2022-07-05
- When the coronavirus causing COVID-19 infects human cells, the cell’s protein-processing machinery makes modifications to the spike protein that render it more flexible and mobile, which could increase its ability to infect other cells and to evade antibodies, a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found.
2022-06-30 - New research from Supriya Prasanth’s lab at the University of Illinois provides tremendous insight into the role of the smallest subunit of the human ORC, Orc6. Although the ORC is conserved in all eukaryotes, Orc6 is the most evolutionarily diverged. In a recent study published in PNAS, the Prasanth lab identified a novel role for Orc6 in the maintenance of genome integrity.
2022-06-27 - A natural small molecule derived from a cypress tree can transport iron in live mice and human cells lacking the protein that normally does the job, easing a buildup of iron in the liver and restoring hemoglobin and red blood cell production, a new study found.
2022-06-15 - A new start-up led by a Carle Illinois College of Medicine student aimed at developing a saliva-based method to check for iron deficiency anemia has been selected for the University of Illinois’ iVenture Accelerator program this summer. The start-up called Ferritiva — founded by Carle Illinois student Jeffrey Lu — is one of 16 ventures across the U of I campuses admitted to the program which...
2022-06-10 - The SHIELD: Target, Test, Tell program combined frequent saliva tests with modeling and an app to keep the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus and surrounding community safe when on-campus operations resumed in fall 2020.
2022-06-08 - Each year, Mayo Clinic invites around 180 undergraduates from across the nation to participate in their Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. Sponsored by the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, this 10-week program gives undergraduates a chance to work at the forefront of biomedical research at one of the world’s leading medical centers. Students work in the...
2022-06-07 - The Departments of Biochemistry and Plant Biology are pleased to announce the creation of the Rabinowitch Lecture Series, which will feature guest speakers who have made key achievements in the two fields.
2022-06-07 - Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of focal epilepsy, often have seizures that start from one side of the hippocampus and not the other. Such patients may also experience complications such as cognitive impairment and reproductive endocrine disruption. Although it’s been documented that these seizures often start from one side of a person’s brain, similar relationships...
2022-06-07 - Two researchers from the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have established a theoretical framework and practical protocol to translate the ligand-binding ability of ion channels into a holistic understanding of ion-channel function by repurposing a classical binding assay. The researchers suggest the repurposed assay can answer many...
2022-06-02 - Researchers at the Beckman Institute developed a technique for producing super-resolution ultrasound images of tissue microvasculature in just a fraction of the time previously needed. Their work could enable future research into the neurovascular mechanisms behind conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
2022-06-01 - Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a link between RNA polymerase III subunit composition and transcription, an advancement that has potential implications for future cancer research. Their findings were published in Nature Communications.
2022-05-23 - When one imagines what 6th-8th grade students might be interested in, these projects may not immediately come to mind: studying metabolism in the Minecraft universe, investigating whether toxic frogs know they are toxic, printing 3D corals, building a robot that can deliver snacks or one that can plant seeds, and designing an anti-drone weapons device. And yet, these six studies were successfully...
2022-05-23 - Congratulations to Govindjee, University of Illinois professor emeritus of biophysics, biochemistry, and plant biology, who delivered the 2022 Anton Lang Lecture at Michigan State University this spring.
2022-05-18 - Eleven students have been selected to receive 2022 Beckman Institute fellowships and awards. The awards, which fund interdisciplinary research that takes place over the summer, will be celebrated at a virtual gathering on July 29, 2022.
2022-05-18 - Researchers from the University of Illinois School of Molecular & Cellular Biology have discovered that functions of a new motorized organelle challenge the existing model of epithelial homeostasis. The project, six years in the making, was led by Vivian Tang, Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology, and three students who were...