from a University of […]
Flightpath Biosciences licenses microbiome-sparing antibiotic developed at Illinois
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Flightpath Biosciences, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of precision therapeutics targeting bacterial pathogens, has licensed a class of antibiotics developed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The original antibiotic agent, lolamicin, effectively treated bacterial infections in animal models of disease — without wiping out beneficial microbes in […]
Self-driving lab: AI and automated biology combine to improve enzymes
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — By combining artificial intelligence with automated robotics and synthetic biology, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have dramatically improved performance of two important industrial enzymes — and created a user-friendly, fast process to improve many more. Led by Huimin Zhao, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the U. of […]
New MRI approach maps brain metabolism, revealing disease signatures
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new technology that uses clinical MRI machines to image metabolic activity in the brain could give researchers and clinicians unique insight into brain function and disease, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report. The non-invasive, high-resolution metabolic imaging of the whole brain revealed differences in metabolic activity and neurotransmitter levels […]
How are veterinarians advancing cancer research in dogs, people?
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — People are beginning to realize that dogs share a lot more with humans than just their homes and habits. Some spontaneously occurring cancers in dogs are genetically very similar to those in people and respond to treatment in similar ways. This means inventive new treatments in dogs, when effective, may also be […]