Faculty News
Researchers unlock mechanism of drug resistance in aggressive breast cancer
UNC Lineberger researchers find how triple negative breast cancer cells are able to bypass treatment with trametinib, an FDA-approved drug. The researchers also used lab models of breast cancer to test a potential treatment approach that could prevent resistance.
Inside the world of cell signaling: a G-protein breakthrough
UNC scientists led by John Sondek, PhD, created a new biochemical tool to block specific types of downstream G-protein signaling, opening new avenues of research and potential drug design and discovery.
Engineering Control of Cellular Proteins - An Optogenetics Breakthrough
UNC scientists expand the use of light to control protein activity in cells. Klaus Hahn and Nikolay Dokholyan have published a paper in Science, detailing how they use light- or ligand-sensitive domains to modulate the structural disorder of diverse proteins, thereby generating robust allosteric switches. The title of the paper is "Engineering extrinsic disorder to control protein activity in living cells."
Scientists discover interplay of yin-yang antagonists vital for cell division
Although mutated versions of the protein Cdh1 have not been found in cancers, the protein’s degradation at a key moment during the cell cycle may spur on cancerous cell division.
Researchers build a better opioid painkiller from scratch
The new compound could reduce overdoses and possibly curb addiction, while addressing the needs of millions of people suffering with chronic pain.
Tom Kash appointed Distinguished Professor of Alcohol Studies
Thomas L. Kash, PhD has been appointed as the John Andrews Distinguished Professor of Alcohol Studies.
Juan Song Awarded ECBR Grant for Zika Research
The Song lab will use the fund to study the cellular targets of Zika Virus (ZIKV) in the adult brain using a mouse model of ZIKV pathogenesis.
Juan Song's Lab Makes the Cover of The Journal of Neurosciences
The image is from their paper, "Trim9 Deletion Alters the Morphogenesis of Developing and Adult-Born Hippocampal Neurons and Impairs Spatial Learning and Memory, " published in collaboration with Stephanie Gupton's lab in the same edition.
New clues in the quest to prevent clogged arteries
UNC School of Medicine researchers have found a protein that appears to protect against coronary artery disease in older people with surprisingly clear arteries.
UNC researchers uncover how kappa opioid receptors drive anxiety
Study could lead to new drug development targets for forms of anxiety that are more pathological, such as those associated with excessive alcohol intake or opiate abuse.
Erasing memory using synaptic optogenetics
The Hahn, Kuhlman and Kasai labs developed a genetically encoded probe that can label and optically erase synapses that were enlarged or generated by motor learning. Dense labeling of synapses was found in a small subset of pyramidal neurons, and irradiation with blue light erased motor memory.
Researchers shed pharmacological light on “dark” cellular receptors
UNC and UCSF labs create a new research tool to find homes for two orphan cell-surface receptors, a crucial step toward finding better therapeutics and causes of drug side effects.
NC researchers awarded $5.3 million to develop novel gut-on-a-chip technology
Scientists from the UNC / NC State joint biomedical engineering department are creating a new kind of research tool that will be nearly indistinguishable from the human gastrointestinal tract.
UNC Lineberger to partner in $12 million effort to find treatments for genetically-linked cancers
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers and eight other leading cancer research institutions have won a five-year, $12 million grant to try to find treatments for a group of cancers linked to mutations in the NF1 gene.
A BRAIN Initiative first: new tool can switch behavior ‘on’ and ‘off’
Using a new ‘chemogenetic’ technique invented at UNC, scientists turn neurons ‘on’ and ‘off’ to demonstrate how brain circuits control behavior in mice. This unique tool – the first to result from the NIH BRAIN Initiative – will help scientists understand how to modulate neurons to more effectively treat diseases.