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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 […]
Giving and learning on the job
CHICAGO, Ill. — I wake up at 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning to make it on time to the Medical District Veterinary Clinic in Chicago. After I greet everyone, the volunteers get a quick tour of the clinic. All the rooms and the back area are stacked with supplies. This morning, I am assigned […]
Historical math models recreated by students using 3D printing
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students recreated some of the historical mathematical models owned by the U. of I. math department using a 3D printer. The Illinois math department has nearly 400 mathematical models — one of the world’s largest collections — from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The models demonstrate […]
Model tackles key obstacle to efficient plastic recycling
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Most people who separate their plastic waste for recycling assume the bulk of it will in fact be recycled. But current recycling methods, which “require sorting, grinding, cleaning, remelting and extrusion to obtain plastic pellets, usually lead to lower value materials because of contamination and mechanochemical degradation,” the authors of a new […]
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 […]
Study links influenza A viral infection to microbiome, brain gene expression changes
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a study of newborn piglets, infection with influenza A was associated with disruptions in the piglets’ nasal and gut microbiomes and with potentially detrimental changes in gene activity in the hippocampus, a brain structure that plays a central role in learning and memory. Maternal vaccination against the virus during pregnancy appeared […]
Researchers capture nanoparticle movements to forge new materials
Researchers can now observe the phonon dynamics and wave propagation in self-assembly of nanomaterials with unusual properties that rarely exist in nature. This advance will enable researchers to incorporate desired mechanical properties into reconfigurable, solution-processible metamaterials, which have wide-ranging applications — from shock absorption to devices that guide acoustic and optical energy in high-powered computer applications.
Machine-learning model reliably predicts cognitive performance
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study offers insight into the health and lifestyle indicators — including diet, physical activity and weight — that align most closely with healthy brain function across the lifespan. The study used machine learning to determine which variables best predicted a person’s ability to quickly complete a task without becoming distracted. […]
Fermenting legume pulses boosts their antidiabetic, antioxidant properties
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Food scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign identified the optimal fermentation conditions for pulses ― the dried edible seeds of legumes ― that increased their antioxidant and antidiabetic properties and their soluble protein content. Using the bacteria Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v as the microorganism, the team fermented pulses obtained from varying concentrations […]
Report: ‘Future-proofing’ crops will require urgent, consistent effort
Professor Stephen Long describes research efforts to “future-proof” the crops that are essential to feeding a hungry world in a changing climate.