All University of Chicago articles
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NewsFinding a solution for long COVID, one cell type at a time
A 2022 study suggesting that blocking a single molecule could protect against severe illness in COVID-19 has led to a $15 million federal grant supporting a comprehensive effort to learn more – with finding a solution to long COVID at the center of the new research.
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NewsMicrobe and prebiotic team up to work against food allergies
New research reveals a mutually beneficial relationship between an unassuming microbial species and the prebiotic lactulose – together, they encourage the production of an important metabolite known for its positive influence on gut health.
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NewsLiving bioelectronics combine sensors and bacteria to heal skin
Researchers have created a unique prototype of a ‘living bioelectronic’ designed to treat psoriasis. The patch – a combination of advanced electronics, living cells and hydrogel – is showing efficacy in experiments in mice.
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NewsSoil bacteria respire more CO2 after sugar-free meals
Researchers have tracked the pathways of a mixture of plant waste as it moves through bacteria’s metabolism to contribute to atmospheric CO2. Microbes respire three times as much CO2 from lignin carbons compared to cellulose carbons, they say.
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NewsScientists invent ‘living bioelectronics’ that can sense and heal skin
Scientists have created a prototype for ’living bioelectronics’: a combination of living cells, gel, and electronics that can integrate with living tissue. The patches are made of sensors, bacterial cells, and a gel made from starch and gelatin.
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NewsNew test rapidly diagnoses cat parasite infections and reduces false positives
An easy-to-use test and new paradigm for care can help save lives, sight, cognition and motor function by rapidly diagnosing and treating Toxoplasma infections.
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NewsSewage overflows linked to increase in gastrointestinal illnesses
A new study suggests the risk of people developing acute gastrointestinal illness is significantly higher in Massachusetts communities that border the Merrimack River in the four days following extreme combined sewer overflows.
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NewsAI powered ‘digital twin’ models the infant microbiome
A new generative AI tool creates a virtual model of the infant microbiome and predicts neurodevelopmental deficits.
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NewsScientists discover a novel vehicle for antibiotic resistance
An antibiotic-resistance gene forms an unusual structure that may provide constant protection against tetracycline in a common gut bacterium.
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NewsMicrobiome studies explore why more women develop Alzheimer’s disease
Two new studies from the University of Chicago investigate the roles of the gut microbiome and estrogen in the differing rates of Alzheimer’s disease among women and men.
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NewsCommon food preservative has unexpected effects on the gut microbiome
Analysis of a common preservative used to kill pathogens in food shows that it affects beneficial bacteria as well, threatening the healthy balance of the gut microbiome.
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NewsSimulations show how HIV sneaks into the nucleus of the cell
A new study has revealed how HIV squirms its way into the nucleus as it invades a cell.
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NewsResearchers decode the ‘cytokine storm’ in sepsis
The team found that three cytokine pairs were responsible for most of the body’s damaging response to sepsis.
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NewsStudy shines light on resourceful ways bacteria thrive in the human gut
A survey of bacterial genomes highlights the arsenal of enzymes microbes use to produce energy in the oxygen-poor environment of the gut.
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NewsMicrobiome insights found in faeces help predict infections in liver transplant patients
In a new study, researchers at the University of Chicago were able to predict postoperative infections in liver transplant patients by analyzing molecules in their poop. Their analysis represents a key leap forward in exploring the connection between the gut microbiome — the bacteria that inhabit the human body — ...
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NewsStudy reveals how inner machinery of yeast cells responds to stress
Researchers have combined state-of-the-art imaging techniques to see how cells conserve energy and pick up where they left off after heat shock.
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NewsGut hormone doubles as immune regulator for the fungal microbiome
Research shows that a gut hormone called peptide YY also plays a vital role in maintaining the health of the gut microbiome by preventing helpful fungi from turning into more dangerous, disease-causing forms.
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NewsPartnership to use AI to speed up vaccine development against Disease X
CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and the Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI), have announced a partnership to combine cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology with established laboratory techniques to speed up development of future vaccines against novel viral threats.
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NewsIntestinal contents of thrushes killed in window collisions reveal shifting gut microbiomes
A study of bodies of migratory birds killed in window collisions over the years helps to uncover the relationship between birds and the microbes living in their guts—which appears to be wildly different from mammals and their microbiomes.
