New tools reopen an old path to less addictive opioids
What if pain relief and addiction didn't have to go hand in hand? Duke researchers report a discovery that could help scientists design safer opioids. Their Nature study found that a small group of brain cells appear to play an important role in reward learning, the process that can lay the foundation for addiction. The team showed that opioid pain relief could be preserved even when drug-related preferences failed to form.
Like a molecular 'shrink ray'
The tool, called Raygun in a nod to science fiction, can create shorter, longer, and highly modified versions of proteins while preserving their structure and function. The findings, published in Nature, open new possibilities for protein engineering and drug development.
Scientists are discovering something surprising about obesity in teenagers
The teen years may be a critical window when the gut microbiome and its influence on weight is still taking shape and more open to change.
What wastewater says about what we eat and who we are
A new study suggests what’s flushed down the drain can offer a real-time snapshot of what communities are eating. Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill analyzed tiny fragments of plant and animal DNA from wastewater samples across 19 North Carolina communities representing 2.1 million people to reveal how economics, immigration, and geography influence what's on our plates.
Study reveals first drug-like molecules that control key cellular signaling proteins
A team at Duke University School of Medicine, led by Nobel laureate Robert Lefkowitz, MD, report the first compounds that directly switch off β-arrestins, which regulate GPCRs — widely used drug targets present throughout the body. Published in Nature, the findings provide the first clear way to control these proteins with pharmacological precision.
Sullivan to lead basic and preclinical science 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.
PhD candidate discovers a hidden way that a fungal pathogen may resist treatment
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.
New study reveals ‘droplet’ mechanism behind key drug targets
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.
How songbirds learn to sing, one brain connection at a time
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.
Study unveils precise way to rewire brain circuits to boost resilience to stress
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.