2025-04-03
- Dr. Michelle (Shelley) Barton’s remarkable career in cancer research, leadership, and graduate education is a testament to resilience, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to scientific advancement. As a researcher, she played a pivotal role in the discovery of TRIM24, a protein found in abnormally high levels in breast cancer and other cancers, which has profoundly shaped cancer research....
2025-04-02 - The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign each year presents Campus Awards for Excellence in Instruction to exceptional faculty and staff members, graduate teaching assistants and advisors campuswide.We are pleased to announce that Cell and Developmental Biology professor...
2025-04-02 - Dr. Ben Warlick, a biochemistry alumnus from the Class of 2013, has built a well-rounded career in industry. We sat down with Warlick while he was on campus recently to share his advice with the School of MCB community on career development, transitioning from academia to industry, and how students can prepare for their future careers.After completing his undergraduate...
2025-03-18 - Some notoriously difficult to treat infections may not be as resistant to antibiotics as has been thought, according to new research using a microfluidic device that more closely duplicates the fluid flow found in the body than standard cultures. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research team, led by biochemistry professor...
2025-03-13 - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with federal and state health agencies to address a widespread outbreak of bird flu among dairy cows, poultry, and other animals in the United States. More than 150 million farm birds have been slaughtered to prevent the disease’s spread, which has been a factor in a dramatic rise in egg prices. Is the end in sight? What are the...
2025-03-11 - A recent biochemistry PhD graduate was part of the team of researchers to generate the first genome assembly of Yerba mate, a plant species and herbal tea native to South America. The resulting structural data, published in eLife, provides insight into the set of enzymes involved in its caffeine synthesis that could improve agricultural...
2025-03-03 - Cholesterol is an essential lipid that plays a critical role in hormone production, digestion, and immune function. The ability to maintain a balanced level of cholesterol — known as cholesterol homeostasis — can influence tumor growth, progression, and immune response. High cholesterol levels have been associated with poor cancer prognosis. A new review paper from the lab of...
2025-03-02 - Shaped by a lifelong curiosity about the brain and a drive to make a tangible impact in medicine, Dr. Haneui Bae investigates the mechanisms and implications of liver dysfunctions in myotonic dystrophy. Recently, she received a two-year fellowship from the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation to support her research. Dr. Bae’s passion for neuroscience first emerged in high school after reading In...
2025-02-25 - Seven alumni of the University of Illinois College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, including two from the Department of Biochemistry, will be celebrated in April at the college’s 2025 alumni awards celebration. Congratulations to Michelle Craig Barton and Keith Westcott! ...
2025-02-19 - Researchers from the University of Illinois have identified an RNA binding protein called MOV10 as a critical factor in memory formation and learning. Their findings, published this month in BMC Biology, will enhance scientists’ understanding of brain development and fear memory. The hippocampus is a small...
2025-02-18 - Biochemistry PhD candidate ‘Fola Adesanya has been awarded a 2025 predoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association to support his research into the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of heart defects seen in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). Adesanya studies how mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to the...
2025-02-07 - A new club at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign aims to bring together RNA researchers from across campus to share ideas, expertise, and cultivate collaborations. The RNA club is open to all, including faculty, research scientists, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates. Anyone who has an interest in RNA...
2025-02-07 - Dr. Stephanie Ceman, Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology, has been honored with a College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Dean’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. "We are honored and...
2025-02-06 - Dr. Lori Raetzman is a professor of molecular and integrative physiology whose research program focuses on understanding the role of cell-cell signaling during pituitary development. She is also the Associate Director for the School of MCB PhD Programs. She spoke with graduate...
2025-01-31 - Pallob Barai, a Cell & Developmental Biology PhD student in Dr. Jie Chen’s lab, is the 2024 recipient of the Tom and Cynthia Cycyota Research Fellowship. The School of MCB spoke with him for a feature in the 2024 Department of Cell & Developmental Biology newsletter. How did your...