ISSUE 4: SPRING 2010 - The School of Molecular and ...mcb.illinois.edu/alumni/downloads/MCB4.pdfmcb...

SCHOOL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY . 1

A Magazine » the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

mcb ISSUE 4: SPRING 2010

br e a s t c a n c e r r e se arc h • m c b a s pr e -m e d

It is again a pleasure to update our alumni and friends with an introduction to the 2010 MCB Newsletter. This has been an eventful year for the University of Illinois, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the School of Molecular and Cellular Biol-ogy. Each of our four departments and the two research programs and centers that we administer have enjoyed numerous successes, despite the fiscal challenges presented by the state. Most discussions “around the water cooler” have centered on budget and leadership issues. Initially, there was some fear related to manning the ship’s helm (fol-lowing the resignation of both the university president and chancellor, and the depar-ture of the provost) as we sailed into an unprecedented state budget maelstrom. These concerns have proven unfounded due to the outstanding interim leadership provided by President Ikenberry, Chancellor/Provost Easter, and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Wheeler. A new permanent president, Dr. Michael Hogan, comes on board July 1, 2010, and there is rapid movement for long-term appointments to the other higher administrative positions. In the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, we have weathered the immediate financial challenges. Roughly 94% of the operating costs for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences comes from tuition income. Hence there is a smaller percentage dependent on the troubled state financial position. Thanks to the size of the MCB undergraduate educational mission, and the outstanding productivity of our research faculty, we are in an excellent position to continue to grow as the center of biological efforts on campus. Nevertheless, land-grant universities face a serious challenge in their mission to support and fund higher education in an environment of constantly declining state revenues. For many years, the shortfalls have been made up through increased tuition and fees. But we are now entering into the realm where university access threatens to take an unacceptable fraction of the average American’s wage. MCB is participating in campus-wide efforts to seek economies of scale and avoid duplication, while maintaining excellence in preparing our students for the great adventures that await. In this issue of the magazine, you will find numerous examples, from discussions of pre-medical tracts to the latest research advances and scholarship, where MCB continues to lead in providing solutions to critical societal challenges in curing disease, ensuring efficient delivery of health care, and the great need to under-stand the global environment and find means to ensure the supply of abundant energy, water, and natural resources.

Stephen G. SligarDirector

letter f r o m t h e d i r e c t o r

Dr. Stephen G. Sligar


table of contents

mcb is published by tHE SCHOOL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY

Letter from the Directorby Stephen Sligar

Pre-Med at MCB | 2MCB is the University of Illinois’ most popular pre-med curriculum

by William Gillespie

Breast Cancer Research at MCB | 4MCB breast cancer researchers are focusing on the estrogen pathway

by Deb Aronson

Faculty Portrait: Maria Spies | 10A rising professor receives myriad accolades

by Alex Crofts and William Gillespie

Undergraduate Portrait: Angela Bizzarri | 11Athletic and academic achievement fuse in a star undergrad

by William Gillespie

Roger Adams Lab Renovations | 12An important phase of ongoing renovations of historic buildings is completed

by Dan Ozier and William Gillespie

Synthetic Biology of Cellular Systems | 13A new university center engineers biological machines

by Martha Gillette

Faculty News | 14Updates, promotions, awards, honors, retirements, and obituaries

MCB DIRECtOR

Dr. Stephen G. Sligar

MANAGING EDItOR AND DESIGNER

William Gillespie

COVER PHOtO

Milu Cherian is a 5th-year Ph.D. student in Molecular and Integrative Physiology working with Professor David Shapiro. She is shown with a tissue culture media used to grow cells. Photo by Nick Burchell.

Produced by the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology Communcations Office. the University of Illinois is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. Printed on recycled paper with soy-based ink. 08.062

PHOtOGRAPHY

Nick Burchell

William Gillespie

Biophysical Society

James Galen

MCB COMMUNICAtIONS OFFICE

393 Morrill Hall, MC-119 505 South Goodwin Avenue Urbana, IL 61801

phone | 217.265.6594 fax | 217.265.6595

[email protected]

www.mcb.illinois.edu

2 . mcb

p r e - M e dM cb

F o l l o w t h e r o a d . . . t o m e d i c a l s c h o o l

2 . mcb

for a student planning to go to medical school, there are many possible paths.. .

i n


While the MCB undergraduate degree provides a strong academic foundation for a variety of careers in the health sciences — including academic and industrial research, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing, immunology, pharmaceuticals, forensics — preparation for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and medical school is built into the curriculum.

In fact, of the students admitted to medical school from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, the majority graduated from the School of Molecular and Cellular Biol-ogy (majoring in MCB or biochemistry). The major with the next-largest number of matricu-lating medical school students (the collected majors in the College of Engineering) sent one fifth as many students to medical school as did MCB. The University of Illinois boasts a 49% acceptance rate for entering medical school students — three points above the national aver-age.

As articulated in last year’s report (see sidebar), the medical mind must do more than identify and treat disease: it must be multi-talented. The outstanding physician of the new millen-nium will be a well-rounded scholar with strengths in science, communication, technology, logic, and cultural sensitivity.

According to Ronald Epstein and Ed Hundert,1 “Competency is the habitual and judicious use of communication, knowledge, technical skills, clinical reasoning, emotions, values, and reflection in daily practice for the benefit of the individual and the community being served.”

MCB courses teach both scientific content and competency in broader skills, for example writing, speaking, teamwork, research, and analysis.

MCB — a 13-year-old school built on the University of Illinois’ long-standing tradition of distinguished life sciences research and education — delivers a strong foundational curricu-lum while remaining agile and able to adapt to the breakneck pace of scientific discovery. A cutting-edge undergraduate program in a fast-changing scientific field, MCB continually evolves to meet the needs of majors and their futures.

In April 2010 the MCB Instructional Program unveiled a new two-semester lecture and lab course sequence in Human Anatomy & Physiology. These courses will integrate human anat-omy and physiology with pathology and disease processes from the organismal to the subcel-lular level. The streamlined design will provide our majors and non-majors with a superior, meaningful, integrated, and comprehensive learning experience in anatomy and physiology.

Another recent innovation is our expansion of the course “Genetics and Human Disease” under the leadership of Professor Mary Schuler, providing important background to inherited diseases and personalized medicine.

With MCB’s opportunity for real laboratory training (see MCB issues 2 and 3), and newly redesigned anatomy, physiology, and genetics courses, the path to medical school has never been better paved. •

1 Epstein, Ronald and Hundert, Ed. “Defining and Assessing Professional Competence.” JAMA. 2002;287:226-235.

F o l l o w t h e r o a d . . . t o m e d i c a l s c h o o l


In MCB, we were pleased to see Scientific

Foundations for Future Physicians, a 2009

Report of the Howard Hughes Medical

Institute and the Association of American

Medical Colleges. We are in agreement with

this report: our degree program fuses scien-

tific rigor with a true liberal arts education.

According to the report: “there is widespread

agreement that it is important to: (1) educate

future physicians to be inquisitive; (2) help

them build a strong scientific foundation for

future medical practice; and (3) equip them

with the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind

to integrate new scientific discovery into their

medical practice throughout their profes-

sional lives and to share this knowledge with

patients and other health care professionals.”

the report concludes: “A competency-based

approach should give...flexibility in the

premedical curriculum to allow undergraduate

institutions to develop more interdisciplin-

ary and integrative courses that maintain

scientific rigor, while providing a broad

and strong liberal arts education. Entering

medical students should be more evenly

prepared for the study of medicine, allowing

medical schools to spend less time teaching

or reviewing the basic competencies and

more time learning the growing scientific

knowledge base needed to practice modern

medicine.“

and a degree in Molecular and cellular biology is one of the best roads to take.

4 . mcb

according to the national cancer Institute, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime. one in five of these cases will prove fatal.

researchers in the school of Molecular and cellular biology are working to reduce those numbers. every year they gather more knowledge to use in prevention

and treatment. Much of this research is focused on the estrogen pathway.

As scientists gain a deeper understanding of the role of the estrogen pathway in cancer, they are better able to figure out ways to disrupt it and develop better diagnostic tools — allowing them to know for example how a certain tumor will respond to a certain therapeutic approach.

Estrogen has many roles in the body. In a healthy breast tissue cell, estrogen enters the nucleus and binds to the estrogen receptor (ER), which then binds to specific sites in the DNA, activating certain genes. Estrogen acts in this way not only on tissues in the breast, but also the uterus, skeletal system, cardiovascular system, and even the brain.

But in breast cancers, estrogen also ends up helping malignant cells. For example, in many ER-positive breast cancers — which account for 70% of breast cancers — once a tumor occurs, estrogen helps cancer cells proliferate.

So, ultimately, the challenge is to disrupt estrogen’s activity in breast cancer without affecting its positive activities elsewhere in the body.

MCB faculty are using a wide variety of techniques to solve the enormously complex puzzle of how to stop breast cancer.

B R E A S T C A N C E RR E S E A R C HA T M C B

f I V e M c b s c I e n t I s t s W o r K o n P r e V e n t I o n a n d t r e at M e n t


b e n I t a K a t z e n e l l e n b o g e n

“We now understand the underpinnings of cancer much more so than ever before,” says Benita Katzenellenbogen, Swanlund Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and Swanlund Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology.

Katzenellenbogen has worked for much of her career to understand the biology of the ER and how and why “selective estrogen receptor modulators” (SERMs) like tamoxifen and raloxifene work.

SERMs, common and useful drugs for endocrine therapies, bind to the estrogen receptor, blocking estrogen. When estrogen cannot bind to the ER, breast cancer cells cannot prolif-erate as easily.

Among the other findings from her lab, Katzenellenbogen’s group has shown that when SERMs bind to the ER, they put the ER into a different conformation. “As a consequence, they antagonize the stimulatory activities of the receptor and can quite effectively reduce proliferation and increase apoptosis,” she says.

Katzenellenbogen also has found that ERs encode proteins for about 5% of genes in the breast cancer cell genome, meaning that 1,000 or more genes are regulated by this ER. It’s because the ER regulates these genes that it has such an important effect in breast cancer cells, says Katzenellenbogen.

Related to understanding the cell biology of breast cancer tumors is the need to understand drug-resistant breast cancers. Her lab has identified a protein that is upregulated during treatment with tamoxifen. The presence of that protein is associated with a poor treatment outcome. Katzenellenbogen is confident that this protein is associated with breast cancer’s ability to resist tamoxifen. Her lab is now investigating whether reducing the level of this protein can lead to more successful treatment.

Benita S. Katzenellenbogen is a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences and

recently served as president of the Endocrine

Society. She has published more than 300

research articles and co-edited a book on

“Hormone-Dependent Cancer.”

In 2009, Professor Katzenellenbogen received

the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Brinker

Award for Scientific Distinction in basic science

and clinical research. this is the highest award

of merit given by the nation’s leading breast

cancer activism organization.

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister,

Susan G. Komen, she would do everything

in her power to end breast cancer forever.

In 1982, that promise became Susan G.

Komen for the Cure, and launched the global

movement to cure breast cancer.

6 . mcb

s t e P h e n s l I g a r

Director of MCB and I.C. Gunsalus Professor of Biochemistry Stephen Sligar’s lab is taking another approach. He is looking at ways to block the production of estrogen in the breast earlier in the chemical pathway by targeting aromatase, the enzyme that makes estrogen from testoster-one and androstenedione.

Aromatase is a key pharmaceutical drug target for estrogen responsive breast cancers. By understanding the mechanistic details of this im-portant enzyme, Sligar’s lab hopes to develop a therapeutic that blocks aromatase’s estrogen-making activity in cancer cells without causing a systemic loss of estrogen. This would provide an improvement, in terms of efficacy and specificity, over current aromatase inhibitors in the mar-ket — letrozole, anastrozole and exemestane — thereby minimizing the side effects associated with the current generation of therapies.

However, “studying this enzyme is very difficult because once you isolate it from the membrane, it’s usually dead,” says Sligar. In a major step forward, Sligar’s lab created an environment that keeps the enzyme functioning. This so-called Nanodisc technology is a nanoscale mem-brane environment that helps maintain full functionality of the protein.

“If you understand how the enzyme works, and there are mechanistic details distinct from similar enzymes, you can design a better, more tar-geted, drug,” says Sligar. With graduate student Abhinav Luthra, Sligar has discovered that this appears to indeed be the case with aromatase. The Sligar lab is now using this knowledge to design the next generation of pharmaceuticals.

Herbert L. Carter Fellowship recipient Abhinav Luthra (Abhi), a 2nd year Ph.D. student in Biochemistry and member of the Sligar lab, uses a high performance liquid chromatography column to isolate individual proteins from a group. “The better you understand the properties of an enzyme that make it unique, the better you can manipulate its function specifically,” says Abhi about the diag-nostic tools used to study one of the enzymes involved in estrogen reception.


M I l a n b a g c h I

Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology Milan Bagchi has investigated the estrogen-regulated genes controlling the growth of breast cancer cells as well as normal mammary epithelial cells (epithelial cells are a common tissue found throughout the body).

His lab has identified a gene, ERG1 (abbreviation for “estrogen regulated gene 1,” also known as cuzd1), that, when inactivated in the mouse genome, prevents the proliferation of mammary epithelial cells. This gene is turned on during puberty, when the mammary gland is developing rapidly in response to estrogen. In the absence of this gene, the mammary gland does not develop properly, and the females cannot lactate.

“These findings suggest a mammary gland defect when this gene is lacking,” says Bagchi. His lab also found a link between ERG1 and the epidermal growth factor signaling pathways, which are crucial to the growth of cells and involved in many breast cancers.

“We have a factor that controls estrogen mediated proliferation, and it serves as a novel connection between hormone regulation and the growth factor pathway,” he says.

Bagchi then looked at human breast cancer cells to see if a homologue to the ERG1 gene was present. He found that the ERG1 gene expres-sion correlated with ER status in breast cancer. Strikingly, he found that an over-expression of ERG1 in mammary epithelium results in stimulation of growth factor pathways and tumor formation in mice.

Bagchi is now interested in whether this gene can be used as a biomarker of breast tumorigenesis, and is currently collaborating with clinical scientists to screen human breast tumor biopsies to see whether the expression of this gene is elevated in breast cancer. If there is a correlation, Bagchi hopes to use it as a diagnostic tool, and then to develop a therapeutic approach targeting the expression or function of ERG1.

“We’ll see if we can intervene in the progression of the tumor,” he says.

“...the most beneficial aspect of the MCB major was...the myriad of oppor-

tunities outside the classroom, particularly the research labs. My participa-

tion in Dr. Bagchi’s research helped me gain a better understanding of

these lecture topics while developing critical thinking skills needed to

help carry out some of his research.” —David Roh; former Bagchi Lab

undergrad researcher; Rush University Medical College student, Chicago

8 . mcb

d a V I d s h a P I r oWhile it was known before that breast cancer cells have some way of dodging the immune system, it was Professor of Biochemistry in MCB and Professor of Basic Medical Sciences at the College of Medicine David Shapiro who showed that estrogen contributes to that process.

In cells containing the ER, the complex of estrogen and ER protein binds to specific DNA sequences to stimulate the production of proteins involved in most breast cancers’ growth and evasion of the immune system.

“Since there already are good pharmaceuticals, such as tamoxifen, that work by competing with estrogens for binding to the receptor, we wanted to target other binding sites on the ER,” Shapiro says. Using high-throughput screening techniques, Shapiro’s laboratory was able to identify a compound that slowed the production of proteins that promote the growth of ER-positive breast cancer cells.

This compound works by triggering breast cancer cells to destroy ER protein, blocking the action of estrogen, and preventing the growth of cancer cells. This process stops the growth of breast cancer cells that contain ER — even those that are resistant to tamoxifen — and has little effect on other cell types.

In an important cell culture test of the new compound in a system in which breast cancer cells form colonies that resemble mini-tumors, the compound completely blocked colony formation. The next steps are testing the compound in an animal model, and identifying how it triggers the cells to destroy ER protein.

Drug development, a new direction for Shapiro’s lab, capitalizes on the recent establishment of a screening center by Shapiro and several faculty members. With its robotic instruments and library of 170,000 compounds, the screening facility plays a key role in the lab’s ability to rapidly test and identify new compounds with promising anti-cancer activity.

Shapiro notes that MCB has a national and international reputation for its community of experts looking at breast cancer from a vari-ety of directions. “We have lots of first-hand technical knowledge that we share, which makes doing experiments a lot easier,” he says.

“Unde rg radua te p re -med s tuden t s Kenne th Be rg and Amanda

Etheridge are working to identify the chemical structures that make

a compound a specific inhibitor of estrogen receptor in breast cancer

ce l l s .”—David Shapiro on two of the students who work in h is lab


a n n n a r d u l l IIn an effort to better understand just how the DNA-bound ER regulates gene expression, Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology Ann Nardulli isolated and identified proteins associated with that complex.

Among the 200 proteins Nardulli identified, she found a group of oxidative stress response proteins, which are responsible for reducing the level of reactive oxygen species in cells. At normal levels, reactive oxygen species are useful for signaling and maintaining a cell’s normal environment, but too much can damage proteins, lipids, and DNA.

Nardulli also found another group of proteins that repair DNA. If DNA is damaged and, for example, the DNA repair proteins are under-expressed, DNA might not be efficiently repaired. Nardulli began to think that the over- or under-expression of the oxidative stress response or DNA repair proteins might be involved in the development and/or progression of breast cancer.

“We wondered, if we looked at normal mammary tissue, benign hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ, and invasive breast cancer, would we see a difference in the expression of these proteins?” says Nardulli.

Nardulli’s group looked at the expression of 12 different proteins in 96 breast biopsies to see if there was a pattern of over- or under-expression of any of the proteins. Nardulli has some very intriguing findings so far. For example, a DNA repair protein that is expressed in normal breast tissue is not expressed in invasive breast cancer tissue.

“That seems to be a dangerous situation if a protein required for DNA repair is no longer present to repair damaged DNA,” she says.

This also ties in with other observations Nardulli has made about how some of these proteins, which are normally found in the nucleus of normal cells, end up outside the nucleus in tumor cells.

“If you change the location of proteins that normally reside in the nucleus so they no can no longer access DNA or reduce their expres-sion, you can accumulate DNA damage. That is one way cancer might occur or progress.” •

Photographs of Sligar, Shapiro, Nardulli, and Luthra by Nick Burchell

“the thing I’ve come to value about the MCB curriculum is the emphasis on problem

solving skills. I took away a great deal of knowledge about biology, but the ability

to think through complex ideas has helped me succeed more...”— Dan thorngren,

MCB graduate, former Nardulli Lab Research Specialist, medical school student

10 . mcb

With a new award, Professor spies is recognized both for her accomplishments to date as well as exceptional promise of future

ground-breaking discoveries.

This year, the Biophysical Society granted Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics Maria Spies the Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award, a prestigious recognition given annually to one or two prominent female scientists beginning careers in biophysical research.

Now in its fourth year, Professor Spies’ research team employs traditional and single-molecule biochemistry to discern the role the molecular motors known as DNA helicases play in identifying and repairing DNA damage. These are important players in maintaining the integrity of our genetic blueprint, which is continuously assaulted by UV radiation, toxic chemicals, and reactive oxygen species.

“DNA helicases act as critical components in many molecular machineries orchestrating DNA repair in the cell,” Spies said. “Multiple diseases bearing hallmarks of cancer and aging are associated with malfunctions in these enzymes.”

The Biophysical Society is not the only organization to have honored Professor Spies in the past year.

In September, 2009, Professor Spies began her six-year appoint-ment as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Early Career Scientist. The award aims to provide generous funding to the most promising early career scientists in the country. According to HHMI, “The new program is aimed at researchers who have run their own labs for two to six years and are now at a critical point in establishing their own vibrant, independent research programs.”

HHMI President Thomas R. Cech says, “We decided to focus on scientists who have led their own laboratories for several years because many of these scientists are at a high point of their creativity just as they see their start-up funds and early-career awards ending... It is this period of career vulnerability that the HHMI Early Career Scientist Program aims to bridge.”

Professor Spies says this funding will give her research not only stability during this period of economic uncertainty, but the ability to try more cutting-edge, potentially high-impact studies that might be difficult to get funded by more traditional agen-cies. Howard Hughes, she says, intended the award for basic biomedical research, and it is in that spirit that she intends to continue.

Most research in her lab is currently funded by the HHMI and the American Cancer Society. She describes the HHMI Early Career Scientist Award as “a great honor.” •

Professor Spies accepting the Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award from Biophysical Society President Henry A. Lester. Image used with permission from the Biochemical Society.

f a c u l t Y P o r t r a I t M a r i a S p i e s

About the undergrads working alongside post-docs and graduate

students in her lab, Spies says, “these are highly motivated

students driven to scientific discovery. they eagerly take on

research projects that last two or three years and expose

them to al l stages of scientif ic discovery from identifying a

question and planning the experiments to writing a paper.”


Few students can claim both a 3.65 GPA and a 4:40 mile. Angela Bizzarri is one such student.

In 2009, Bizzarri was honored for the second consecutive year with the Dike Eddleman Award as the University of Illinois Female Athlete of the Year. Between 2008 and 2009, she broke five school records. In November, she won her third National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) title, finishing the 6-kilometer race in 19 minutes, 46.8 seconds. In 2010, she received the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor, an award given to senior student-athletes to recognize athletic and academic excellence.

All the while, she continued as an undergraduate in the challenging curriculum of MCB.

Bizzarri came to the University of Illinois from Ohio with an interest in math and science, attracted to the university for both its academic and athletic programs. With a desire to someday enter the health care profession, she started out in bioengineering. As biology proved to have more appeal for her than engineering, she gravitated toward MCB.

In order to balance studying, practicing, and competing — and to maintain her superlative mental and physical performance — Bizzarri has become skilled at time management. “I don’t have a lot of down time,” she admits. She does not watch television, and tends to be studying or practicing from the time she gets up until she goes to bed. Because many competitions require air travel, she sometimes reads biology in airports or on planes. When jogging before an exam, Bizzarri will use the time to mentally recite lists of things she expects to be tested on. It’s not the ideal way to study, she admits, but she does what she has to do. She is earnest in her desire to succeed.

There is some overlap between her two pursuits of academics and athletics. She enjoys classes in anatomy and physiology, which allow her to speak to her physical therapists in their own language, idenitfying specific muscles by name. She also has an interest in how cells utilize energy.

After graduation she would like to continue to compete while completing a graduate degree. Being a physician’s assistant is one occupation that interests her, though she has not ruled out competing in the Olympics. •

Angela Bizzarri crosses the finish line to win the 2009 NCAA Cross Country National Title. Photo by James Galen.

u n d e r g r a d u a t e P o r t r a I t A n g e l a B i z z a r r i

With a desire to someday enter

the health care profession, she

started out in bioengineering. As

biology proved to have more

appeal for her than engineering,

she gravitated toward MCB.

Mcb major angela bizzarri’s achievements in the athletic arena are singular.

12 . mcb

u P g r a d e s a n d r e n o V a t I o n s u P d a t e s

As a premier biomedical research community, the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology requires state-of-the-art facilities to support research by current faculty, attract new faculty, and provide exemplary learning environ-ments for undergraduates who aspire to careers in the biological sciences, medicine, and the health professions.

The newest addition to the research facilities of MCB, the Chemical and Life Sciences Laboratory, was completed in the early 1990s, adding 50,000 square feet of high-quality laboratory research space and administrative spaces for two departments. Currently this space is divided between the Departments of Microbiology and Cell and Developmental Biology.

This past year has produced significant steps forward in improvements to our historic molecular and cellular biology facilities. Projects have included the completion of an initial phase of laboratory upgrades in Roger Adams Lab (see sidebar), the renovation of space in Burrill Hall to support the hiring of two new faculty (Professors Bolton and Chung — see page 16) in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, as well as improved accessibility, energy efficiency, and safety features in Morrill Hall.

In the next year, work will begin on improvements to the basic infrastructure in Burrill Hall in line with phase two of the master plan for that facility. The work done in this cycle will serve as the underpinning for later phases that will have a direct impact on faculty research. Funding for the upcoming Bur-rill Hall project originates from federal stimulus funds administered at the campus level.

While these changes are exciting and demonstrate clear progress, much work remains. Future plans, for which funding has not yet been identified, include the next phases of both the Roger Adams Lab and Burrill Hall master plans, as well as the re-purposing and reconfiguration of spaces in Burrill Hall for enhanced instructional delivery.

There are several paths forward. Opportunities abound for both focused, medium-scale remodeling (similar to the recent work done to prepare space for Drs. Bolton and Chung, averaging about $150 thousand per project) and large-scale renovation in keeping with the master plan for Roger Adams Lab (next phase estimated at $6.6 million). Though the cost of this effort can be daunting, the benefits to students interested in a medical or health-related career, to the state, and to the medical community and society at large are invaluable.

With state support for higher edu-cation diminishing, the future of Molecular and Cellular Biology will depend increasingly on the partici-pation and support of alumni and friends. We welcome participation from those who know best the value of our endeavors. •

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held October 9th

to celebrate the completion of phase one of the

renovations of historic university building Roger

Adams Laboratory. These upgrades, sponsored

by the campus and the College of Liberal Arts

and Sciences, took two years and $8 million to

complete, and include massive infrastructure

updates throughout two floors and the addition

of new biomedical research laboratories. The

ceremony, held at the beginning of Homecoming

weekend, featured comments from Harry E. Preble

Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences Ruth Watkins; I.

C. Gunsalus Professor of Biochemistry and Director

of the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology

Stephen Sligar; Mrs. Mary Wraight — speaking on

behalf of former Biochemistry Department Head

Professor Colin Wraight — and Interim Head of

the Department of Biochemistry Professor Susan

Martinis. Also in attendance were honored alumni

guests Keith Westcott, Janice Turner, and Mary Jane

and Norman Beasley.

Biochemistry professors Raven Huang and Satish

Nair then gave a tour of a new facility built to

house the department’s X-ray diffractometer, which

is used to analyze the three-dimensional structure

of biological macromolecules.

As former Biochemistry Department Head Colin

Wraight — instrumental in making the $8 million

project a reality — observed in his speech,

“…completion on this phase opens up further

possibilities for restoring a true core to the depart-

ment’s being. It is a signal moment for us, and

bodes well for the future.”

r o g e r a d a M s l a b rIbbon cuttIng cereMonY


s Y n t h e t I c b I o l o g Y o f

c e l l u l a r s Y s t e M s

emergent behaviors of Integrated cellular systems center at Illinois

While the behaviors of individual cells and the functions and proper-ties of tissues and organs have been studied extensively, the complex interactions of cell clusters are not as well understood. School of Mo-lecular & Cellular Biology (MCB) researchers are members of a team that will investigate the behaviors of interacting clusters of cells with different functionalities.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $25 million to estab-lish the Emergent Behaviors of Integrated Cellular Systems (EBICS) Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Mas-sachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Georgia Institute of Tech-nology. The EBICS Center is one of five Science & Technology Centers (STC) approved by NSF in a nationwide competition.

The goal is to create biological modules — sensors, processors and ac-tuators — that can be used to build working biological machines. This next step in synthetic biology will build upon the complexity and richness of biology — from regenerative medicine to developmental biology — to engineer new applications.

University researchers from many different disciplines, including biology, engineering, and physical sciences, will contribute to the development of the knowledge, tools, and technologies necessary to create these highly sophisticated biological machines.

The list of participants includes three MCB faculty.

Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology Fei Wang will develop new technologies to induce efficient differentiation of embryonic stem cells into neurons, myocytes, and endothelial cells. Production of the differentiated cells is a critical first step towards the establish-ment of interactions of cell clusters and the creation of cellular ma-chines. The Wang lab already developed conditions for efficient neural conversion from human embryonic stem cells to neural progenitors, and will continue to derive fully differentiated neurons. The Wang lab will also collaborate with other members of the STC to generate large-scale functional myocytes and endothelial cells from embryonic stem cells.

Affiliate Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology YingXiao (Peter) Wang, will develop genetically encoded reporters based on flu-orescent resonance energy transfer to visualize and quantify signaling transduction in live cells with high tempo-spatial resolution. These tools will be specifically designed and applied to monitor the intra-cellular molecular activities when cells interact with their neighbors and with the surrounding mechanical/physical/chemical environ-ment. The results should provide spatio-temporal maps of molecular activities and hierarchies governing the cell-cell and cell-environment interactions.

Alumni Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology Martha Gillette, co-director of research for the project, will study clusters of neurons with genetically engineered properties that control clusters of myo-cyte and endothelial cells in micro-environments.

The Center aims to advance research in complex biological systems, create new educational programs based on this research, and demon-strate leadership in its involvement of groups traditionally underrep-resented in biology, physical science, and engineering. •

Neurons will serve as sensors in the biological machine, but they will also need to be able to control the muscle cells to pump chemicals through vessels. Image of neurons by Larry Millet and Janet Sinn-Hanlon, Visualization Laboratory of the Imaging Technology Group.

14 . mcb

FACULtY NEWS

14 . mcb

Professor Eric Jakobsson retired in August, 2009, after thirty-eight years in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology. He came to Illinois as a research associate and visiting assistant professor, before he joined the tenure track in 1972 and progressed up to professor.

Joan Dawson retired in December, 2008. She joined Molecular and Integrative Physiology as an associate professor in 1985, and had additional appointments in the College of Medicine, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Bioengineering.

r e t i r e m e N t S

i N m e m o r i A m

Richard Gumport (1937-2009)

Richard I. Gumport (Ph.D. 1972), professor

emeritus of biochemistry, retired associate dean of

the College of Medicine, and a native of Pocatello,

Idaho, died Oct. 13, 2009, at his home in Chicago.

Professor Gumport had a particular interest in

learning how enzymes and proteins interact

with DNA sequences. As professor emeritus, he

continued to publish articles and mentor under-

graduates.

Edwin Goldberg (1923-2009)

Affectionately known as “Dr. Ed,” Professor Edwin

Goldberg obtained his M.D. degree in 1949,

and subsequently completed internal medicine

residencies at North Cambridgeshire Hospital

in Cambridge, England, and at Cook County

Hospital in Chicago. Dr. Ed and his wife Jeanne

endowed three separate professorial chairs: The

Edwin E. and Jeanne Bullock Goldberg Endowed

Chairs in Molecular and Cellular Biology and

Molecular and Integrative Physiogy, and The

Benjamin R. and Elinor W. Bullock and Edwin E.

and Jeanne Bullock Goldberg Endowed Chair in

Integrative Biology.

Eric Bolton and Hee Jung Chung were hired as assistant professors of molecular and integrative physiology. Bolton and Chung received their Ph.D.s in 2002 from Johns Hopkins University-SOM, Baltimore, MD, and completed post-docs at the Uni-versity of California, San Francisco.

Professor Bolton’s research is focused on regulation of development and homeosta-sis by hormonal signals. Professor Chung focuses on activity-dependent regulation of potassium channels in synaptic and intrin-sic plasticity.

N e W f A c u l t y

Professor Eric Bolton

Professor Hee Chung

i N m e m o r i A m


S e l e c t r e c e N t P u B l i c At i o N S

Professor of Biochemistry Stephen Sligar and colleagues have successfully recreated integrin activation in vitro, resolving long-standing uncertainties about the cellular mechanisms behind the process. Their findings, “Recreation of the terminal events in physiological integrin activation,” are published and spot-lighted in the January 4th issue of the Journal of Cell Biology.jcb.rupress.org/cgi/content/full/188/1/3

In a new study published in Cell, and rated “exceptional” by the Faculty of 1000 Biology, Professor of Biochemistry Jim Morrissey and colleagues have determined that polyphosphate, an inorganic polymer of phosphate secreted by human platelets, is an important link in thrombotic diseases and inflammation.www.cell.com/fulltext/S0092-8674(09)01374-9

In a new study, Assistant Professor of Mo-lecular and Integrative Physiology Kevin Xiang and colleagues report that beta-blockers can have a helpful, or harmful, effect on the heart, depending on their molecular activity. The study, which ap-pears in the journal Circulation Research, found that beta-blockers that target both the alpha- and beta-receptors on the heart muscle offer the most benefit to cardiac patients, while those that target only the beta-receptors can actually undermine the structure and function of the heart.circres.ahajournals.org

Associate Professor of Molecular and Inte-grative Physiology Jongsook Kim Kemper is the lead author on a paper published in Cell Metabolism: “FXR Acetylation Is Normally Dynamically Regulated by p300 and SIRT1 but Constitutively Elevated in Metabolic Disease States.”

In new papers appearing in October in Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Associate Pro-fessor of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Computational Biology Raven H. Huang and his colleagues describe the first RNA repair system to be discovered in bacteria. This is only the second RNA repair system discovered to date.

Assistant Professor of Biochemistryand Biophysics and Computational Biology Maria Spies (see page 12) and Professor of Biophysics and Computational Biology Taekjip Ha are contributing authors of an article published in Molecular Cell: “Single-Molecule Analysis Reveals Differential Effect of ssDNA-Binding Proteins on DNA Translocation by XPD Helicase.” The issue includes a preview article that summarizes the findings using an elegant metaphor.

Professor of Cell and Developmental Biol-ogy David Clayton and colleagues have discovered that the gene expression of a zebra finch is altered when the bird hears a new song by a bird of the same species. The findings were published in PNAS and reported in Science Daily and the Wall Street Journal.

Sulfolobus islandicus, a microbe that can live in boiling acid, is offering up its secrets to researchers hardy enough to capture it from the volcanic hot springs where it thrives. In a new study, which has received interna-tional attention, a team of researchers led by Assistant Professor of Microbiology Ra-chel Whitaker report that populations of S. islandicus are more diverse than previously thought, and that their diversity is driven largely by geographic isolation. The study appeared in PNAS.

B o o k A N N o u N c e m e N t S

A major new textbook, Tutorial on Neural Systems Modeling, by Professor Tom Anastasio on computational neuroscience has just been published by Sinauer Associates. The book of 542 pages explains how to create computer models of systems of interacting neuron-like el-ements (or units). The theme that unifies all of the models is that the response properties of the units, which are compared with those of real neurons, emerge as a consequence of the com-putation being performed. The link between observable properties and useful computations provides insight into the ways in which real neural systems may actually work.

Due for publication by Stipes Publishing Co. is a book entitled A History of Nerve, Muscle and Synapse Physiology that was started by the late Professor C. Ladd Prosser and completed with Pro-fessors Brian Curtis and Essie Meisami as coau-thors and editors. In 600 pages and 24 chapters, the book traces the history of the development of the physiology and neurobiology of nerve, muscle and synapses from the seventeenth century to the late twentieth century. The focus is on the histori-cal development of facts, techniques and ideas regarding nerve, muscle and synapses. Brief biog-raphies of the major personalities are provided by Professor Meisami.

16 . mcb

h o N o r S , A WA r d S

Professor of Microbiology William Metcalf has been elected to Fellowship in the Ameri-can Academy of Microbiology. Academy Fellows are elected annually through a selec-tive peer-review process, based on scientific achievement and original contributions to advanced microbiology.

Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology Milan Bagchi was appointed a University Scholar by the chancellor. The University Scholars Program was initiated to honor outstanding faculty. The program targets mid-career faculty who are associ-ate professors or who have held the rank of full professor for no more than four years. Awards of $10,000 per year may be used at the faculty member’s discretion to enhance their scholarly work.

Swanlund Professor of Cell and Devel-opmental Biology and Molecular and Integrative Physiology Benita Katzenel-lenbogen received the 2009 Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in basic science and clinical research from the Susan G. Ko-men for the Cure foundation for her work investigating breast cancer treatments. This is the highest award of merit given by the nation’s leading breast cancer activism organization. Katzenellenbogen is being honored for pivotal laboratory work that led to a better understanding of how drugs like tamoxifen and raloxifene work on a molecular level to fight and prevent certain breast cancers. (See page 5.)

Colin Wraight, former head of the Depart-ment of Biochemistry, is the recipient of the 2009 MCB Faculty Excellence Award. This award is made to recognize outstand-ing contribution to the instructional and research missions of the School of Molecu-lar and Cellular Biology and the University of Illinois. In addition to a prominent plaque display, a reception will be held next year to celebrate his receipt of this award as well as to thank Colin for his service as Department Head in Biochemistry.

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Bio-physics Maria Spies was selected to receive a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Early Career Scientist Award. The institute will fund her research for six years, totaling over one million dollars of support. Profes-sor Spies also received the 2010 Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award from the Biophysi-cal Society. This prestigious award honors Spies’s impressive achievements in biophys-ical research at the early stages of her aca-demic career. It also recognizes her promise as an emerging leader in the scientific com-munity. According to the Biophysical Soci-ety, Spies was selected for “her exemplary research into the mechanisms of DNA repair and the cell cycle maintenance machinery.” Professor Spies and her work were featured at the Awards Symposium during the 54th Annual Meeting of the Biophysics Society in San Francisco. (See page 12.)

Gutgsell Endowed Professor of Biochem-istry John Gerlt has been selected by the American Chemical Society as an ACS 2010 Award Winner. Professor Gerlt was one of ten national candidates to receive an Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund.

Assistant Professor of Cell and Develop-mental Biology Brian Freeman received the 2009 Educator’s Award from the UI Alumni Association in April. He was nominated by Joyce Woo, a graduating senior who entered the U of I at age 14. “As a student, there are few ways I can thank an individual who has served as a leader, role model and men-tor,” Woo wrote, saying she considered it “an honor to have studied under a brilliant scientist and great person.”

Professor of Cell and Developmental Biol-ogy David Clayton has been appointed a Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. As a member of the Experience-Based Brain and Biological Development Program, he will work with a distinguished collective of international researchers to consider how early social experiences change neural, endocrine, and immunological systems.

Professor of Biochemistry Robert Gennis is one of four faculty invested as a Harry E. Preble Endowed Professor. A celebratory event was held in September 2009.


Biochemistry brian bae, Ph.d.natalie bowerman, Ph.d.chio Mui chan, Ph.d.Kui chan, Ph.d.hsin-Yang chang, Ph.d. Yuan-hung chien, Ph.d.lisa cooper, Ph.d.hyun Ju lee, Ph.d.bo li, Ph.d.Yan ling Joy Pang, Ph.d. tiit lukk, Ph.d. robert Pugh, Ph.d.Vincent Pureza, Ph.d.John rakus, Ph.d.

doreen Victoria, Ph.d.Ke Yang, Ph.d. Wei Yuan, Ph.d.chun zhou, Ph.d.Jia-Peng zhu, Ph.d.

cell and developmental BiologyKensey amaya, Ph.d.Ivraym barsoum, Ph.d.anne cheever, Ph.d.Yan hu, Ph.d.zeynep Madak-erdogan, Ph.d.

cyril ramathal, Ph.d.abhilasha rao, Ph.d.Yupeng zheng, Ph.d.

microBiologyluciana amado, Ph.d.brian budke, Ph.d.James davis, Ph.d.dylan dodd, Ph.d.soojin Jang, Ph.d.robert Jeters, Ph.d.gargi Kulkarni, Ph.d.dongxia lin, Ph.d.rina opulencia, Ph.d.ella rotman, Ph.d.

Jacob thomas, Ph.d.Jian zhang, Ph.d.

Jessica chubiz, M.s.

molecular and integrative physiologycarol curtis-ducey, Ph.d. Jessie nicodemus Johnson, Ph.d.bhaskar Ponugoti, Ph.d. zachary sellers, Ph.d.Wei Wang, Ph.d.

B.s. Biochemistry William Joseph beelerresty daniaty borhannatalie a. bowermanelliott J. breahsin-Yang changYuan-hung chienlisa e. coopersharon M. flusscaitlin heiderscheidtcharles William hespenPiotr KarwowskiJohn KimKimberly Jean lavinhyun Ju leebo liJessica Whitney luzwicknazihah Mohd salehanMichael lawrence Morgretchristopher J. novotnyYan ling Joy PangMin Ji Parkbrendan Powersrobert allen PughVincent s. PurezaJoseph M. radosevichJohn frank rakusharshvardhan V. singhaniadoreen c. Victoriabrian chien-Wei WangJulia laura elizabeth WillettWei Yuanchun zhouJia-Peng zhunurul aqilah zulkepli

B.s. molecular and cellular Biology honors concentrationMeghan angleycatherine crosbyJohn davisrachel fiddlerVivian h. leediana W. lonenga Man Juliana luiKevin owen Mcnerneytarana nekzadbranden J. skarpiak

B.s. molecular and cellular Biology daniel bradley abbottamanda lynn affettoIrwin allen aguilarammar W. ahmedraheel W. ahmedYousif al rawiarij Masood alamryan Michael albertshussain samir alilauren M. allegrettialicia christine allenamjad essam alomariKaushik amancherlaIan Paul andersonnirav n. antaodaniel Joseph armbrustPeter garrett arreguindinanath Praveen attelezahabiya azizfavin babucici baiamanda Mae banaseun Joo bangandrew J. barfieldbrian christopher barneshector Miguel barreraKelsey lizabeth batesPhilip sebastian bellrobin benjaminhelena berezowskyjKenneth charles berg

gaurav beriVikas beriJacob ezequel bermudezelizabeth ann berryJaimie d. bhagatshweta bhatttushar K. bhattacharyaPratik bhojnagarwalabryce evan bidwellJacob biermanJohn Patrick birkMartynas blistrabasalon bloomMelissa Marie boulukosJessie bowerPatrick Michael boyledavid John bradshawWhitney stina brandtWilliam andrew bremersamantha gabrielle brewerJacqueline bromMarie ann brownMichael bumroongsukKyuyoung byunava louise caffariniJoshua dane carletoncaitlin lee carmichaelcourtney cathryn carusocourtney caskeyJoseph randolph catesruta cepaitisVan lian ceurandy Michael chanrashi chandralogan K. chastainMichelle tamara chavezcatherine etienne chenYuan-hung chienImran chishtibrian choedward hyungjin chogi Jung choJames sungjoon chograce Yun choenag bum chuchristina M. ciardielloKevin M. clarkKayesha dania cobbJames g. condisalexander a. connellyVictoria J. coraglioPatrick coutureMichael christopher croixMaria tsambika cucuraschristina Jo cudzewiczemmett culliganchristopher cummingscheryl cwikrobert James czuprynskicatherine Mary daleychristopher daleyJames anthony damoreJulie K. davisMaureen erin davisrachel dayellyn rose rivera de Jesushenry reyes del rosariogeraldine delos santosKristofer Kenneth dempseysarah allyson dePesaemily K. derusnicholas e. desantochristian andrew dewanJana lynne didomenicoalexandra leigh difulviocaitlin anne donahuereshma donthamsettyJulia drubinskayacolleen c. druffelstephanie ann dunlaplacie laine durandzaneta dymonMark dziubaashley ann edinger

Inna ekelmanbachar hassan el haj hassandina d. elmutitheresa lynn emmerlingViktoriya ermilovabradley s. evansMegan emily evansMelanie sarah evansYi fangomar fareedidemat faziltimothy V. feldheimnicholas stephen fellerdanilo alberto fernandezKara M. fiorenzanicole Kristen fischMichael thomas fiscussteve J. fisherPatricia M. floresJason Michael forbrookashley a. franklinsara Kathleen fuhrhoprakesh gaddehannah geesamantha ghanayemMarjaneh sara ghasemiMichael bryan gilbertashley drew ginsbergKarolina K. glazadam bradley gluskinMital Pratap gohilalexander P. goldentara nasrine goodarziPatrick robert gradyJames christopher grobergKathleen Marie guarnaMichael John gutbrodJohn sung hadarren James hackeygrant richard hahnJenna Marie hallMarcus steven hancockstephan eugene hanowskyryan e. hansonKatherine ann hardenchrista rene’ harlinJordan lee harptyler James harpolebrittany harringtonKami renee harrisspencer thomas hartemily ann havansekhumera sadaf hazariPearl heJames t. heeresJames William hendersonsarah herKelly hermannWilliam leland hernanchristopher allen hodavid christoph hodgeamanda elizabeth hoelschersarah elizabeth hoeneI-chun I. hsuJonathan l. hsuscott In hurzayn syed husainMaryam hussainsadia hussainroveiza IrfanJennifer IvarsonKaren elizabeth Jacksonswetha Jallidavid Mark Jandurascott e. Janussadaf JavaidJustyna Janina Jedynakbrad c. Jelinekbrian P. Johnsonchristina Marie Johnsonbrandon d. JordanJihyun JunJulie anna JurgensMonika teresa Kadzielawa

Matthew s. Kampsrachel Miriam KaplanKate Karbergbenjamin david KatzJamie elizabeth Keatingdomenick edward Kennedyrussell alan Kesmansoon J. Kiheu Yeon KimJason J. KimMary e. Kimchristina Michelle Parker Kirkandrew s. KleczekJeanine Knickersteven douglas Knutsoneun Ik Kohleigh sojka KomperdaKayvon Kordanna KosztowskiJacqueline alyce Kramersarah Marie KristofikKimberly Marie KrukPaul edward Kukulskiarun KumarJenny Kwakrichard James lawleyJeanne ledaniel stuart leachchristine shinyoung leedaniel Yoon leegordon r. leeJeewhan leeMatthew b. leesarah Young leeYoon soo leehaley bryn leesleyamy elizabeth lewisbo liXuan liMichael M. libermanamanda christine liponsebastian artur lisowskibenjamin Kwan liuandrew William logemanMegan Joanne logsdonnina lopezMatthew John lorenzscott William lotzstephen James luchtefeldJenna Marie lungaroerin Marie luskMartin Patrick lynchJustin Macklineduardo Magallanesumar MahmudMonica Majumdardhuha MakiKaitlin Marie Malloyomar Justin Manlapazsteven Michael Markwellalexander dale Martinhelena anna Maryniarczykndunge elizabeth MasesiMathew MathisJeffrey Paul Mayerrenee Mcalisterlucy Justine Mccommasbrian s. Mcdonoughrachel Quinn McMahonshaun sadruddin Mehdibryan anthony Mendesbrian James MendrallaMoheet Mehboob MerchantJason r. Michaelszachary arthur Miksanekbrent MillerKayleigh anne MillerJessica Kyung-hwa Minalberto MiottoMichael andrew Mkrtschjanchristopher t. Molitorandrew robert MolloMatthew steven MonaghanMichelle erin Moore

rommel cruz Moralescory rose MoserMelissa Mottonenbrendan Mulherntimothy James Murphyalessandra MusettiKetan Prakash nadkarnibeth Michelle neighborsMary Jane newellKim-Phung t. nguyenlan t. nguyentran nguyenevelyn c. nievesalyssa d. noakdouglas brian nobbeWilliam Matthew noelMatthew J. o’donnellJamie Michelle olmsteadJamie olsonbrittany lynn openbrierzoheb osmanryan david overmeyerPratik J. Pandyarincy rachel thomas Panickergina Marie Papkealexander seung-hyun Parkallen Joon-hyung Parkamanda eunjung ParkKristen leanne Partykacolleen anne Pastuovicavani navin Patelbhavin Patelbindiya g. Patelchandni hitesh Patelchinmay PatelJason r. PatelJaymin P. PatelKarishma ajay PatelKunal s. PatelKushal P. PatelMayur Patelnirav Mahendrakumar PatelPuja Pateltejas bipin PatelMichelle elaine Peisssamuel Joseph Perarobert William Perreiraclaire nicole PescheretManvika PisitpongJacqueline Marie PodrebaracJovan Popovicraihan shafi PothigaraMychal Kelly Powellstephanie nicole Presmykemily Kathleen Puchalskianupama Krishna Puppalaakif zeshan QureshiJoseph daniel raablaura ann rachwalskibharath rajuJeffrey adam recchia-riferevanth eswaravaka reddygrant Michael reedelizabeth Marie reganshane Michael regnierdavid andrew reifMatthea renteaashley elizabeth richterPhylicia anne robinsemilie catherine robinsonerin P. robinsonKatie lauren rockwellbenjamin I. rogierlauren Michelle rogowskihyeun seung rohMark andrew rollacarolyn elyssa roloffthomas Joseph roseKevin donald rossdiana ruizheather Marie rybarsara ryoohye Young ryusadaf safavinejad

amla sampatJames William sannerMaheen fatima sayeedJeremy schlakeJohn leonard schneidercharles richard schwartzryan William scottJulie ann sedlacekKiruthika selvaduraieric Michael sengerleonid a. serebryannyyshreya Jitendra shahbrittany a. shubertcarly blair silvermandavid simisonJeffrey Michael singhMaheshwardeep singhsevgi sipahinicholas Patrick slatterydaniel J. slavicektimothy r. smithJoshua eric smothersdaeho songdavid Yongmin songWayne robert stephensstephanie Jeanne sterlingJonathon robert stevenscassie Marie stromayerJoon hooh sungsean swearingenabdul Majid syedchristina grace taraziMatthew thomas teasdalesonia tellezfrank albert tenutosoe h. tharima s.thakkartimothy david theobaldsidney blaine thompsonlisa tranJoel truffacaroline sayre trumpyluke tsengamy l. turenneIkechukwu V. ujariangie catalina umanaMichael a. Vander PluymMerlin VargheseJacob aloysius VarneyPrathyusha Venkataaashesh n. VermaJane ann Vildermandaniel J. Volpestacy Vucicherik brian WachholderJennifer Marie Walshrick Wangrebecca rose Warszalekchristine Weaverbenjamin ross Weberdonghui Weiasher ben Weisbergelise l. Wessolanna Witowskarichard ted Wlodarskiarielle alice Wolfbryant McKay WoodKatherine f. Wurabia Yaqubfaiza tahir YasinJoanne nari YooJi hee YoonJun sik YoonWei Yuanthomas hyonuk Yunalexander eric zajachelio alejandro zapatahua zhoubrian Joshua ziderzachary alexander zobens

hatice seda Kaya, M.s.Jiyoung lee, M.s.Kieran normoyle, M.s.Vesna tosic, M.s.

Biophysics and computational Biologyeduardo cruz, Ph.d.sharlene denos, Ph.d.John eargle, Ph.d.Krithika ganesan, Ph.d.huazhi han, Ph.d.aleksandra Kijac, Ph.d.

graduate degrees

undergraduate degrees

oleksandr Kokhan, Ph.d.eric lee, Ph.d.Myat lin, Ph.d.elijah roberts, Ph.d.ayano sakai, Ph.d.leonardo trabuco, Ph.d.

neurosciencedarien hall, Ph.d.diana thomas, Ph.d.

This list is an unofficial list of degree recipients from summer 2009 through spring 2010. Due to printing deadlines, the list may contain inaccuracies.

MCB GRADUAtES

Nonprofit org.

U.S. postage

PAID

Champaign, IL

Permit no. 75

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

School of Molecular and Cellular Biology393 Morrill Hall

505 South Goodwin Avenue

Urbana, IL 61801

www.mcb.illinois.edu

department of biochemistry

department of microbiology

department of cell and developmental biology

department of molecular and integrative physiology

ISSUE 4: SPRING 2010 - The School of Molecular and ...mcb.illinois.edu/alumni/downloads/MCB4.pdfmcb...

Documents

Transcript of ISSUE 4: SPRING 2010 - The School of Molecular and ...mcb.illinois.edu/alumni/downloads/MCB4.pdfmcb...