News Archive
New technique can track drug and gene delivery to cells
Liz Ahlberg Touchstone
With targeted drug and gene therapies, finding the target cells is only half the battle. Once these agents reach a cell’s surface, they still have to get inside and do their…
Cassava breeding hasn’t improved photosynthesis or yield potential
Claire Benjamin
Cassava is a staple in the diet of more than one billion people across 105 countries, yet this “orphaned crop” has received little attention compared to popular crops like corn…
CRISPR tech ‘knocks out’ yeast genes with single-point precision
Liz Ahlberg Touchstone
The CRISPR-Cas9 system has given researchers the power to precisely edit selected genes. Now, researchers have used it to develop a technology that can target any gene in the…
Walnuts impact gut microbiome and improve health
Stephanie Henry
Diets rich in nuts, such as walnuts, have been shown to play a role in heart health and in reducing colorectal cancer. According to a new study from the University of Illinois…
Ruby Mendenhall new Assistant Deanship, Carle Illinois College of Medicine
Ruby Mendenhall has been named the assistant dean for diversity and democratization of health innovation at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. Mendenhall is also an…
Respect Indigenous ancestors: Scholars urge community engagement
Diana Yates
A new article in the journal Science provides guidance for those intending to study ancient human remains in the Americas. The paper, written by Indigenous…
Protect forest elephants to conserve ecosystems, not DNA
Claire Benjamin
Although it is erroneously treated as a subspecies, the dwindling African forest elephant is a genetically distinct species. New University of Illinois research has found that…
Earth BioGenome Project aims to sequence genomes of 1.5M species
Diana Yates
An international consortium of scientists is proposing a massive project to sequence, catalog and analyze the genomes of all known eukaryotic species on the planet, an…
Registration Open - IGB Fellows Symposium, May 3, 2018
Learn about IGB research, hear about current issues in the life sciences, and connect with other students on campus at the annual Fellows Symposium. This full-day event,…
Humans are Sumatran rhinoceros’ biggest threat—and last hope
Claire Benjamin
The little-known and smallest member of the rhinoceros family, the Sumatran rhinoceros, is critically endangered. Today between 30 and 100 are isolated on the islands of…
New NIH-funded research aims to improve prostate cancer outcomes
Laura Schmitt
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers recently received a $1.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a new assay technology…
Study yields million-plus new compounds, pharmaceutical potential
Diana Yates
Researchers say they can now produce a vast library of unique cyclic compounds, some with the capacity to interrupt specific protein-protein interactions that play a role in…