News: Molecular Biosciences

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

Research

Scientists Map Proteins From Ancient Organism and Discover New Links to Rare Diseases

New ‘treasure map’ of ancient life holds clues to modern human diseases.

Cartoon of a microbe showing all its internal structures.

Research

Scientists Find Blood-based Biomarkers for Inflammatory Breast Cancer

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is highly aggressive, but extremely difficult to tell apart from other breast cancers.

An illustration of a strand of RNA looks like a red, coiled ribbon with short spokes at regular intervals

Features

Meet Graduate of Distinction and Biology Researcher Halimot Badmus

One of more than 180 graduates of distinction, she has researched all four years and seeks clues for new antibiotics.

A student with a ponytail smiles while discussing her research, her face framed by burnt orange graphics.

Research

Researchers Disable Antimicrobial Resistance in Cystic Fibrosis-Associated Bacteria

New findings could improve treatment options for people with hard-to-treat infections.

Two black and white microscope images. On the left is an intact bacterium with two lobes like a bar bell. On the right is a similar bacterium whose walls have burst, spilling its contents.

Research

New Bite-sized CRISPR Molecule May Open Doors for Therapeutic Genome Editing

NIH-funded UT team and colleagues from Metagenomi Thereapeutics discovered highly efficient enzyme could enable targeted gene editing within the human body.

An illustration of a tangle of multicolored ribbons representing the structure of a protein

Research

A Secret Weapon from Salmonella Could Help Us Maintain Healthier Microbiomes

The discovery could also lend itself to the development of future antibacterial therapies.

An illustration of pink, rod-shaped bacteria connected by filaments

Research

Experimental Chemo Drug May Trick the Immune System Into Fighting Cancer

The finding suggests other chemo drugs, too, may be making cancer cells cause a surprising immune-system reaction.

A microscope image of round cells that resemble lemon slices, but stained purple.

Features

Visualizing Science Contest Winners for 2026 Span Disciplines

Top-prize image highlights a vital player in the central nervous system.

Shapes and colors like swirls of paint occupy a star-shaped cell found in the brain and spinal cord

Research

A Step Towards Needed Treatments for Hantaviruses in New Molecular Map

An innovative imaging technique enabled dramatically higher resolution structures than previous efforts.

Two views of a mushroom-shaped protein complex with individual proteins colored in vibrant red, green, blue and yellow

Accolades

Tanya Paull Selected as Fellow of American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The professor of molecular biosciences at The University of Texas at Austin was one of 16 new fellows named.

Image of Tanya Paull