Basic Science News at Duke School of Medicine

Beth A. Sullivan, PhD, has been appointed vice dean for basic and preclinical science at Duke University School of Medicine, effective July 1, 2026.

Some fungal pathogens survive antifungal drugs by mutating. But Aspergillus fumigatus, a common mold, has a stealthier strategy: it duplicates entire chromosomes, rides out the threat, then discards the extra genetic material once the pressure lifts — leaving no trace that resistance ever occurred. Duke University School of Medicine PhD candidate Anna Lehmann made the discovery while working in the lab of Joseph Heitman, MD, PhD, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. Her findings, published in the July 2006 issue of Current Biology, establish the first evidence that A. fumigatus can gain and lose entire chromosomes.

Duke researchers Sundarshan Rajagopal, MD, PhD, and MD-PhD student Preston Anderson have worked together to realize how G protein-coupled receptors signal through liquid-like protein clusters that could have implications for drug delivery going forward. The findings are outlined in a paper published in the journal Nature.

Study pinpoints a single brain connection in songbirds that helps turn practice into skill, offering one of the clearest explanations yet of how the brain learns complex behaviors like speech and music.   

Broken or disrupted circuits in the brain contribute to many neurological disorders. A new custom-built biological “wire” developed at Duke University School of Medicine points the way toward a new treatment approach — bypassing broken brain connections, rather than relying on long-term medication or external stimulation.

Scientists are finding that the gut may play a major role in how the body ages, sending signals that affect the brain, mood, and overall health. Duke researchers discovered special cells in the gut that can quickly detect bacteria and communicate directly with the brain, influencing things like eating behavior even without illness or inflammation. This “gut-brain conversation” could help explain how diet and gut microbes shape aging and may lead to new ways to protect brain health.

Study reveals ascites is more than a patient symptom, but an active player in helping ovarian cancer spread and grow.

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.