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Health + Wellness

Every person or animal that suffers from ill health and every pathogen that causes disease has its own genome. Research in this area examines how genome function directs the development of healthy bodies and how disorders disrupt that function.

Exploring the genomes of the microbes we live with also allows us to discover the molecular tools they use to aid or attack their hosts or to fight each other, knowledge that can act as a pathway to well-being.

Featured Stories

Pathobiology professor Becky Smith, graduate student Abrar Hussain and their colleagues analyzed state data on tick-borne diseases in humans and dogs. The study reveals hotspots of disease in various parts of the state. Photo by Fred Zwicky
The rise of antibiotic resistance among the type of E. coli bacteria responsible for most foodborne illness is concerning because antibiotics are not advised for the infection, suggesting that the bacteria are acquiring resistance in the environment or during the food production process, said Illinois pathobiology professor Csaba Varga. Photo by Craig Pessman
Left to right: Tingjie Song, Dhanush Gandavadi, Xing Wang, and Abhisek Dwivedy
Phillip and Ann Sharp Director Rohit Bhargava
research members, clockwise from top left: Hua Wang, Shuming Nie, Fan Lam, Timothy Fan, Matthew Berry
“To have such high-impact work, there should be research teams that include people from different sides of the sciences: cancer expertise, computational expertise, biology, and now AI and analytics tools.”  ZEYNEP MADAK-ERDOGAN