2022-11-08 - Since its launch more than three decades ago, researchers with the Macromolecular Modeling and Bioinformatics Center at the University of Illinois have developed powerful modeling, simulation, and visualization software tools that help researchers better understand the complex biomolecular and cellular processes associated with human health and disease. The...

2022-11-07 - Dear members of the MCB community, Since I was selected to serve as director of the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology in 2017, I have sought to be a goal-oriented leader who is consultative, transparent, and collegial. As I eagerly look ahead to the next five years, my overall mission, as it was when I first stepped into this role, is to apply my knowledge, experience,...

2022-11-04 - Although researchers have learned much about SARS-CoV-2, the vast array of unexplained symptoms associated with acute and post-acute ("long") COVID-19 warrants the search for additional biochemical pathways involved. On the basis of amino-acid sequence analyses and computational approaches, it has recently been suggested that nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) may act as additional SARS-...

2022-11-01 - Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have generated the first comprehensive cellular map of the cornea in a frog species at early and adult developmental stages. Their findings could lead to the improvement of therapeutic treatments for diseases and dystrophies that effect human corneal tissue integrity. In this study, Jonathan Henry’s lab characterized more than 22,000...

2022-10-28 - As she viewed the radiograph in Decatur Memorial Hospital’s Radiology Department’s reading room, Jeanne Bullock Goldberg was fascinated by what she saw: the bones and innermost details of a hand. It was 1965, and having just graduated from Douglas MacArthur High School, she had applied for a summer job as a file clerk in the X-ray department. At that time, she was informed that an interview with...

2022-10-24 - Each year, Mayo Clinic invites approximately 180 undergraduate students from across the nation to participate in their SURF program, which provides undergraduates the opportunity to work at the forefront of biomedical research at one of the world’s leading medical centers. As part of the longstanding Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance, Mayo Clinic reserves seven spots each year for...

2022-10-17 - A new study from the University of Illinois further helps explain links between epilepsy and reproductive comorbidities. The Christian-Hinman laboratory's findings were published in the journal Neurobiology of Disease.

2022-10-11 - As the worldwide community celebrates Day of the Girl today, we are reminded of the bravery girls around the globe demonstrate in their fight for equal access to education. In particular, my thoughts this week have been with students at Sharif University in Tehran, who have shown support for each other and courage as they’ve protested the death of Mahsa Amini.  To our students, faculty, and...

2022-10-06 - The influenza virus, which causes the flu, is a major public health issue, infecting millions of people and estimated to cost $10 billion in direct medical costs in the United States each year. Like most viruses, influenza mutates rapidly as it spreads, making it difficult to vaccinate against every possible strain. Every year there is a massive effort to determine which strains will likely be...

2022-09-27 - New research from University of Illinois biochemistry professor Raven Huang reveals that lethal ribosomal damage in bacteria can be reversed by a pair of bacterial enzymes named PrfH and RtcB. The finding raises the question of whether similar ribosomal damage can also be repaired in humans because the poison ricin can kill people by damaging human ribosome.

2022-09-27 - Deciphering the molecular basis of cell-cell communications during early pregnancy has long been a challenge of reproductive scientists. New research from the University of Illinois further illuminates the fascinating dialogue between the developing embryo and endometrium by shedding new light on the important roles played by extracellular vesicles produced and secreted by endometrial cells.

2022-09-19 - Each year, Mayo Clinic invites approximately 180 undergraduate students from across the nation to participate in their Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program, which provides undergraduates the opportunity to work at the forefront of biomedical research at one of the world’s leading medical centers. As part of the longstanding Mayo Clinic & Illinois Alliance, Mayo Clinic...

2022-09-16 - The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is hiring faculty in several of our departments.

2022-09-15 - Although the omicron variants seem less deadly, COVID-19 vaccine boosters are needed to keep up with the virus as it evolves, says University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign microbiology professor Christopher Brooke.

2022-09-15 - Several professors, including two from the School of MCB's Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, have recently received named scholar positions for their contributions to research, education, and the academic mission of the College of LAS.