2025-11-21
- The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology and Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology are pleased to welcome new faculty member Dr. Michael Schappe. He joins the school as an assistant professor in January 2026. His research lies in the areas of...
2025-11-21 - Though he only completed his postdoctoral work two years ago, the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology’s own Professor Boxuan Zhao already ranks among the world's most influential scientists. Earlier this month, Zhao was one of twelve Illinois professors named to the...
2025-11-12 - A naturally occurring protein that tends to be expressed at higher levels in breast cancer cells boosts the effectiveness of some anticancer agents, including doxorubicin, one of the most widely used chemotherapies, and a preclinical drug known as ErSO, researchers report. The protein, FGD3, contributes to the rupture of cancer cells disrupted by these drugs, boosting their effectiveness and...
2025-11-11 - University of Illinois researcher Erik Nelson and members of his lab have made an important discovery about the relationship between cholesterol and breast cancer progression with crucial implications for breast cancer therapeutics.Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death for American women, and more than 90%...
2025-11-03 - In a study that combines behavioral tests, computer models and electrophysiological recordings of neuron activity, researchers have found that hyperactivity of neurons in the auditory cortex and the reaction of these neurons to an unusually broad range of frequencies contribute to distorted sound processing in a rat model of Fragile X syndrome.People with autism spectrum disorders...
2025-10-14 - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scientists, including microbiology professor Asma Hatoum-Aslan, will partner with investigators from several industrial and academic institutions on a five-year, up to $28M initiative funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health and overseen by Program Manager...
2025-10-13 - A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the deadly drug-resistant bacteria NDM-CRE found a 70% rise in infections in the U.S. between 2019 and 2023. Also known as “nightmare bacteria,” NDM-CRE has few effective treatment options and high mortality rates....
2025-09-29 - The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology is pleased to announce a new undergraduate program: the bachelor of science degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology + Data Science.The new major comes at a time when artificial intelligence, machine learning, high-throughput genomics, and other data-driven technologies are revolutionizing our world, and there is increased...
2025-09-17 - The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology is pleased to announce James Slauch has been appointed the inaugural Deb & Tim Paul Chair in Human Infectious Disease & Immunology.Dr. Slauch is an infectious diseases and immunology expert and leader in medical research and education. For over 30 years he has worked to better...
2025-09-11 - Excessive alcohol consumption can disrupt the liver’s unique regenerative abilities by trapping cells in limbo between their functional and regenerative states, even after a patient stops drinking, researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators at Duke University and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago describe in a new study.This in-between state is a result of...
Microbiologists uncover novel proteins essential for maintaining magnesium homeostasis in Salmonella2025-09-09 - In a newly published research, scientists from the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology have reported the discovery of novel proteins that keep Salmonella’s magnesium levels in balance.Yumi Iwadate, postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Microbiology, and...
2025-09-03 - Antibodies are the critical targeting agents of the immune system and the crux of immune therapy and vaccine development, but studying them is slow, expensive and labor-intensive. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new high-volume method that can rapidly build and test large numbers of antibodies at once. With it, they have already uncovered common...
2025-08-26 - The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology and Department of Microbiology are pleased to welcome new faculty member Dr. Wei Qin. He joined the school as an assistant professor of microbiology in August 2025. Dr. Qin received his PhD in Environmental Microbiology from the University of Washington and was a...
2025-08-22 - Over 240 scholars from across the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology and related units gathered at the I Hotel and Conference Center on Aug. 19, 2025, for the school's annual Graduate Research Retreat. Seventy-two graduate students presented their research as oral or poster presentations. Winners are listed below.Keynote speaker was Dr. Michael Recny (PhD, '83, biochemistry). Dr. Recny is...
2025-07-23 - Neurobiologists at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, including Jason Climer in the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, found the brain’s internal GPS changes each time mice navigate a familiar, static environment.Even when a mouse walks the same path every day — and the path and...