News: Biologics, Therapeutics and Devices

Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin

Texas Scientist

UT Austin Harnesses Power of Biology in Partnership with Army Research Laboratory

Inside the "biological foundry" at the Army Research Lab's ARL-South partnership on the campus of UT Austin

A scientist leans into a laboratory hood and moves samples under a robotic arm

Accolades

McLellan Honored for Contributions to COVID-19 Vaccines

Jason McLellan, UT Austin molecular biosciences professor, has received the 2021 Shirley Bird Perry Longhorn Citizenship Award

A man in a white lab coat holds a model of a viral protein

Department of Molecular BIosciences

Jason McLellan Named Texas Inventor of the Year

For his role in biomedical research linked to the development of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, the professor of molecular biosciences won the award given...

A bearded man in a white lab coat stands in front of a large white cabinet

Department of Molecular Biosciences

Our Immune Systems Blanket the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein with Antibodies

Most antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the blood target areas of the viral spike protein outside the receptor binding domain, or RBD

A spike protein from the virus SARS-CoV-2 with antibodies attached

Department of Molecular Biosciences

Human Trials Begin for a Low-Cost COVID-19 Vaccine to Extend Global Access

A COVID-19 vaccine in human trials in Vietnam, Thailand and Brazil, holds promise for affordable vaccine manufacturing in countries currently dependent on imported vaccines.

A masked person holds a glass vial of vaccine

UT News

Texas Coronavirus Scientists Win Award for Research with ‘Great Societal Benefit’

The world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society has announced that Jason McLellan, a University of Texas at Austin associate professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences...

Jason McLellan peers at lab work underway by grad student Daniel Wrapp

Research

Coronavirus Mutation May Have Made It More Contagious

The virus that causes COVID-19 is accumulating genetic mutations, one of which may have made it more contagious.

Map of Houston representing COVID-19 trends in each zip code

Department of Molecular Biosciences

COVID-19 Vaccine Innovation Could Dramatically Speed Up Worldwide Production

A redesigned version of the coronavirus spike protein called HexaPro might speed up vaccine production and yield a more effective immune response to SARS-CoV-2.

A professor and graduate student working in lab

Department of Molecular Biosciences

Antibodies from Llamas Could Help in Fight Against COVID-19

The hunt for an effective treatment for COVID-19 has led researchers to find an improbable ally for their work: a llama named Winter.

Winter is a llama from the Belgian countryside

Department of Molecular Biosciences

Bacteria Engineered to Protect Bees from Pests and Pathogens

Genetically engineered strains of bacteria protect bees from mites and viruses that can lead to colony collapse.

A Varroa mite, a common pest that can weaken bees and make them more susceptible to pathogens, feeds on a honey bee.