Cell Biology Newsroom

Anne E. West, MD, PhD, George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology, has received the Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke for dedication to superior mentorship and training in neuroscience research.

Biomedical engineer Nenad Bursac, PhD, who also has appointments in the departments of medicine and cell biology, combines engineering with medicine to push innovation in heart care. His lab grows beating human heart tissue to test a new gene therapy that repairs tissue damage from heart attacks.

Jessica Moore, postdoctoral researcher at Duke University School of Medicine, shares her story of how federal funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been an integral part of her work exploring brain development and disease. This is part of the United for Medical Research My WHY campaign.

A study in Nature Cell Biology has uncovered a surprising role for what was once considered “junk DNA,” showing that it helps stem cells sense their surroundings and decide what kind of cells to become during early development.

Suzanne Barbour, PhD, professor of cell biology, dean of the graduate school, and vice provost for graduate education at Duke University, has received the Sustained Leadership Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). The ASBMB awards recognize members for making significant contributions to biochemistry and molecular biology as well as to the training and support of emerging scientists.

Akankshi Munjal, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology, has been selected as a 2025 Vallee Scholar to support her research to understand embryonic development.

Chantell Evans, PhD, assistant professor of cell biology, has been named a 2025 McKnight Scholar Award recipient in recognition of her pioneering research into the molecular mechanisms of neuronal mitophagy — a process critical to maintaining neuronal health.

In research published in the journal Science Advances, Lucia Strader, PhD, and researchers at Washington University showed how interaction of specific proteins with molecular “motors” contribute to functions that help plants respond to stress.

Blanche Capel, PhD, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology, has been named the 2025 recipient of the Edwin G. Conklin Medal in Developmental Biology.

Research from the lab of Staci Bilbo, PhD, adds to a growing body of work showing the brain doesn’t develop on its own.