Roundworms offer new insights into Bardet-Biedl syndrome
Scientists have identified a new role for a protein complex at the center of a human genetic disorder called Bardet-Biedl syndrome.
Voices of the LSI: What I learn when I listen to my trainees
"Voices of the LSI" is a quarterly column on the LSI’s work to cultivate a diverse, equitable and inclusive climate. This quarter, LSI Professor Bing Ye, Ph.D., considers scientific leaders' role in societal change and describes how trainees in his lab have helped expand his education and actions to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.
Proteins found in nature can become master builders of complex chemical compounds
Researchers have developed an efficient, greener strategy for constructing a common building block of many indispensable medicines and materials, using tools found in nature and sharpened in yeast.
Research Highlight: Scientists uncover unexpected function for an obscure enzyme, hinting at broader roles in multiple human disorders
An obscure enzyme that normally operates deep within cells is also playing an unexpected role close to the cell surface—and is even required for cell migration—according to new research from the Life Sciences Institute.
New research uncovers a path to lowering obesity in mice by increasing the effects of a key weight-regulating hormone
A new study led by the LSI demonstrates that blocking the activity of an enzyme inside fat cells can decrease obesity and related health disorders in mice.
Research Highlight: Scientists determine how one protein helps ‘reopen’ closed-off genes to regulate stem cell development
A team of scientists has identified a key player that drives both embryonic and neuronal stem cell fate, and demonstrated that this process must be precisely regulated to establish the developmental program in both embryo and neuronal tissues.
Voices of the LSI: Moving forward after crisis
"Voices of the LSI" is a quarterly column on the LSI’s work to cultivate a diverse, equitable and inclusive climate. In this column, Stephen Joy, Ph.D., reflects on his recent journey to share — and learn more about — his Japanese American family history and the challenges they faced during and after World War II.
Research Highlight: New study clarifies how one protein helps maintain a healthy cellular supply chain
A new study has uncovered unexpected details about a key regulator kinesins, the molecular 'delivery trucks' that are essential for maintaining a healthy cellular supply chain.
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.