A new test can see, almost literally, infectious bacteria

photo of Murthy in lab

Up to 20% of urinary tract infections, caused by a resistant microbe known as ESBL-producing bacteria, don’t respond to conventional antibiotics. Professor Niren Murthy and colleagues have developed a 30-minute, low-tech test, called DETECT, to identify ESBL-producing bacteria on a patient’s first visit to the doctor.

Read More

Diluting blood plasma rejuvenates tissue, reverses aging in mice

images of mouse muscle tissue

New research from Professor Irina Conboy found that diluting the blood plasma of old mice has the same or stronger rejuvenation effects on the brain, liver and muscle as surgical pairing with young mice or young blood exchange. This discovery shifts the dominant model of rejuvenation away from young blood and toward the benefits of removing age-elevated, and potentially harmful, factors in old blood.

Read More

Head-Gordon leads COVID-19 Drug-Delivery Simulation Repository

coronavirus computer graphic

The Molecular Sciences Software Institute (MolSSI) has launched an open-source website that will allow biomolecular scientists from around the world to share computer-aided drug-testing simulations targeting the protein at the center of COVID-19. Under the leadership of MolSSI co-director Teresa Head-Gordon, a MolSSI team started work on the COVID-19 website in April, after scores of scientists began discussing ways to share simulation modeling data they had on the coronavirus.

Read More

Scientists pivot to COVID-19 research, hoping for quick results to deal with pandemic

coronavirus computer graphic

Professors Patrick Hsu and Niren Murthy are featured with the emergency funding they have received for urgent COVID-19 research. Hsu is working to apply new CRISPR tools he has discovered to a faster and better diagnosis of COVID-19 infection and potentially new therapeutics, while Murthy is looking for weaknesses in the SARS-CoV-2 proteins that could be leveraged by a small molecule, hopefully knocking out the virus.

Read More