Skip to main content

Illinois IGB

Huimin Zhao

AI predicts enzyme function better than leading tools

March 30, 2023

A new artificial intelligence tool can predict the functions of enzymes based on their amino acid sequences, even when the enzymes are unstudied or poorly understood. The researchers said the AI tool, dubbed CLEAN, outperforms the leading state-of-the-art tools in accuracy, reliability and sensitivity. Better understanding of enzymes and their functions would be a boon for research in genomics, chemistry, industrial materials, medicine, pharmaceuticals and more.


March 30, 2023


Related Articles

Researchers discover new class of ribosomal peptide with hemolytic activity

March 24, 2023

Living organisms produce a myriad of natural products which can be used in modern medicine and therapeutics. Bacteria and other microbes have become the main source for natural products, including a growing family called ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides, or RiPPs. The labs of Douglas Mitchell (MMG), John and Margaret Witt Professor of Chemistry, and Huimin Zhao (CABBI/BSD/GSE/MMG), Steven L.


March 24, 2023


Related Articles

DOE Renews CABBI Five More Years

March 17, 2023

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has committed another round of funding to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to lead the second phase of its Bioenergy Research Center — one of four large-scale DOE-funded research centers focused on innovation in biofuels, bioproducts, and a clean energy future for the country.


March 17, 2023


Related Articles

Collaborative team at IGB discovers new natural products at unprecedented speed

October 21, 2022

Many of the drugs we utilize in modern medicine are naturally produced by microbes. Penicillin, an antibiotic derived from certain molds, is one of the most notable natural products due to its recognition as one of the biggest advances in medicine and human health. As DNA sequencing has become cheaper and faster, scientists now have access to hundreds of thousands of microbial genomes and the natural products they produce.


October 21, 2022


Related Articles

15 Years of IGB: Accelerating biological engineering through automation and artificial intelligence

August 24, 2022

One of the biggest challenges in traditional laboratory settings is performing countless hours of error-prone lab work: handling reagents, incubating reactions or living cells, synthesizing products, applying treatments, and monitoring outcomes. The Illinois Biological Foundry for Advanced Biomanufacturing was established in 2014 to bypass these cumbersome procedures and support a broad array of research goals.


August 24, 2022


Related Articles

Huimin Zhao to lead ACS Synthetic Biology as editor in chief

July 5, 2022

The Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) has appointed University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Huimin Zhao (CABBI/BSD/GSE/MMG Affiliate, CGD) as editor in chief of ACS Synthetic Biology. Zhao previously served as a founding associate editor of ACS Catalysis, a position he held from 2011–2022.


July 5, 2022


Related Articles

CABBI Team Develops Automated Platform for Plasmid Production

May 16, 2022

Plasmids have extensive use in basic and applied biology. These small, circular DNA molecules are used by scientists to introduce new genes into a target organism. Well known for their applications in the production of therapeutic proteins like insulin, plasmids are broadly used in the large-scale production of many bioproducts.

However, designing and constructing plasmids remains one of the most time-consuming and labor-intensive steps in biology research.


May 16, 2022


Related Articles

Subscribe to Huimin Zhao