UNC Biochemistry and Biophysics department

UNC Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics Our mission is to perform transformative biochemical and biophysical research in an inclusive and stimulating training environment.

Keep up with news from Biochemistry Biophysics at University of North Carolina School of Medicine. We are proud to support the mission, vision, and values of the UNC School of Medicine & grateful to serve the people of North Carolina.
www.med.unc.edu/biochem/

The 2025 School of Medicine Office of Research Annual Report highlights a year of discovery, collaboration, and growth across UNC. Explore key achievements, initiatives, and the people driving innovation from bench to bedside! www.med.unc.edu/oor/wp-conte...

The Starbird lab has been doing such a great job of sharing excitement for our ongoing work with our Biophysics community!! #BPS2026

SO proud of the Starbird Lab scientists presenting today! 🙌🏾

Grateful for innovators like Dr. Brian Kuhlman, an inaugural member of UNC‑Chapel Hill’s National Academy of Inventors chapter!

UNC-Chapel Hill Rises in Top-100 Worldwide Patent Rankings | Innovate Carolina The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been named to the top 100 list of worldwide universities granted U.S. utility patents for the twelfth consecutive year. In its newly released annual...

For the 12th consecutive year, UNC ranks among the world’s most inventive universities. Carolina climbed 6 spots in the National Academy of Inventors Top 100 Worldwide Universities List, reflecting our continued commitment to discovery, innovation & real-world impact
innovate.unc.edu/unc-chapel-h...

Platelet-derived integrin- and tetraspanin-enriched tethers exacerbate severe inflammation Platelet integrin αIIbβ3 is essential for hemostasis, thrombosis, and inflammation. We found that ligation of αIIbβ3 by von Willebrand factor or fibrin under flow triggered its accumulation in plasma ...

Platelet-derived integrin- and tetraspanin-enriched tethers exacerbate severe inflammation | Science

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

INSIDER TRADING MEETUP V : Photographing From the Very Large to the Very Small:  Alaskan Glaciers to DNA Molecules. — Photo Farm Our INSIDER TRADING series are designed for in-person skill and knowledge sharing. Each meetup narrows in on a specific area of expertise along with an accomplished ambassador. Our guest begins by int...

UNC faculty Jack Griffith, PhD, will present a talk this Sunday on how photographing DNA in action has helped forged our current understanding of molecular biology!
Sunday, February 22, 2026
4 -5:30 PM
722 Sumner Spring Lane, Chapel Hill, NC
Register today ⬇️
www.photofarmnc.com/events/insid...

School advancing AI-driven drug discovery for Alzheimer’s disease - Eshelman School of Pharmacy Researchers will pair AI-driven predictions with laboratory validation to uncover new therapeutic strategies.

Konstantin Popov is leading an interdisciplinary research team pairing AI-driven predictions with laboratory validation to uncover new therapeutic strategies to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
Pharmacy/Biochemistry Biophysics

Learn more about this AI project below: pharmacy.unc.edu/2026/02/18/s...

INSIDER TRADING MEETUP V : Photographing From the Very Large to the Very Small:  Alaskan Glaciers to DNA Molecules. — Photo Farm Our INSIDER TRADING series are designed for in-person skill and knowledge sharing. Each meetup narrows in on a specific area of expertise along with an accomplished ambassador. Our guest begins by int...

UNC faculty Jack Griffith, PhD, will present a talk this Sunday on how photographing DNA in action has helped forged our current understanding of molecular biology!
Sunday, February 22, 2026
4 -5:30 PM
722 Sumner Spring Lane, Chapel Hill, NC
Register today ⬇️
www.photofarmnc.com/events/insid...

If you’re attending #BPS2026, there are several opportunities to hear about ongoing projects in the Starbird lab. Looking forward to seeing everyone at BPS!

School advancing AI-driven drug discovery for Alzheimer’s disease - Eshelman School of Pharmacy Researchers will pair AI-driven predictions with laboratory validation to uncover new therapeutic strategies.

Konstantin Popov is leading an interdisciplinary research team pairing AI-driven predictions with laboratory validation to uncover new therapeutic strategies to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
Pharmacy/Biochemistry Biophysics

Learn more about this AI project below: pharmacy.unc.edu/2026/02/18/s...

March 24 Seminar: Michael Kemp, PhD, Assoc. Prof., Dept of Pharmacology & Toxicology of Wright State Univ. at the Boonshoft School of Medicine.
Research topic
Understanding cellular responses to DNA damage.

UNC Hosts: Drs. Sancar & Lindsey-Boltz.
Date & Time: 3/24/206, 11 AM
Venue: 1131 Bioinfo.

UNC Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics Our mission is to perform transformative biochemical and biophysical research in an inclusive and stimulating training environment.

Keep up with news from Biochemistry Biophysics at University of North Carolina School of Medicine. We are proud to support the mission, vision, and values of the UNC School of Medicine & grateful to serve the people of North Carolina.
www.med.unc.edu/biochem/

Congrats to UNC Wolfgang Bergmeier Lab and all authors!

Interested in summer research at UNC?
Learn how to be a strong candidate for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)
📅 Feb. 5, 2026
🕔 5:30–6:30 PM
📍 Genome Sciences G010
Get guidance on applying, funding your project, and working with a faculty mentor.
🔗 Registration required on HeelLife

🌟 UNC undergrads—ready to dive into research?
Apply for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)!
✅ $4,000 stipend
✅ 9 weeks of hands-on research
📅 Deadline: Feb 1, 2026
👉 Learn more: our.unc.edu/fund/surf/
#UndergraduateResearch #SURF #UNCResearch #STEM

New preprint alert! We share some of our recent insights about sequence similarity in IDP protein families and find that conservative substitutions in well-conserved binding motifs of the CITED proteins have big impacts on their ensembles and functions. Take a look!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Honored and Thankful! 🙏🏾 #MLKDay

UNC's 45th Annual MLK Jr. Week of Celebration: January 19 – 23, UNC students, staff, faculty, and the surrounding community are invited to engage in a series of events and speaking engagements, all with the shared mission of highlighting Dr. King’s eternal message of unity.

UNC's 45th Annual MLK Jr. Week of Celebration: January 19 – 23, UNC students, staff, faculty, and the surrounding community are invited to engage in a series of events and speaking engagements, all with the shared mission of highlighting Dr. King’s eternal message of unity.

Save the date for the 45th Annual MLK Jr. Week of Celebration! From January 19 – 23, UNC students, staff, faculty, and the surrounding community are invited to engage in a series of events and speaking engagements, all with the shared mission of highlighting Dr. King’s eternal message of unity. See events on UNC website

Save the date for the 45th Annual MLK Jr. Week of Celebration!
From January 19 – 23, UNC students, staff, faculty, and the surrounding community are invited to engage in a series of events and speaking engagements, all with the shared mission of highlighting Dr. King’s eternal message of unity.

Congrats Nobel Laureate Aziz Sancar MD PhD et al on "UNC collaboration repurposes lab chemical as potential new brain tumor drug!" October 2025 NC TraCS news tracs.unc.edu/.../2363-unc...

Dr. Irena Levitan

Welcome our Visiting Faculty Member! Dr. Irena Levitan has joined our department as a visiting faculty through May 2026. She is Professor of Medicine and Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago, hosted by Dr. Saskia Neher. Please welcome Dr. Levitan!

New publication in JBC Jan 2026 (B.Strahl, J.Dowen labs) Congrats to Riya Gohil, first author! HMGN1 and HMGN2 are recruited to acetylated and histone variant H2A.Z-containing nucleosomes to regulate chromatin state and transcription

New publication in JBC Jan 2026 (B.Strahl, J.Dowen labs) Congrats to Riya Gohil, first author!
HMGN1 and HMGN2 are recruited to acetylated and histone variant H2A.Z-containing nucleosomes to regulate chromatin state and transcription
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Dr. Irena Levitan

Welcome our Visiting Faculty Member! Dr. Irena Levitan has joined our department as a visiting faculty through May 2026. She is Professor of Medicine and Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago, hosted by Dr. Saskia Neher. Please welcome Dr. Levitan!

Abid Khan PhD of the Brian Strahl lab at UNC Chapel Hill

Huge congratulations to Abid Khan, PhD 👏
@abidkhanepigen.bsky.social from
Brian Strahl's lab for earning the 2025 Staff Excellence Award for Research!
Honored by the UNC SOM Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics for outstanding contributions to epigenetics research. 🎉UNC_SOM

Congrats Nobel Laureate Aziz Sancar MD PhD et al on "UNC collaboration repurposes lab chemical as potential new brain tumor drug!" October 2025 NC TraCS news tracs.unc.edu/.../2363-unc...

HMGN1 and HMGN2 are recruited to acetylated and histone variant H2A.Z-containing nucleosomes to regulate chromatin state and transcription The High Mobility Group Nucleosome-binding (HMGN) proteins are small, abundant nuclear proteins that directly bind nucleosomes and form a major compon…

New publication Jan 2026 (B.Strahl, J.Dowen labs) Congrats to Riya Gohil, first author!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Please share!

Derek Bolhuis PhD

Derek Bolhuis earned his PhD on December 19th! His thesis is entitled “USP37 Earns its PH-D, and How it Ensures Cell Cycle Progression.” He will remain at UNC through June 2026. Congrats Dr. Bolhuis! go.unc.edu/t3JLd