National Institutes of Health (NIH)

New therapeutic target identified for triple-negative breast cancer

2022-09-02

Gloved hands working with a pipette. Person's face can't be seen. They are in a lab coat and the background is a lab.

Breast cancer is categorized into three major subtypes: hormone receptor-positive, HER2-positive, and triple-negative. Although there are targeted therapeutic approaches for the first two, there are limited options for triple negative-breast cancer patients. In a new study, researchers have...

Researchers funded to develop ultrasound imaging tools to study Alzheimer's disease

2022-07-07

Wide exterior shot of the Beckman Institute on a summer day.

Interdisciplinary researchers at the Beckman Institute, including Molecular & Integrative Physiology Professor Dan Llano, received federal funding to develop ultrasound imaging methods for studying the neurovascular changes underlying Alzheimer's disease. Their low-cost, widely accessible...

COVID-19 virus spike protein flexibility improved by human cell's own modifications

2022-07-05

The simulations revealed that the host cell's own protein-processing infrastructure adds sugar groups called glycans, shown in red, which make the spike protein more flexible and mobile – key traits for infection and for evading antibodies. Image courtesy of Tianle Chen.

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...

Prasanth lab uncovers new insights into the role of Orc6 in the maintenance of genome integrity

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...

Small molecule transports iron in mice, human cells to treat some forms of anemia

2022-06-27

University of Illinois chemistry professor Martin D. Burke and graduate student Stella Ekaputri were part of a team that found a small molecule, hinokitiol, ferries iron out of liver cells lacking the protein that normally does the job and restores hemoglobin and red blood cell production.

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.

Recent research from Christian-Hinman lab provides foundation for new experimental designs to study epilepsy

2022-06-07

Illustration of the hippocampus by Adobe Stock and SciePro.

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...

New ultrasound tool measures blood flow, images microvasculature in the brain

2022-06-02

Standing: Pengfei Song (left); Dan Llano. Seated: Qi You.

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...

Study tracks COVID-19 infection dynamics in adults

2022-04-28

SHIELD Team workers assist students, staff and faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign take a saliva-based COVID-19 test that was developed at the U. of I. as a way to detect cases of COVID-19 early and prevent community spread. Unlike conventional nasal testing, saliva samples are collected non-invasively, without the need for healthcare workers and with minimal use of PPE.

A team led by scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign tracked the rise and fall of SARS-CoV-2 in the saliva and nasal cavities of people newly infected with the virus. The study was the first to follow acute COVID-19 infections over time through repeated sampling and to compare...

Study investigates the effects of DiNP on the colon

2022-04-11

Phthalates are commonly used to make products—including artificial leather, footwear, plastic food packaging, and personal care products—more flexible or stable. In particular, di-isononyl phthalate is incorporated in vinyl clothing and construction materials. However, scientists do not completely...

MCB team identifies compound with potent antiseizure effects

2022-03-22

Researchers Hee Jung Chung and Jennifer Walters stand together for photo in Chung Lab.

Researchers studying epileptic seizures of the temporal lobe – the most common type of epilepsy – discovered a compound that reduces seizures in the hippocampus, a brain region where many such seizures originate. The compound, known as TC-2153, lessened the severity of seizures in mice. The...

Contact Us