Basic Science News at Duke School of Medicine

Duke University School of Medicine celebrated excellence in graduate student education and discovery science at its 2026 Office of Biomedical Graduate Education (OBGE) Graduate Student Awards ceremony, an event that was expanded this year to recognize trainees at multiple stages of their research careers.  

Amy S. Gladfelter, PhD, Duke Health Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology and Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Cell Biology, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

A study from cancer biologists at Duke University School of Medicine suggests a new way to predict which patients are most likely to benefit from a promising class of experimental cancer drugs called ATR inhibitors.   In clinical trials, these therapies have shown efficacy in a subset of tumors with mutations in the DNA-repair protein ATM kinase. But why ATR inhibitors work in some but not all ATM-mutant tumors has been unclear. 

When you lift food to your mouth, your brain syncs movements of hands, arms, lips, tongue and jaw. Scientists now say they’ve identified the brain circuitry that makes that everyday act possible. In a new study in mice, a team led by Josh Huang, PhD, identified a previously unknown motor cortex region that synchronizes hand and mouth movements during feeding. Activating the area triggered lifelike eating motions. Shutting parts of it down disrupted the behavior. The work could help explain how complex actions break down in conditions such as stroke or Parkinson’s disease.

Team from Duke University School of Medicine and Duke NUS identify an enzyme that helps explain why muscles weaken in some cancer patients.

Serious fungal infections are becoming more common and harder to treat as fungi develop resistance to drugs. A new Duke University study reveals, for the first time, how the antifungal drug caspofungin really works: instead of simply sticking to a fungal enzyme, it jams the process while the fungus is actively building its cell wall. Understanding this hidden mechanism helps explain why the drug sometimes fails and could lead to better antifungal treatments in the future.

Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine have uncovered a previously unknown role for astrocytes in shaping the developing brain. By sending different signals to immune cells, these star-shaped cells help decide which neural connections stay and which ones are pruned away.

Scientists have identified a long‑sought enzyme that controls a fundamental chemical process critical for healthy bones and cartilage, according to a study accepted to Nature Chemical Biology. The study opens the door to drug development, suggesting that inhibiting MESH1 could help restore sulfation in patients with related diseases.

Researchers from Duke University and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center used ultra-high-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) microscopy to map volume changes throughout the brain in a carefully crafted collection of genetically engineered mouse models. The results provide new insight into the evolution of Alzheimer's disease and make it easier for scientists to test potential Alzheimer’s treatments in preclinical trials.

A newly published study from Duke Cancer Institute researchers sheds light on a long‑standing mystery in cancer biology and reveals a potential new path toward more targeted treatments for pancreatic and other solid tumors.