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The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) is dedicated to transformative research and technology in life sciences. Team-based themes tackle grand societal challenges in food security, energy, health, technology, and environmental conservation. Its facilities include a microfabrication lab, plant growth facility, and a microscopy suite.
Researchers aim to disrupt breast cancer line of communication and prevent spread
University of Illinois researcher Erik Nelson and members of his lab have made an important discovery about the relationship between cholesterol and breast cancer progression with crucial implications for breast cancer therapeutics....
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A cellular protein, FGD3, boosts breast cancer chemotherapy, immunotherapy
A naturally occurring protein that tends to be expressed at higher levels in breast cancer cells boosts the effectiveness of some anticancer agents, including doxorubicin, one of the most widely used chemotherapies, and a preclinical drug known as ErSO, researchers report. The protein, FGD3,...
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Illinois-led initiative will build precision phage platform for promoting health
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scientists, including microbiology professor Asma Hatoum-Aslan, will partner with investigators from several industrial and academic institutions on a five-year, up to $28M...
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Fruit fly study reveals a gene’s hidden ability to keep regrowth on the right track
Regeneration, the ability to heal damaged or lost tissues, is both everyday and a real life superpower. Health research inspired by the remarkable regeneration of animals like starfish or the salamanders axolotls asks how future therapeutics could promote the regrowth of hard-to-heal tissues, limbs...
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New study reveals critical regulatory role of protein BRD4 in colorectal cancer chemotherapy resistance
School of Molecular & Cellular Biology professor Lin-Feng Chen has published new research reporting an important factor driving chemoresistance for patients with colorectal cancer. The research was published in the journal...
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Fish IgM structure sheds light on antibody evolution, study finds
Antibodies—proteins that are produced by our immune system to protect us—are crucial for recognizing and getting rid of unwanted substances, or antigens, in our body. Although their role is universal, antibody structure varies in different animals. In a new study, researchers have analyzed the...
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Undergrad explores the interactions between archaea and their viruses in extreme environments
Coming into the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Catherine Koterba was a pre-med student with a passion for astronomy. Three years later, she is a microbiologist studying thermophilic archaea from the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park. On the surface, this appears to be quite the...
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Team identifies key driver of cancer cell death pathway that activates immune cells
Scientists have identified a protein that plays a pivotal role in the action of several emerging cancer therapies. The researchers say the discovery will likely aid efforts to fine-tune the use of immunotherapies against several challenging cancers.
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New research challenges longstanding assumptions of evolutionary metal preferences
Thomas Kehl-Fie, a professor of microbiology in the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, and collaborator Kevin Waldron, a professor at the Institute of Biochemistry & Biophysics in Warsaw, Poland, have found that have found that in response to the immune system restricting metal...
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Meet MCB: Undergraduate researcher Kathure Mugambi
Kathure Mugambi is a senior undergraduate student in Molecular and Cellular Biology. She is also the undergraduate assistant for the IGB Lunchbox series.