Tag Archives: biochemistry

The Little Things in Life

Leonard Dobens, Ph.D., is not afraid to admit he spends much of his time with flies. Instead, he sees the beauty and importance of studying these tiny organisms. Dobens is currently researching the role of a gene called Tribbles in embryonic development and diseases. He uses Drosophila melanogaster, more commonly known as the fruit fly, … Continue reading The Little Things in Life

Small connections, big implications

In most research, there’s no such thing as “minor details” or “the small stuff.” This is especially true for Xiaolan Yao, Ph.D. Her research team makes and uses three-dimensional models of proteins, and for those models to be accurate, every atom counts. She and her team — currently two graduate students and two undergraduates — … Continue reading Small connections, big implications

Insects and Immunity

Meet the tobacco hornworm. It’s a bright green caterpillar striped diagonally with white lines bordered by black dots. It grows up to be a moth, its formal name being manduca sexta. Now meet Xiao-Qiang (Sean) Yu, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry. At his UMKC lab, Yu works with hundreds of these insects — as … Continue reading Insects and Immunity