Protein in the brain uses energy status to influence maturation, body size, new research shows
Scientists have identified how a protein in the brain uses information about the body’s energy balance to regulate growth rate and the onset of puberty in children.
U-M Chemistry Professor Chosen for Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award
University of Michigan faculty member Alison Narayan has received the American Chemical Society’s Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award for excellence in organic chemistry.
Earless worms ‘listen’ through their skin
A common model species can sense sound waves without ears, providing a new tool for studying auditory sensation.
Philanthropic support funds two LSI research projects with the potential to impact human health
Two new research projects are moving forward at the U-M Life Sciences Institute, with support from philanthropic funds established specifically to high-risk, high-reward research.
Voices of the LSI: Why we collaborate to build an inclusive academy — Work in action at the LSI
A quarterly column on the LSI’s work to cultivate a diverse, equitable and inclusive climate
Chemical compound produced in nature effectively targets ‘undruggable’ proteins, new research finds
Researchers have demonstrated that a natural compound produced by lichens can block the activity of a protein that is central to the gene-activation process. The research, conducted in human-derived breast cancer cells, points to this protein as potential therapeutic target.
Scientists find new point of access for targeting eating disorders and obesity
Scientists have identified a protein called the melanocortin 3 receptor as a potential drug target for treating obesity and eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa.
Neural networks form and rebound in response to feeding and hunger, new research shows
A new study from the University of Michigan offers insights into how neural circuitry in the brain operates and responds to feeding and hunger in real-time.
President Emerita Mary Sue Coleman recognized in building naming
The building that houses the LSI will be named Mary Sue Coleman Hall. This naming recognizes her enduring commitment to the sciences and her role in spearheading the Life Sciences Institute, as well as her highly successful tenure as president of U-M.
Bing Ye discusses the impact of a full year of reduced research efforts at the LSI (and it might not be all bad)
As we marked our first “Panniversary,” LSI professor and research associate dean Bing Ye reflected on how the institute has navigated a year of reduced research efforts, and the potential long-term impacts — both good and bad — on the scientific enterprise.
Research Highlight: New tool can “SPOT” presence of opioids in individual cells, offering clearer picture of their activity
Researchers in the lab of Wenjing Wang, Ph.D., have designed a new chemical tool that can detect the presence of opioids at a cellular level.
New research reveals how one antibody blocks dangerous effects of dengue virus infection, offering a potential path to prevention
A team of researchers has discovered an antibody that blocks the dengue virus’s ability to cause disease in mice. The findings open the potential for developing effective treatments and designing a vaccine for dengue and similar diseases.
Klatskin-Sutker Discovery Fund award supports development of novel antivirals at the LSI
Researchers are advancing a novel approach to developing antivirals against SARS-CoV-2, with support from the LSI’s Klatskin-Sutker Discovery Fund
Research Highlight: New understanding of gene-activating complexes may offer ‘a way forward’ for drug discovery efforts
New research is challenging a long-held understanding of how two types of cellular proteins cooperate to activate genes. The findings improve the possibility of targeting these interactions with small-molecule drugs.
From Aspiring to Aspirnaut
U-M program connects future scientists to the lab, the university and their goals
New faculty member broadens U-M’s structural biology expertise
Shyamal Mosalaganti’s new research program at U-M will take advantage of the LSI’s cutting-edge cryo-ET resources to investigate how multi-protein cellular complexes perform their functions within the context of the cell environment — and how these functions contribute to health and disease.
New study reveals how the nervous system mutes or boosts sensory information to make behavioral decisions
Researchers have uncovered a neural network that enables Drosophila melanogaster to convert external stimuli of varying intensities into a “yes or no” decision about when to act.
Cells rely on multiple controls to coordinate cargo delivery, new research shows
Researchers have uncovered a new twist in the complex process cells use to transport their molecular cargo.
2020 Saltiel Life Sciences Symposium explores diverse approaches to biological and biomedical research
This year’s LSI Saltiel Life Sciences Symposium will examine innovative and creative research taking place to address scientific challenges across the biosciences. The two-day virtual event will offer a combination of full lectures and shorter talks from both external speakers and U-M investigators.
Magnifying the MicroAmazon: Searching for potential new medicines where biodiversity boils over
Deep in the Peruvian Amazon Rain Forest, microorganisms are thriving within a river so hot, it boils. U-M graduate student Rosa Vásquez iexploring the Boiling River’s ecosystem, searching for genetic clues that explain how these organisms have evolved to survive in their scalding surroundings.
Michigan Life Sciences Fellows program welcomes newest cohort remotely
While many U-M labs were closed, new and current fellows in the Michigan Life Sciences Fellows program created opportunities to strengthen their network and develop professional skills.
Tracing the source of sighs: Researchers find new neurological circuit that controls ‘emotional sighs’ in mice
New research reveals that one group of neurons controls various types of sighing, but they receive their instructions from different areas of the brain depending on the reason for the sigh.
Researchers identify a new approach to turning on the heat in energy-burning fat cells
Researchers have discovered a new signaling pathway that prompts one type of fat cells to convert fat into heat.
Research Highlight: New study reveals how some fungi initiate a crucial chemical reaction in nature’s lab
An international team of researchers has decoded the complex process that fungi use to build an important class of bioactive compounds.
When untethered, this signaling protein intensifies inflammation in obese mice, new study reveals
Researchers have discovered how a protein that is overproduced by fat cells in an obese state may be contributing to the demise of two immune cell types — and driving further metabolic disorders in the process