Block I logo
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology

News Archive

New COVID-19 rapid test employs DNA nets for superior accuracy, researchers say

Shelby Lawson

Rapid tests for COVID-19 have become a gold standard for virus testing, widely available at pharmacy chains and drug stores due to their low cost, speed, and ease of use.…

First author Saurabh Umrao (left) with images of DNA nets taken using atomic force microscopy imaging.

Research

Study links neighborhood violence, lung cancer progression

Diana Yates

Scientists have identified a potential driver of aggressive lung cancer tumors in patients who live in areas with high levels of violent crime. Their study found…

Zeynep Madak-Erdogan and her colleagues found that stress responses vary between lung cancer patients living in high-violence or low-violence zip codes. These differences likely lead to worse lung cancer outcomes in patients living in violent neighborhoods, the researchers found. Photo by Jonathan King

Research

From 'CyberSlug' to 'CyberOctopus': New AI explores, remembers, seeks novelty, overcomes obstacles

Diana Yates

By giving artificial intelligence simple associative learning rules based on the brain circuits that allow a sea slug to forage — and augmenting it with better…

The researchers in a laboratory. Between them is a fish tank with an octopus inside. Rhanor Gillette, left, and Ekaterina Gribkova developed an AI that can navigate new environments, seek novelty and rewards, and learn in real time. Their research into the neural pathways that drive behavior in sea slugs and octopuses guided the work. Photo by Fred Zwicky

Research

Gonadal function in male mice disrupted by prenatal risk factors

Ananya Sen

Researchers have consistently shown that prenatal exposure to Di (2-ethyhexyl) phthalate harms the reproductive system in male mice and causes fertility defects. In a new study…

Dr. Radawa Barakat is the first author of the paper and a former graduate student in the Ko lab. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Iowa State University.

Research

$14.8M Grant Supports Singapore Partnership on Precision Fermentation

Tony Mancuso

Feeding an ever-growing human population is one of the major grand challenges we face — especially with the impact agriculture can have on climate change. University of…

$14.8M Grant Supports Singapore Partnership on Precision Fermentation

Research, Awards

Wound healing technology may help patients heal more quickly after cancer surgery

Jonathan King

Joseph Irudayaraj (CGD/EIRH), a professor of bioengineering, published new research in Nature Communications, demonstrating the potential of a new therapeutic to accelerate and…

Joseph Irudayaraj (left) and graduate student Xiaoxue Han pictured here in the Cancer Center at Illinois labs located at Carle Health

Research

Woese Research Scholars announced for 2024

Ananya Sen

Sarah Kim and Vanessa Quan have been selected for the Carl R. Woese Undergraduate Research Scholar Program. Over a ten-week period in the summer, they will carry out research…

Sarah Kim, left, and Vanessa Quan have been selected for the Carl R. Woese Undergraduate Research Scholar Program."

Research, Profile

Gut microbes from aged mice induce inflammation in young mice, study finds

Diana Yates

When scientists transplanted the gut microbes of aged mice into young “germ-free” mice — raised to have no gut microbes of their own — the recipient mice experienced an…

From left, postdoctoral researcher Elisa Caetano-Silva, kinesiology and community health professor Jacob Allen, Ph.D. student Akriti Shrestha and their colleagues found evidence linking the gut microbiomes of aged mice to age-related inflammation common to mice and humans. Photo by Fred Zwicky

Research

Molecule Maker Lab Institute unveils upgrades to AlphaSynthesis platform

Shelby Lawson

The NSF Molecule Maker Lab Institute, hosted by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is a cutting-edge research institute focused on advancing the creation and study of…

Molecule Maker Lab Institute unveils ugrades to AlphaSynthesis platform

Research