Researchers shed new light on how copper poisons microbes

Stefanie Eben looks up at the camera with a smile. She is standing next to an anaerobic chamber.
Copper is deployed by our immune system to fight off pathogens and is also used in health care settings to stave off bacterial infections, but how the element does so is unclear. Now, research published in Molecular Microbiology by microbiologists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign...

New role of small RNAs in Salmonella infections uncovered

Microbiology professor Cari Vanderpool and PhD student Sabrina Abdulla
Salmonella are food-borne pathogens that infect millions of people a year. To do so, these bacteria depend on a complex network of genes and gene products that allow them to sense environmental conditions. In a new paper, researchers have investigated the role of small RNAs that help Salmonella...

School of MCB recognizes contributions of faculty, staff, grad students

Alma Mater is all ready for the holidays with a winter scarf, ear muffs and holiday lights. Her garb is completed with a mask during this era of COVID-19.
The School of MCB is proud to recognize its stellar faculty and staff for their valuable contributions to the research and instructional missions of the school. At the 2022 Holiday Celebration, MCB director Milan Bagchi, Deborah Paul Professor of Molecular & Cellular Biology, gave awards...

Meet MCB: Ruben Sanchez-Nieves

Ruben Sanchez-Nieves stands smiling in the foyer of Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology.
PhD candidate Ruben Sanchez-Nieves from the Whitaker Lab looks to characterize and sequence plasmids such as Solfolobus Islandicus.

School of MCB hiring faculty

A tight shot of a microscope with a soft orange gradient layer.
The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is hiring faculty in several of our departments.

Who should get an omicron COVID-19 booster?

Chris Brooke, assistant professor of microbiology, recently spoke with The 21st public radio show about what scientists know about the virus that causes COVID-19, the emerging variants, and what they still have to learn.
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.

Young Innovator program successfully concludes its second year

Exterior shot of IGB
The Young Innovator program is designed to help trainees become innovative leaders in their fields. The students attended classes for ten weeks over the summer and, at the end of the program, participated in an idea competition, showcasing the projects.