News Archive
'Hunker down' stress genes boosted in women in violent neighborhoods
Liz Ahlberg Touchstone
The chronic stress of living in neighborhoods with high rates of violence and poverty alters gene activity in immune cells, according to a new study of low-income single Black…
Leading New Directions in Cancer Research: The Unanswered Black Box
Carly Kwiecinski, CCIL
Hyunjoon Kong (M-CELS leader/EIRH/RBTE), Robert W. Schafer professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, approaches cancer research from a perspective that…
Deciphering the impacts of small RNA interactions in individual bacterial cells
Alisa King-Klemperer
Bacteria employ many different strategies to regulate gene expression in response to fluctuating, often stressful, conditions in their environments. One type of regulation…
Unveiling the cause of onion center rot
Ananya Sen
Since 1983, the bacteria Pantoea ananatis has been known to infect several important crops including onions, rice, and corn. It was unclear, however, what molecules were…
Predicting microbial interactions in the human gut
Ananya Sen
The human gut consists of a complex community of microbes that consume and secrete hundreds of small molecules—a phenomenon called cross-feeding. However, it is challenging to…
Division of labor within regenerating liver maintains metabolism, mouse study finds
Liz Ahlberg Touchstone
The liver has a rare superpower among body organs – the ability to regenerate, even if 70% of its mass is removed. It also keeps up its metabolic and toxin-removing work during…
Advances in Brain Cancer Research Leads to $3M NCI Award
Jordan Goebig
Several Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) and IGB members are joining forces with scientists from the Mayo Clinic and Georgetown University on an expansive project targeting…
Using a multipronged approach to investigate the diet of ancient dogs
Ananya Sen
Coprolites, or fossilized dog feces, are often used to understand the dietary preferences of ancient civilizations. However, the samples are often contaminated, making the…
CABBI Challenges CRP Status Quo, Mitigates Fossil Fuels
Jenna Kurtzweil
Researchers at the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) found that transitioning land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to…
Direct cloning method CAPTUREs novel microbial natural products
Alisa King-Klemperer
Microorganisms possess natural product biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that may harbor unique bioactivities for use in drug development and agricultural applications. However…
3D microscopy clarifies understanding of body's immune response to obesity
Lois Yoksoulian
Researchers who focus on fat know that some adipose tissue is more prone to inflammation-related comorbidities than others, but the reasons why are not well understood. Thanks…
Bioenergy Researchers Accurately Measure Photosynthesis from Space
Jenna Kurtzweil
As most of us learned in school, plants use sunlight to synthesize carbon dioxide (CO2) and water into carbohydrates in a process called photosynthesis. But nature’s “factories…