Understanding how tiny chirality clues unlock biology across scales
Official title: Probing and controlling chirality across scales using nanophotonic platforms
Funded at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign · NIH-11387470 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to develop advanced nanophotonic tools to study and control molecular and cellular handedness (chirality) to better understand its role in health and disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Champaign, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $396,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM157121-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11387470 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals whose conditions involve cellular function and molecular processes where chirality may play a role, such as metabolic or genetic diseases.
✕Less likely to help
People whose conditions are not linked to chirality-related biology or who do not participate in any biomolecular studies may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project seeks to create versatile, high-resolution, label-free nanophotonic technologies that can probe chirality from the molecular level up through cells and tissues. By bridging gaps between molecular detail and cellular-scale phenomena, the work aims to reveal how homochirality influences cellular functions and disease processes. The research combines cutting-edge optics with biology to observe and manipulate chiral features in real biological contexts, with potential implications for drug development and treatment strategies. Participants will be involved through collaborations between physics and biology teams at the University of Illinois, translating complex measurements into actionable biological insights.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from new insights into how molecular handedness affects disease and responses to therapies, potentially guiding more precise treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has demonstrated the value of advanced nanophotonic tools for molecular analysis, with growing evidence that multi-scale approaches can reveal new biology.
Where this research is happening
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhao, Yang — University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Study coordinator: Zhao, Yang
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.