2024-09-10
- The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology and Department of Biochemistry are saddened to share the news that emerita biochemistry professor Ana Jonas passed away on June 12, 2024.
Known for her compassion, curiosity, and drive, Jonas managed a robust research enterprise that advanced our understanding of the role lipoproteins play in cardiovascular disease. During her three decades at Illinois, she mentored countless students and researchers who went on to work in academia and industry throughout the world.
“The field has lost a giant and she will be sorely missed,” said W. Sean...
2024-09-09 - A new review article co-authored by Chu-Young Kim, Professor of Biochemistry, discusses the architecture of modular polyketide synthases (PKS), a type of enzyme found in various organisms that synthesize widely used clinical drugs like the antibiotic erythromycin and the immunosuppressant rapamycin. The article, which appears in Natural Product Reports, also features cover art submitted by the authors. Kim recently...
2024-09-04 - A recent recall of more than seven million pounds of deli meat has marked the largest listeria outbreak since 2011, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak has been traced to a Boar’s Head meat plant in Virginia, leading to the hospitalization of nearly sixty people who consumed contaminated products. We spoke with Brenda Wilson, Professor of Microbiology and Adjunct Professor of Pathobiology at the...
2024-08-30 - Nicholas Wu, PhD, is among the newest cohort of Vallee Scholars named Friday by the Vallee Foundation. The award recognizes outstanding junior faculty members conducting innovative biomedical research and provides four years of unrestricted funding. Since 2013, the foundation has provided more than $18 million to support over 50 exceptional scientists. Twenty-four international institutions were invited to nominate a candidate for the 2024 application cycle, culminating in...
2024-08-23 - Five faculty members from the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology have been recognized for their excellence in research and teaching through named scholar positions and distinguished promotions. Congratulations to Sayee Anakk, Auinash Kalsotra, Paola Mera, Lori Raetzman, and Joe Sanfilippo! Sayeepriyadarshini (Sayee) Anakk has received a Distinguished Promotion from Associate Professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology to Professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology. Anakk received her PhD...
2024-08-23 - This summer we've profiled recipients of summer undergraduate research fellowships to learn about their academic interests and glance into their daily lives as undergraduate researchers. Our final interview features MCB senior Mia Rode, a member of the D...
2024-08-21 - The Endocrine Society today announced it has chosen 14 leading endocrinologists as winners of its prestigious 2025 Laureate Awards, the top honors in the field. Among those receiving honors are University of Illinois professors Lori Raetzman and Erik Nelson of the...
2024-08-19 - An AI language model developed by Illinois researchers for sequence-based antibody specificity prediction and published in Immunity will accelerate epitope mapping and improve scientists’ understanding of the B-cell repertoire. The model, which distinguishes between antibodies targeting the head and stem domains of human influenza hemagglutinin glycoprotein, functions as a critical resource for scientists applying deep learning methods to antibody research. Historically, scientists have struggled to predict the...
2024-08-07 - The National Institutes of Health has approved the T32 grant, “Interdisciplinary Research Training at the Interface of Reproductive Sciences and Bioengineering." The training program is aimed at predoctoral students who want to work at the interface of reproductive sciences and engineering, two long-standing areas of research excellence at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “Both the White House and the National Science Foundation have been emphasizing the importance of looking at women’s health. This grant is timely because we can use experts across the campus to bring biology and...
2024-08-07 - This summer we're profiling recipients of summer undergraduate research fellowships to learn about their academic interests and glance into their daily lives as undergraduate researchers. Today we're speaking with MCB junior Julienne Sanchez, a member of the Cari Vanderpool lab and a 2024 recipient of the Dr. Walter...
2024-07-23 - Jim Collins’ research isn’t for the faint of heart — or stomach. “We don’t talk about it at the dinner table,” he laughed. Collins, a parasitologist who conducted his postdoctoral work at the University of Illinois, studies parasitic flatworms known as schistosomes. These parasites have caused profound morbidity in over 200 million of the world’s poorest people. Recently named an HHMI Investigator, Collins offered insight into his academic background, what attracted him to Champaign-Urbana, and how...
2024-07-23 - This summer we're profiling recipients of summer undergraduate research fellowships to learn about their academic interests and glance into their daily lives as undergraduate researchers. Today we're speaking with MCB junior Iman Mohajir, a member of the Supriya Prasanth lab and a 2024 recipient of the Jenner Family...
2024-07-22 - This summer we're profiling recipients of summer undergraduate research fellowships to learn about their academic interests and glance into their daily lives as undergraduate researchers. Today we're speaking with MCB senior Garrett Barksdale, a member of the Wilfred van der Donk lab and a 2024 recipient of the William T. and Lynn...
2024-07-19 - This summer we're profiling recipients of summer undergraduate research fellowships to learn about their academic interests and glance into their daily lives as undergraduate researchers. Today we're speaking with MCB junior Ryan Marsh, a member of the Brenda Wilson lab and a 2024 recipient of the Dr. Walter and...
2024-07-15 - Auinash Kalsotra, a professor of biochemistry, and Martha Gillette, a professor of cell & developmental biology, were among the dozens of researchers chosen to be part of the inaugural cohort of Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago Investigators. The 48-member group, which will focus on instrumented tissues, inflammation, and the immune system, includes researchers from Illinois, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago. The...