Life Inspiring

At the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology

We seek answers to fundamental questions about how organisms work and the many implications for life. Through a rich culture of collaboration, we drive new discoveries in human health and empower students with the critical and analytical skills needed for successful careers.

MCB News

Headshots of Llano, Hatoum-Aslan, Li
MCB faculty awarded named scholar appointments
The College of LAS has awarded more than 25 professors, including three from the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, with named scholar positions for their contributions to education and research at the University of Illinois.  The awardees from MCB are as follows: LAS...
Photo of Dan Llano sitting in front of a microscope and computer.
Fetal exposure to PCBs affects hearing health later in life
Music, mice, and microscopic imaging combine to provide new insight into the effects of environmental chemicals on hearing loss. Researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, including members of the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, found that early exposure to...

Exterior of Mayo Clinic in the summer
MCB undergrads selected as 2023 Mayo Clinic Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows
Every year, Mayo Clinic hosts approximately 180 undergraduates from across the nation to participate in their Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program....
Thomas Kehl-Fie
New research challenges longstanding assumptions of evolutionary metal preferences 
As pathogenic bacteria play a game of cat and mouse with the human body’s immune system, the pathogens must adapt to changes in the environment to stay ahead of the immune system’s defenses. New findings by Illinois researchers challenge longstanding assumptions of how a particular family of...
MOV10 via Alphafold2
Researchers uncover a regulatory site in RNA helicase MOV10 and its effect on mRNAs targeted for AGO2 silencing
University of Illinois scientists have identified the phosphorylation site and its consequence on the function of MOV10, an RNA helicase expressed in early brain development and required for embryo viability, illuminating this RNA binding proteins’ relation to microRNA pathways and its effect on...
Three scientists in the Mera Lab, Stephanie Puentes-Rodriguez, Paola Mera, and Inoka Menikpurage, stand together smiling for the camera. They are in the doorway leading from one lab space to additional lab space. They are all smiling.
Researchers make new insights into bacterial cell cycle
Ask any scientist what happens after they have made a discovery. Rarely has the answer been that they’re done. Instead, each discovery often leads to new questions and new lines of research to pursue, much like a seed that’s been planted and nourished through its life cycle.  It’s fitting, then,...
The sea slug, Pleurobranchea californica
Study: Brain circuits for locomotion evolved long before appendages and skeletons
Hundreds of millions of years before the evolution of animals with segmented bodies, jointed skeletons or appendages, soft-bodied invertebrates like sea slugs ruled the seas. A new study finds parallels between the brain architecture that drives locomotion in sea slugs and that of more complex...
Microbiology professor Brenda Wilson stands in her office holding a copy of the book, Revenge of the Microbes
Antibiotics vs Microbes: Wilson’s New Book Investigates Our War Against Pathogens
The recent rise in cases of a drug-resistant fungus called Candida auris has prompted hospitals and nursing homes to be on alert and sparked concern among scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which deemed it an “urgent microbial resistance threat.” The...
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Innovative education

Our mission is to empower students. In MCB you will receive a rigorous education and you can tailor a curriculum according to your passions. Our alumni have become physicians, researchers at top-tier institutions, and business leaders. They've launched biotechnology start-ups and founded free healthcare clinics. They are changing the world. You can, too.

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A community of collaborators

Impactful research

We are at the forefront of life-changing biomedical research. Combatting infectious diseases like the novel coronavirus and influenza. Uncovering insights into neurological and metabolic disorders. Developing new treatments for diseases such as breast cancer. New and exciting research programs are being developed in neuroscience, immunology, microbial sciences, developmental biology, mechanobiology, and much more. Faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates are all part of the MCB research community.

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Commitment to diversity, equity & inclusion

Diversity within the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology drives the innovation that keeps our research at the forefront of scientific discovery. However, we recognize that societal, academic, and structural barriers have often kept talented individuals out of our community. We are committed to eliminating these barriers and supporting students and scientists of all backgrounds.

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