MCB PhD student selected for Beckman Institute Fellowship

Beckman Institute tower framed by blooming trees.
Seven graduate students, including one from the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, have been awarded 2021 Beckman Institute Graduate Fellowships. The program offers University of Illinois graduate students at the MA, MS, or PhD level the opportunity to pursue interdisciplinary research at...

Martha Gillette wins Beckman Institute's 2021 Vision and Spirit Award

Bust of Arnold Beckman.
Congratulations to Martha Gillette, who has been named the Beckman Institute’s 2021 winner of the Vision and Spirit Award. Gillette is director of the Neuroscience Program, Alumni Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, and a professor of molecular and integrative physiology.

Welcome to Professor Xinzhu Yu

Headshot of Xinzhu Yu
Professor Yu was one of ten new faculty hires made in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology in the last three years. Yu is an assistant professor of molecular and integrative physiology and is an affiliate of the Beckman Institute.

Welcome to Professor Benjamin Auerbach

Headshot of Ben Auerbach
Professor Auerbach was one of ten new faculty hires made in the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology in the last three years. Auerbach is an assistant professor of molecular and integrative physiology, and is also an affiliate of the Beckman Institute.

New NIH grant to fund U of I research on Fragile X Syndrome

Exterior of National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.
Recent clinical trials involving Fragile X Syndrome (FXS), a genetic disorder that causes mild to severe intellectual disability, indicate that potential drug treatments are not as effective as researchers initially hoped. This lack of therapeutic potential suggests there are some gaps in our...

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.

New optogenetics study shows promising results for neuronal regeneration

Huaxun Fan, co-author of study, sits in lab.
New research by biochemistry professor Kai Zhang and his team at the University of Illinois uses the groundbreaking field of optogenetics to show a potential new route for controlling specific neuron growth with incredible accuracy. Their recent paper “Optical control of ERK and AKT signaling...