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Illinois IGB

News Archive [2017]

Unsuspected flexibility offers new pathway to cancer drug development

[ ] Illinois research uncovers cross-system signaling activity by growth factors that direct blood vessel growth and influence the progression of cancer, stroke recovery, and other…

Alumnus funds graduate students researching brain tissue cultures

[ ] Scott Fisher believes learning how to solve a problem can be as valuable as solving one. This belief is what drove him to create a fund that will support IGB research in the area…

Researchers establish long-sought source of ocean methane

[ ] An abundant enzyme in marine microbes may be responsible for production of the greenhouse gas. The following is a modified version of an article that originally appeared on MIT…

BIomarker Vol. 11 Now Available

[ ] Biomarker, the annual IGB magazine, is now available! Featuring selected articles on the research, outreach, faculty and accomplishments from the past year, a copy can be…

Team receives funding to study bacterial community dynamics

[ ] There is still much to understand about the dynamics of bacterial communities in the human gut, as well as how bacteria behave en masse in a biofilm, a collective of…

Viruses share genes with organisms across the tree of life

[ ] A new study finds that viruses share some genes exclusively with cells that are not their hosts. The study, reported in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, adds to the evidence…

In microbe populations, bioengineers find balance of opposing genomic forces

[ ] Sergei Maslov, a professor of bioengineering and physics at the University of Illinois, sees a “universe in a grain of sand.” His research seeks to explore that universe by…

A new way to do metabolic engineering

[ ] A novel method developed by a group of IGB researchers could change the way metabolic engineering is done. Researchers from the IGB’s Biosystems Design theme, including Steven L.…

Cancer drug starts clinical trials in human brain-cancer patients

[ ] A drug that spurs cancer cells to self-destruct has been cleared for use in a clinical trial of patients with anaplastic astrocytoma, a rare malignant brain tumor, and…

Light green plants save nitrogen without sacrificing photosynthetic efficiency

[ ] The top leaves of crops absorb far more light than they can use, starving lower leaves of light. Scientists designed plants with light green leaves with hopes of allowing more…

Theory: Flexibility is at the heart of human intelligence

[ ] Centuries of study have yielded many theories about how the brain gives rise to human intelligence. Some neuroscientists think intelligence springs from a single region or neural…

Expanding the potential of metabolic engineering

[ ] For decades, scientists have used the natural processes in cells to create useful products such as chemicals and biofuels.  This process, known as metabolic engineering,…

Five Illinois researchers rank among world’s most influential

[ ] Five faculty members at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have been named to the 2017 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researchers list (previously known as the…

Genomic study explores evolution of gentle 'killer bees' in Puerto Rico

[ ] A genomic study of Puerto Rico's Africanized honey bees - which are more docile than other so-called "killer bees" - reveals that they retain most of the genetic traits of their…

Cell phone software creates new possibilities for precision medicine

[ ] Embedded in our society is a cultural memory of the old-time family doctor, a medical practitioner who knows of your family, your history, and your daily life, and uses that…

Hacking evolution, screening technique may improve most widespread enzyme

[ ] Plants evolved over millions of years into an environment that has dramatically changed in the last 150 years since the Industrial Revolution began: carbon dioxide levels have…

Study reveals how bacteria steal nutrients from human hosts

[ ] A new study, published in mBio, exposes a zinc-import system in bacteria that could contribute to their ability to cause infection. The study looked at how the bacterium…

Expanding Brazilian sugarcane could dent global CO2 emissions

[ ] Vastly expanding sugarcane production in Brazil for conversion to ethanol could reduce current global carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 5.6 percent, researchers report in the…

Nutrition scientist Sharon Donovan elected to National Academy of Medicine

[ ] Sharon M. Donovan, a professor of nutrition and the Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Health at the University of Illinois, was elected today on October 16, 2017 to…

Cholesterol byproduct hijacks immune cells, lets breast cancer spread

[ ] High cholesterol levels have been associated with breast cancer spreading to other sites in the body, but doctors and researchers don't know the cause for the link. A new study by…