Congratulations to CCIL researchers Hyunjoon Kong and Xing Wang, who have been named Senior Members by the National Academy of Inventors! 👏
🔗 go.illinois.edu/KongWang
Join us for a special documentary and reception!
🎥 🟠 April 23 | 4 p.m. | Beckman Institute
The CCIL will host a screening of "Cracking the Code: Phil Sharp the Biotech Revolution."
🔗 go.illinois.edu/CrackingtheC...
CCIL Director Rohit Bhargava joined News-Gazette Radio on #WorldCancerDay to talk about how far cancer research has come, and promising advancements in the works.
🔗 Listen here around the 2 minute mark: go.illinois.edu/WorldCancerDay
Congratulations to Dhanush Gandavadi and Revathi Manoharaan - both members of CCIL research labs - for receiving a Biohub Spark Award! 🎉
🔗 Learn more about their projects and Biohub: go.illinois.edu/SparkAward
New research from #ILLINOIS fills in critical gaps when it comes to understanding the relationship between testicular cancer growth and PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances also known as "forever chemicals."
🔗 go.illinois.edu/SinghSpinella
A new initiative between the CCIL and National Center for Supercomputing Applications - NCSA unites scientists working on cancer with experts in artificial intelligence to support projects that will accelerate cancer research.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/CDI
NEW: Researchers studying #breastcancer have identified a protein that can help shift immune cells into "attack cancer mode."
The team will now work to boost this protein's activity in tumors and evaluate if it can be combined with existing therapies.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/NelsonProtein
🎥 IN THE NEWS: CCIL researcher Erik Nelson shared his lab's recent breast cancer research on @wcia3news.bsky.social, explaining a link they found between cholesterol and cancer progression.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/WCIANelson
Congratulations to CCIL Phillip and Ann Sharp Director Rohit Bhargava, who has been named a National Academy of Inventors fellow! 👏
Jean-Pierre Leburton, Gregory Stillman Emeritus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Emeritus was also named a fellow.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/BhargavaLebu...
It's been a year of meaningful progress at the CCIL! Our researchers have pushed the boundaries of cancer discovery and expanded opportunities for the student scientists who will shape tomorrow's treatments.
We're looking forward to new opportunities in 2026! 🎉
🔗 go.illinois.edu/2025Review
A new study from #ILLINOIS researchers found that patients with ER-positive breast cancer who lived in disadvantaged neighborhoods showed higher levels of inflammation- and stress-related biomarkers compared with those in more affluent areas.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/HannahHeath
New findings from #ILLINOIS researchers show that a small molecule in our DNA (called snaR-A) could drive cancer growth.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/VanBortle
#ILLINOIS researchers have developed a simpler and faster way to build DNA nanostructures, allowing them to perform better in biological environments. CCIL member Xing Wang has used DNA nanostructures targeted cancer drug delivery.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/DNAnanostruc...
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month!
A team led by CCIL researchers is improving an imaging system used in bronchoscopy procedures to find small lung nodules. Their new camera has improved the system's imaging sensitivity by 10 times.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/LungCancer2025
💡 NEW DISCOVERY: Researchers have found that a naturally occurring protein boosts the effectiveness of certain breast cancer treatments, helping with the rupture of cancer cells.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/Shapiro
NEW: #ILLINOIS researchers have discovered a communication pathway that helps breast cancer spread. The team will now work on developing treatment strategies that disrupt the pathway, with a goal of preventing metastasis.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/NelsonBreast...
NEW OPPORTUNITY: The CCIL introduces the Cancer Education Undergraduate Certificate!
This certificate program is open to undergraduate students who demonstrate a sustained commitment to cancer education through interdisciplinary learning, outreach, and research.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/Undergraduat...
EMPOWERING STUDENT RESEARCHERS 🔶🔷
Ph.D. student Rana Abbed is researching breast and ovarian cancers. The Deborah M. House Fund for Cancer Research recently supported Abbed’s work through a collaboration with Siteman Cancer Center.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/HouseFund
Researchers at #ILLINOIS have developed a way to track chemotherapy drugs inside of cancer cells.
This ground-breaking research focuses on a transformed version of a widely used chemotherapy drug, doxorubicin, which makes the previously undetectable drug, detectable.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/Richard
New research from #ILLINOIS shows that measuring a key hormone could help predict fertility outcomes for women with cancer who choose fertility preservation.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/KlonoffCohen
SCIENCE IN ACTION 🔬🧬
10 students from #ILLINOIS presented at the 2025 International Cancer Education Conference, a national forum that brings together researchers, educators, health professionals, and students. Congratulations to all who presented! 🎉
🔗 go.illinois.edu/ICEC
#ILLINOIS researchers have developed a model that uses a patient's blood to predict how likely they are to respond to immune checkpoint blockade drugs, a type of immunotherapy treatment.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/KunWang
🎥 IN THE NEWS: Breast Cancer Awareness Month 💗
CCIL researcher Michael Oelze shared his ultrasound technology research with @WCIA 3 News, highlighting the ways it holds potential to help patients.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/OelzeWCIA
#ILLINOIS researchers are developing technology that will make sure tumor tissue and cells are completely removed during surgery.
🔗 The principal investigator is reflecting on what the team has accomplished in the first year of a five-year project: go.illinois.edu/Boppart
New federal grants totaling $2.6 million will support CCIL researcher Michael Oelze's efforts to solve problems with existing ultrasound technologies and increase accessibility to new breakthroughs in the field.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/Oelze
The Cancer Voices Project is designed to capture the perspectives of people who experience cancer - from patients and survivors to family members and doctors.
📣 The team is collecting interviews through the end of THIS MONTH.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/CancerVoices...
In a recent study, #ILLINOIS researchers identified how PFAS disrupt cells and found a way to repair them. The team is now collaborating with surgeons to identify patients with a higher risk of developing kidney cancer based on PFAS levels.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/Irudayaraj
CCIL Distinguished Lecture Series:
📆 October 8 | 1 - 2 p.m.
📍NCSA 1040 | Teams
▶ Speaker: Elaine Fuchs
🔗 Registration required: go.illinois.edu/ElaineFuchs
Fundamental discoveries from Elaine Fuchs shape our understanding of how stem cells cope with stress, including aging, inflammation and cancer.
Illinois researchers have developed a new method that could drastically accelerate the development of antibody-based treatments, immune therapies, and vaccines for various diseases, including cancer.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/NicholasWu
#ILLINOIS researchers have developed a framework for understanding and controlling the flow behavior of granular hydrogels — a material that mimics the mechanical properties of living tissue and holds potential for use in medicine and tissue repair.
🔗 go.illinois.edu/Harley
