blog posts

• Tumor-Targeting System Uses Cancer’s Own Mechanisms to Betray its Location

  Feb 15, 2017 2:00 pm0 views

  Illinois researchers developed a way to target tumors using sugars that are metabolized by the cancer cell’s own enzymes.

• Social media as good a barometer of public health attitudes as traditional phone polling

  Feb 15, 2018 3:45 pm0 views

  Social media data can be used as an additional source of information to gauge public opinion about health issues alongside traditional data sources like phone-based polling, says new research co-written by U. of I. psychology professor Dolores Albarracin.

• Study Shows That Americanization May Be Fueling Unhealthy Eating in Jamaica

  Feb 16, 2017 8:00 am0 views

  Previous research has shown that viewing high amounts of media can negatively impact dietary habits, and these unhealthy habits are a driving force behind obesity and its associated health complications. Even though previous research has linked increased TV consumption with unhealthy eating habits, not much research has focused on the impact that media consumption may have on individuals from different cultures. 

  A study published recently in Child Development by University of Illinois researcher Dr. Gail Ferguson, an assistant professor in human development and family studies, explores whether globalization and the spread of U.S. media could be influencing behaviors and eating habits in developing regions.

• The Autism Program Introduces a New Certification Preparation for Interns

  Feb 16, 2017 8:00 am0 views

  The Autism Program (TAP) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a community-focused program that aids families and professionals by providing support to individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), their families, and other professionals in the community. Each semester, TAP welcomes a team of 10 to 12 diligent and hardworking interns who come from a variety of University of Illinois departments such as Human Development and Family Studies, Special Education, Speech and Hearing Science, Psychology, and the School of Social Work.

• Many applied to be in inaugural Carle Illinois College of Medicine class

  Feb 18, 2018 7:00 am0 views

  Despite an abbreviated recruiting season that began last October, the college received almost 1,100 applications, and 533 followed through with the more rigorous secondary application process.

• Illinois Part of New Center Focused On Vector-Borne Disease

  Feb 19, 2017 11:15 am0 views

  The University of Illinois is among a consortium of Midwestern universities in a new federally funded center created to fight diseases spread by insect vectors, especially mosquitoes and ticks, through a unified approach of research, training, and practice.

• Powerful Supercomputer Unlocks Possibilities for Tinier Devices and Affordable DNA Sequencing

  Feb 19, 2018 12:00 pm0 views

  Since its discovery in 2004, graphene has captured imaginations and sparked innovation in the scientific community. Perhaps rightly so as it is 200 times stronger than the strongest steel but still flexible, incredibly light but extremely tough, and conducts heat and electricity more efficiently than copper.Professor Jerry Bernholc of North Carolina State University is utilizing the National Center for Supercomputing Applications’ Blue Waters supercomputer at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to explore graphene’s applications, including its use in nanoscale electronics and electrical DNA sequencing. 

• Sleep problems in menopause linked to hot flashes, depression - and may not last

  Feb 19, 2018 9:15 am0 views

  Illinois professors, from left, Jodi Flaws, Megan Mahoney and Rebecca Smith found that sleep problems in menopause are closely correlated with hot flashes and depression, but that they may not last after menopause.

• Neuroimaging reveals lasting brain deficits in iron-deficient piglets

  Feb 20, 2018 4:30 pm0 views

  Animal sciences professor Ryan Dilger, left, graduate student Austin Mudd and their colleagues used neuroimaging to study how iron deficiency influences piglet brain development. The findings may have implications for human infant brain development.

• Study: Changing the environment within bone marrow alters blood cell development

  Feb 22, 2017 11:15 am0 views

  Researchers at the University of Illinois report they can alter blood cell development through the use of biomaterials designed to mimic characteristics of the bone marrow.

• Rapid Imaging of Polymers Could Lead to Better Bioimaging

  Feb 22, 2017 3:00 pm0 views

  A recent study by researchers at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology identifies a method of Quantum Cascade Laser-based (QCL) infrared spectroscopic imaging that provides a more rapid method than conventional Fourier transform infrared imaging (FT-IR) to examine spherulites, large semicrystalline polymer samples, in order to identify chemical and structural properties.

• Would replacing food stamps with food boxes reduce hunger?

  Feb 22, 2018 8:30 am0 views

  The Trump administration’s idea for reducing hunger in the U.S. – a meal-kit procured, packaged and delivered by the government – would be both inefficient and ineffective, said Craig Gundersen, the Soybean Industry Endowed Professor of Agricultural Strategy at the University of Illinois College of ACES.

• STRONG Kids program receives additional support from the National Dairy Council

  Feb 23, 2017 4:45 pm0 views

  Exploring how multiple factors contribute to the development of childhood obesity, the Family Resiliency Center’s STRONG Kids Program recently received an additional $548,275 of funding from the National Dairy Council (NDC) to extend its current research project, STRONG Kids 2, through 2019.

• Study: Researchers identify how mental abilities are shaped by individual differences in the brain

  Feb 25, 2016 10:00 am0 views

  Everyone has a different mixture of personality traits: some are outgoing, some are tough and some are anxious. A new study suggests that brains also have different traits that affect both anatomical and cognitive factors, such as intelligence and memory.

  The results are published in the journal NeuroImage.

• Paper: Videos help medical students master physiology concepts

  Feb 28, 2018 8:30 am0 views

  Director of assessment and evaluation J. Patrick Grenda, left, and medical information science professor Kashif Ahmad, both in the U. of I. College of Medicine, co-wrote a new study in which they found that creating customized videos that explain complex material presented in classroom lectures can be effective teaching tools – and significant time savers for faculty members and medical students.

• Drinking more water associated with numerous dietary benefits, study finds

  Feb 29, 2016 2:15 pm0 views

  For people who want to control their weight or reduce their intakes of sugar, sodium and saturated fat, tap water may be what the doctor ordered.

  A new study that examined the dietary habits of more than 18,300 U.S. adults found the majority of people who increased their consumption of plain water – tap water or from a cooler, drinking fountain or bottle – by 1 percent reduced their total daily calorie intake as well as their consumption of saturated fat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol.

• Study: Medicare prescription drug benefit reduced elderly mortality by more than 2 percent

  Mar 9, 2017 2:15 pm0 views

  The implementation of Medicare’s prescription drug benefit program has reduced elderly mortality by 2.2 percent annually since 2006, says a new study by Julian Reif, a professor of finance and of economics at Illinois.

• Study Yields More Than a Million New Cyclic Compounds, Some with Pharmaceutical Potential

  Mar 12, 2018 10:15 am0 views

  Chemistry professor Wilfred van der Donk and his colleagues developed a new method for generating large libraries of unique cyclic compounds.

• Flexing Oor Muscle: Researchers Team Up To Study Stem Ccells And Muscle Rejuvenation

  Mar 13, 2017 3:00 pm0 views

  You’re working hard to stay in shape—it helps your spirit, your body, and your mind. The bad news is that, as you age, your muscles do too. Despite your best intentions, there’s no guarantee that you can maintain that hard-earned muscle mass over time. The good news is that Beckman researcher Marni Boppart is on the job, examining why muscle loss occurs and looking for ways to rejuvenate muscle.

• Emotional suppression reduces memory of negative events

  Mar 13, 2018 8:15 am0 views

  Psychology professor Sanda Dolcos and graduate student Yuta Katsumi explore how suppressing negative emotions affects brain function and memory.

• Lam Developing Advanced Imaging Techniques to Study Brain Function and Characterize Diseases

  Mar 15, 2018 2:00 pm0 views

  Beckman Institute Postdoctoral Fellow Fan Lam is developing and applying advanced magnetic resonance (MR)-based techniques to more accurately map the molecular information in the brain. The ability to map and quantify molecular fingerprints of neural tissues would have significant impact on the study of the physiological basis of brain functions and neurodegenerative diseases, early diagnosis of central nervous system disorders, as well as accurate monitoring of treatment efficacy on these diseases.

• Study links sulfide-producing bacteria and colon cancer in African-Americans

  Mar 16, 2017 9:15 am0 views

  University of Illinois nutritional sciences professor Rex Gaskins, graduate student Patricia Wolf and their colleagues found differences in the microbes that live in the lining of the colon of African-Americans versus non-Hispanic whites in the U.S. These differences are linked to the risk of colon cancer in African-Americans.

• Decision-making is shaped by individual differences in the functional brain connectome

  Mar 16, 2018 1:00 pm0 views

  Illinois postdoctoral researcher Tanveer Talukdar performed an analysis of how individual differences in decision-making are associated with specific regions and networks in the brain.

• Treating withdrawal symptoms could help cannabis users quit, study finds

  Mar 23, 2016 8:00 am0 views

  Heavy users of cannabis who experience withdrawal symptoms such as nervousness and cravings when they quit are likely to use again sooner than their peers, a new study finds.

  Researchers at the University of Illinois found that 85 percent of people who met the criteria for a diagnosis of cannabis withdrawal during their intake assessment for treatment lapsed and used cannabis again within about 16 days, while other individuals stayed abstinent about 24 days before using again, said lead author Jordan P. Davis, a doctoral student in the School of Social Work.

• Prenatal Choline Intake Increases Grey and White Matter in Piglets

  Mar 26, 2018 4:00 pm0 views

  Choline intake during pregnancy can influence infant metabolism and brain development, according to a series of studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

• Structure of protein that forms fibrils in Parkinson's patients could lead to new diagnostic and treatment options

  Mar 28, 2016 10:15 am0 views

  Chemists have identified the complex chemical structure of the protein that stacks together to form fibrils in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients. Armed with this knowledge, researchers can identify specific targets for diagnosis and treatment.

  University of Illinois chemists, collaborating with peers at the University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt University and Queen Mary University of London, detailed their mapped structure of the protein in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.

• New NIH-funded research aims to improve prostate cancer outcomes

  Mar 28, 2018 8:30 am0 views

  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 that could determine the effectiveness of cancer drug treatments and aid in disease prognosis. Led by Illinois Bioengineering Assistant Professor Andrew Smith, the team is focusing on detecting nucleic acid-based biomarkers in a single drop of a cancer patient's blood.

• Parents’ binge eating, restrictive feeding practices may be reactions to children’s emotions

  Mar 30, 2016 9:00 am0 views

  A new study of more than 440 parents and their preschoolers offers insight into why some parents who binge eat also may try to restrict their children’s food intake, placing their children at higher risk for unhealthy eating habits and weight problems.

  Parents who reported feeling distress when their child was angry, crying or fearful were more likely to engage in episodes of binge eating – and to limit the amounts or types of food they provided to their children, University of Illinois researchers found.

• Optimistic Latinos Have Healthier Hearts, Study Finds

  Mar 30, 2018 10:00 am0 views

  Latinos who are the most optimistic are more likely to have healthy hearts, suggests a new study led by University of Illinois social work professor Rosalba Hernandez.

• Federal Officials Urged to Increase Perinatal Depression Treatment in Minority Women

  Mar 30, 2018 12:00 pm0 views

  Federal funding is needed to increase diagnosis and treatment of perinatal depression in Latina and African-American women, according to a new study by University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Sandraluz Lara-Cinisomo.

• Researchers explore link between cancer drug and heart attacks

  Apr 3, 2018 3:00 pm0 views

  There are many anti-cancer therapeutics that are effective at killing cancer, but some can have serious side effects, eventually causing heart attacks.

• ‘Healthy Beginnings’ Brings Health Care To New Families

  Apr 4, 2018 12:00 pm0 views

  When it comes to improving public health, the most effective interventions begin early in life. That’s why a team of health workers in Champaign-Urbana is reaching out to disadvantaged families, starting at pregnancy.

• New Camera Gives Surgeons a Butterfly’s-eye View of Cancer

  Apr 5, 2018 9:00 am0 views

  Postdoctoral researcher Missael Garcia and professor Viktor Gruev led a team that developed a multispectral camera to guide cancer surgery, inspired by the eyes of the morpho butterfly.

• SUTTON AWARDED BECKMAN’S VISION AND SPIRIT AWARD

  Apr 10, 2018 12:00 pm0 views

  Brad Sutton, a professor of bioengineering, the technical director of the Biomedical Imaging Center at the Beckman Institute, and a faculty member of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, was awarded the 2018 Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology Vision and Spirit Award.

• CRISPR mines bacterial genome for hidden pharmaceutical treasure

  Apr 12, 2017 2:45 pm0 views

  Illinois researchers used CRISPR technology to activate silent gene clusters in Streptomyces bacteria, a potential treasure trove of new classes of drugs.

• Study of sleep apps finds room for improvement

  Apr 12, 2017 2:45 pm0 views

  Kinesiology and community health professor Diana Grigsby-Toussaint and her colleagues found that many popular sleep apps fail to educate users about the benefits of sleep or risks of not getting enough of it.

• Nanopores could map small changes in DNA that signal big shifts in cancer

  Apr 12, 2017 2:45 pm0 views

  University of Illinois researchers developed a method to detect and map DNA methylation, which can be a sign of cancer, by threading the DNA through a tiny hole in a thin sheet of conductive material with a current running through it.

• Study explores carbohydrates’ impact on head, neck cancers

  Apr 12, 2018 9:30 am0 views

  University of Illinois food science and human nutrition professor Anna E. Arthur found in a new study that a carbohydrate-restricted, higher fat diet may reduce cancer recurrence and mortality rates among people with squamous-cell head and neck cancers.

• Study links brain structure, anxiety and negative bias in healthy adults

  Apr 13, 2017 1:00 pm0 views

  U. of I. psychology professor Sanda Dolcos and graduate student Yifan Hu found brain differences among healthy college students that are linked to their risk of anxiety and negative bias.

• New web portal bridges tech tool gap for researchers

  Apr 17, 2018 1:15 pm0 views

  Members of the Research IT team at Technology Services conducted their own research during an initiative called the Year of Cyberinfrastructure and discovered, importantly, that campus researchers often were not aware of technology tools or training opportunities, and that when they did know, those resources were difficult to find.

  The solution was a brand-new portal at researchit.illinois.edu. The website is organized simply by resources, research news and trainings, and is a gateway to those resources, events, and research news that can enhance any researcher’s knowledge and work at Illinois.

• Paper: Nutrition label readers favor food quality over quantity

  Apr 18, 2017 2:30 pm0 views

  Although nutrition-label users eat roughly the same amount of food as less-discerning diners, the two groups diverge when it comes to the quality of the food they eat, says a new paper co-written by Brenna Ellison, a professor of agriculture and consumer economics at Illinois and an expert in consumer food preferences and behaviors.

• Causes of childhood obesity complex, but families, media play key roles

  Apr 19, 2016 12:00 pm0 views

  Children’s genetic risks for obesity may be reduced by interventions that strengthen family communication and help children manage their emotions and feelings of satiety, according to a new review of research on the problem.

  Although the causes of obesity are complex, families have significant influence on children’s dietary habits and weight, and should be involved in planning healthy living campaigns and efforts to curb food marketing that targets children, suggest the study’s authors, Barbara H. Fiese and Kelly K. Bost, both with the University of Illinois.

• Is autism a disorder, an identity or both?

  Apr 19, 2018 8:00 am0 views

  Speech and hearing science professor Laura DeThorne, center, and doctoral students Henry Angulo and Veronica Vidal discuss how the neurodiversity movement recognizes autistic individuals’ unique experiences, skills and strengths, and resists the medicalization of autism.

• Shape of tumor may affect whether cells can metastasize

  Apr 27, 2016 10:45 am0 views

  Only a few cells in a cancerous tumor are able to break away and spread to other parts of the body, but the curve along the edge of the tumor may play a large role in activating these tumor-seeding cells, according to a new University of Illinois study.

  Using engineered tissue environments in various shapes and patterns, the study of skin cancer found that the more curved the cell cultures were, the more cancer cells at the edges displayed markers of stem cell characteristics – the key to spreading to other tissues. This has potential for furthering our understanding of cancer as well as developing personalized treatment plans.

  Led by Kristopher Kilian, a professor of materials science and engineering, and Timothy Fan, a professor of veterinary medicine, the researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Materials.  

• Prosthetic arms can provide controlled sensory feedback, study finds

  Apr 27, 2018 1:45 pm0 views

  University of Illinois researchers have developed a control algorithm that regulates the current so a prosthetics user feels steady sensation, even when the electrodes begin to peel off or when sweat builds up.

• Brain tissue structure could explain link between fitness and memory

  Apr 28, 2017 9:15 am0 views

  The Illinois group looked at the microstructure of the tissue, using an emerging neuroimaging tool called magnetic resonance elastography.

• Six Illinois Professors Elected to National Academy of Sciences

  Apr 29, 2015 9:45 am0 views

  Congratulations to the six Illinois professors who were elected to the National Academy of Sciences! 

• Carle Illinois College of Medicine announces inaugural faculty

  May 3, 2017 11:00 am0 views

  The Carle Illinois College of Medicine has announced nearly 100 inaugural faculty members. The list includes prominent researchers, administrators and medical professionals with a broad range of expertise invaluable to building the world’s first engineering-based college of medicine.

  “The goal of our new college of medicine is to help re-engineer the entire health care process alongside medical education,” said Dr. King Li, the dean of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. “This is a place where researchers from across specialties are brought together to address grand challenges, and that is a very special atmosphere.”

  The college is a partnership between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Carle Health System, based in Urbana. The college will welcome its first class of 32 students in 2018.

• Four Illinois professors elected to National Academy of Sciences

  May 3, 2017 11:00 am0 views

  Four University of Illinois professors have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest professional honors a scientist can receive.

  John Cronan, Jeffrey Moore, Donald Ort and Gary Parker are among 84 new members and 21 foreign associates announced by the Academy on May 2.

  "The entire campus community is celebrating the election of our colleagues to the National Academy of Sciences," said Robert J. Jones, the chancellor of the Urbana-Champaign campus. "This is one of our nation’s highest honors for scientific achievement, and we are proud to see four more of our distinguished faculty taking their places in this prestigious institution."

• Walnuts impact gut microbiome and improve health

  May 4, 2018 9:00 pm0 views

  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, the way walnuts impact the gut microbiome—the collection of trillions of microbes or bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract—may be behind some of those health benefits.