Basic Science News at Duke School of Medicine

Duke University School of Medicine researchers reveal how fungi can be both a species-threatening force and a vital part of our ecosystem. From recycling nutrients and trapping carbon to making bread rise and producing antibiotics, fungi are indispensable.

Researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute successfully created an HIV vaccine candidate that guides key immune cells along an evolutionary pathway to become broadly neutralizing antibodies. Further tests in primates and humans are planned.

Diego V. Bohórquez, PhD, and Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, PhD, were among the nearly 400 recipients of Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers honors announced by The White House this week.

Akankshi Munjal, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology, is driven by her fascination with watching development happen.

A team led by Rohit Singh, PhD, has developed a computational technique that allows large language models to predict antibody structures more accurately.

Joe Heitman, PhD, James B. Duke Professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, was one of the 100 new members elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Zhao Zhang, PhD , associate professor of pharmacology and cancer biology, has been named a recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Scientist Award from The Sontag Foundation.

Mouse study reveals vagus nerve stimulation eases colitis symptoms by regulating inflammation-triggering SUMOylation, a cellular process that shapes immune response.

Research from Duke Science and Technology scholar Nuo Li, PhD, used a novel technique for tracking learning to reveal that the brain’s storage of certain memories is more complex and stable than previously thought.

Spinocerebellar ataxias are a group of neurodegenerative disorders that impact muscle coordination and control. Due to the complexity of the brain, these disorders have been poorly understood. Duke researchers are now using single-cell RNA sequencing technologies to gain a deeper understanding of how these diseases develop, which may lead to better treatment options for patients.