New study uncovers novel receptor function in Fragile X syndrome

a man in a blue shirt standing in front of a monitor.
Fragile X syndrome is one of the most commonly inherited forms of autism and intellectual disability, and no treatment currently exists. But a team of University of Illinois researchers led by Vipendra Kumar, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, has...

Meet MCB: Postdoc Vipendra Kumar

Vipendra Kumar
In recognition of his work, Dr. Vipendra Kumar was recently awarded a fellowship from the FRAXA Research Foundation, whose mission is to discover better treatments and ultimately cure the genetic disorder Fragile X Syndrome.

Meet MCB: Temirlan Shilikbay, cell & developmental biology PhD student

PhD student Temirlan Shilikbay, wearing a U of I mask, holds up a slide and observes it.
The School of MCB is proud to highlight our graduate students, including Temirlan Shilikbay, now in his third year at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is a PhD candidate in professor Stephanie Ceman's lab in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology. The lab's goal is to study...

Meet MCB: Professor Nien-Pei Tsai

Nien-Pei Tsai
Dr. Tsai’s lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal excitability imbalance in neurological and psychiatric disorders including epilepsy and autism.

Study: Protein found to be key component in irregularly excited brain cells

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Research scientist Kwan Young Lee, molecular and integrative physiology professor Nien-Pei Tsai, and their colleagues discovered that an overabundance of the tumor suppressor protein p53 in neurons can lead to impaired regulation of neuronal excitability in a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome.

Neuronal Excitability in Health and Disease

Artistic illustration of a brain
A new era has dawned in understanding neuropathological disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, depression, and autism spectrum disorders. These disorders, traditionally classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Society, are now being re-...

Technological Breakthroughs Transform Biological Inquiry in Neuroscience

Artistic illustration of a brain
The infinitely complex workings of the human brain have intrigued researchers for centuries. Our understanding of its workings have been limited, not by our curiosity, but by our tools. Now, with the growth of new molecular biology and genomics approaches, big data, and engineering advances that...