Cancer Center

The Cancer Center at Illinois brings together cancer biologists, clinicians, engineers, and other specialists to accelerate advances in disease detection, prevention, therapy, and improve quality of life for patients.

 

Image of sign on wall that says "Cancer Center at Illinois" with Block I logo above it.

Cancer Center at Illinois team finds treatment of liver metastases in breast cancer patients improved by low-carb diets

Urbana, Ill. – A new study by Cancer Center at Illinois Education Program Leader, Zeynep Madak-Erdogan and her team, have found a new mechanism of endocrine resistance in breast cancers metastasized to the liver.
Headshot of Adam Nelczyk, a PhD candidate studying molecular and integrative physiology.

PhD candidate in molecular & integrative physiology named finalist for Research Live! Showcase

A graduate student in the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology competed in the Illinois Graduate College's Research Live! Showcase at the Krannert Center for Performing Arts.
Dr. Sayee Anakk speaks at a podium.

Scientists join together to present findings on impact of lipids on metabolic diseases

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign recently hosted the 4th Big Ten Academic Alliance Lipid meeting, bringing together dozens of scientists from across the country to share their expertise on how lipids impact metabolic diseases.
Research team members pose together in the School of MCB's CLSL atrium, where banners for each department hang in the background. The research team includes, from left, undergraduate student Darya Asoudegi; graduate students Neha Chetlangia and Fredy Kurniawan; and Supriya Prasanth, a professor of cell and developmental biology at the U. of I. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer.

Study identifies key regulator of cell differentiation

Embryonic stem cells and other pluripotent cells divide rapidly and have the capacity to become nearly any cell type in the body. Scientists have long sought to understand the signals that prompt stem cells to switch off pluripotency and adopt their final functional state.
Brian Freeman poses for headshot, smiling, outside.

Meet MCB: Professor Brian Freeman brings molecular chaperone expertise to Illinois

Brian Freeman, a professor of cell and developmental biology and Cancer Center at Illinois scientist, has focused his research on the study of molecular chaperones (MCs) since the beginning of his career as a graduate student when chaperones were thought to have no medicinal purpose. Now, the...
In a black and white photo, Benita S. Katzenellenbogen smiles for camera while sitting in lab.

Professor reflects on decades of breast cancer research, sees hopeful future

For decades, Professor Benita S. Katzenellenbogen has focused on understanding breast cancer and women’s health, collaborating with scientists on campus and around the world to develop better treatments and reduce morbidities from the disease. Her research has provided the framework for the...
You Jin Song smiles for camera outside on campus on a fall day.

Where are they now? CCIL scholarship awardee You Jin Song

You Jin Song, a third year Ph.D. candidate in Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) researcher Kannanganattu Prasanth’s lab, is studying the effects of MALAT1, a long-noncoding RNA that is believed to play an important role in many cancers including breast and lung cancer. This project is supported by a...
Image of sign on wall that says "Cancer Center at Illinois" with Block I logo above it.

CCIL’s Cancer and Microbes Working Group explores new collaborations

The Cancer Center at Illinois and the Microbial Systems Initiative held the Cancer and Microbes Workshop as part of a new partnership formed between the CCIL and the MSI to promote collaboration at the interface of microbial sciences and cancer research.
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

New approach eradicates breast cancer in mice

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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Cancer Center at Illinois awards two MCB PhD students scholarships for research projects

Congratulations to two School of Molecular & Cellular Biology PhD students who have been awarded Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) Graduate Cancer Scholarships to pursue cancer research projects under the mentorship of Illinois scientists.