February 20, 2020
Image
Caption
Molecular and integrative physiology professor Erik Nelson and his colleagues found that a byproduct of cholesterol metabolism causes some immune cells to spew out cancer-promoting signals.
Credit
Photo by L. Brian Stauffer.
Erik Nelson, Assistant Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, has been named the 2020-2021 Gunsalus Scholar by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for his work on cholesterol metabolism and cancer.
Nelson was recognized for his outstanding work on cholesterol metabolism and cancers of the breast or ovary. He and his lab are currently focusing on 27-hydroxycholesterol, which activates the estrogen receptors and also plays an important role in the immune regulatory system and tumor progression. He joined the University of Illinois in 2014.
Story Source(s)
Erik R. Nelson
Professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology