Molecular & Integrative Physiology (MIP)

Water disinfection byproduct disrupts reproductive hormones, damages pituitary in female mice

2021-11-24

Chemical disinfection makes water from both natural sources and wastewater streams drinkable; however, the process also creates byproducts, not all of which are understood or regulated. A new study from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers has found that one byproduct disrupts...

Congratulations to winners of the 2021 MCB Undergraduate Research Symposium

2021-11-17

Tight shots of hands holding equipment in bright blue and purple gloves.

The School of Molecular & Cellular Biology is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Detailed map of ion-channel structure could steer development of new therapeutic strategies for epilepsy

2021-11-13

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are hopeful their findings on the gating mechanisms behind epilepsy-associated potassium channels could provide a foundation for new therapeutic strategies for treating epilepsy, especially in young patients. Their research was recently...

New faculty member to further explore research linking brain receptor to increased height, early puberty

2021-11-11

Physician measures child's height at doctor's office.

For the past few decades, scientists have observed a trend of increased height and younger age of puberty onset in humans. Now, research outlining a new pathway in humans linking body fat to puberty onset and growth could provide an explanation as to why these changes are occurring. Their findings...

New "Cryo-EM" technology illuminates life

2021-11-02

Researcher pours ice to prepare specimens for cryo-EM.

Thanks to the installation of a cryogenic electron microscope at the University of Illinois, researchers are exploring what was once hidden or difficult to study at the molecular level.

New analytical technique helps researchers spot subtle differences in subcellular chemistry

2021-09-30

From left, chemistry professor Stanislav Rubakhin, molecular and integrative physiology (MIP) graduate research assistant Dan Castro, chemistry professor and MIP affiliate Jonathan Sweedler, chemistry professor Elena Romanova and bioengineering graduate research assistant Yuxuan Richard Xie.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign can now rapidly isolate and chemically characterize individual organelles within cells. The new technique tests the limits of analytical chemistry and rapidly reveals the chemical composition of organelles that control biological growth,...

In Memoriam: Albert Feng, professor and former head of molecular and integrative physiology

2021-09-15

Text: In Memoriam, Professor Albert Feng

Albert Feng, a passionate and beloved scholar who studied the neural basis of sound communication, has passed away.

Meet new faculty member Patrick Sweeney, who explores neural circuitry at the intersection of feeding, motivation, and emotion

2021-08-16

Patrick Sweeney stands outside Burrill Hall.

The Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology in the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology is pleased to welcome new faculty member Patrick Sweeney!

Study offers insight into underlying causes of seizure disorder in babies

2021-08-03

Graphics comparing impair and improved gene Nedd4-2.

Researchers report that infantile spasms, a rare but serious seizure disorder in babies, appear to be the result of a molecular pathway gone awry. In their study of a mouse model of the disorder, the researchers discovered that genetic mutations associated with the disease impair a pathway that is...

New approach eradicates breast cancer in mice

2021-07-20

Researchers discovered a small molecule, ErSO, that eradicates breast cancers in mice by targeting a pathway that protects cancer cells. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer

A new approach to treating breast cancer kills 95-100% of cancer cells in mouse models of human estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancers and their metastases in bone, brain, liver and lungs. The newly developed drug, called ErSO, quickly shrinks even large tumors to undetectable levels.

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