Pushing the boundaries of eco-friendly chemical production

Researchers use light-powered enzymes to modify azaarenes laying the groundwork for a sustainable future

20-Nov-2023 - A team of pioneering researchers from the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) has made a significant leap forward in the complex world of molecular chemistry. Their focus? Azaarenes, unique molecular puzzle pieces crucial to many everyday products, from eco-friendly ...

Novel quantum dots enhance cell imaging

31-Oct-2018 - A team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Mayo Clinic have engineered a new type of molecular probe that can measure and count RNA in cells and tissue without organic dyes. The probe is based on the conventional fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) ...

Catalysts combination opens doors to making useful compounds

17-Aug-2018 - Researchers have developed a new method that aids in the process of making valuable compounds by using a unique combination of catalysts. Huimin Zhao, Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and leader of the Biosystems Design research theme at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic ...

First-of-its-kind biofabrication research lab opens at University of Illinois

03-Jul-2018 - Enabled by a generous gift from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust , the BioMaker Lab at the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Lab (MRL) will be the first state-of-the-art interdisciplinary biofabrication hub in the world. This new facility will enable non-specialists and specialists alike from ...

Shape-shifting agent targets harmful bacteria in the stomach

16-Nov-2017 - A new shape-shifting polymer can target and kill Helicobacter pylori bacteria in the stomach without killing helpful bacteria in the gut. Such a treatment could improve the digestive health of billions of people worldwide who contract H. pylori infections. The antimicrobial agent morphs into a ...

Electrostatic force takes charge in bioinspired polymers

06-Nov-2017 - Researchers at the University of Illinois and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst have taken the first steps toward gaining control over the self-assembly of synthetic materials in the same way that biology forms natural polymers. This advance could prove useful in designing new bioinspired, ...

'Molecular prosthetics' can replace missing proteins to treat disease

16-May-2017 - Researchers have demonstrated that a small molecule can transport iron in human cells and live animals when proteins that normally do the same job are missing, a condition that often causes severe anemia in patients. Such "molecular prosthetics" might treat a host of incurable diseases caused by ...

Small mechanical forces have big impact on embryonic stem cells

20-Oct-2009 - Applying a small mechanical force to embryonic stem cells could be a new way of coaxing them into a specific direction of differentiation, researchers at the University of Illinois report. Applications for force-directed cell differentiation include therapeutic cloning and regenerative ...

Newly found DNA catalysts cleave DNA with water molecule

18-Aug-2009 - Better tools for manipulating DNA in the laboratory may soon be possible with newly discovered deoxyribozymes (catalytic DNA) capable of cleaving single-stranded DNA, researchers at the University of Illinois say. The deoxyribozymes accomplish the DNA cleavage with the sequence-selectivity and ...

One protein, two channels: Scientists explain mechanism in aquaporins

26-Sep-2006 - Using computer simulations and experimental results, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Arizona have identified a key component of the gating mechanism in aquaporins that controls both the passage of water and the conduction of ions. Aquaporins are ...