Features
Mary Schuler: Targeting Malaria at the Molecular Level
Malaria is a nightmare worldwide, affecting over 400 million people each year. Other vector-borne diseases like yellow fever and West Nile are similarly destructive, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where many strains of mosquitoes have become resistant to the chemicals used to control them-particularly the synthetic pesticide DDT.
Bryan Endres: The Legal Implications of Biofuels,
Other Crops
Bryan Endres’s exploration of the legal issues surrounding biofuels and genetically modified plants is tightly integrated with the efforts of IGB scientists to unlock the key to commercial production of cellulosic ethanol.
Bryan White: Breaking Down Barriers to Biofuels
What do cows and termites have in common? “Nada, zip, zilch,” most people would say. But Bryan White, a professor of animal sciences and a member of the Molecular Bioengineering of Biomass Conversion and Host-Microbe Systems themes at IGB, would say, “not so fast.” Cows and termites both digest plant cell walls—cows specialize in grasses, of course, and termites in wood. That makes them both “ligno-cellulosic deconstruction systems.”
Rebecca Stumpf: What Makes Us Human?
Rebecca Stumpf became a biological anthropologist because she was curious about the relationship between humans and other primates.
"Biological anthropology is a very diverse, and at the same time unified, field in the sense that it is trying to get at that important question of what makes us human and how are we different from and similar to the other primates," she says.
Lisa Stubbs: Exploring What Makes Us Different
"You can do things with mice that you can't do with other model species," says Stubbs. "I'm hoping that my colleagues and I can go after problems together and that my mouse expertise will really help. Our transcription factors work puts us squarely into the field of epigenetics, which is something both Gene (Robinson) and David (Clayton) are very interested in, in terms of learning, behavior and synaptic plasticity."
Paul Kenis: Engineering Tools to Enable Biological Studies
Many members of the scientific community who know of Paul Kenis’ work in, among other things, microfuel cells, might be surprised to find him affiliated with the Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering (ReBTE) theme at IGB. For Kenis, however, it is a logical extension of his research interests. Kenis, a chemical engineer, says that his expertise in what he describes as “control over transport phenomena” can be applied to many big questions, whether of a chemical or a biological nature.
Bill Metcalf: Engineering Tools to Enable Biological Studies
Metcalf set out to understand how this compound, one of a group known as phosphonates, is made in nature by bacteria. He was interested in that process partly because some phosphonates have antibiotic properties. Recently, Metcalf and his lab successfully identified and sequenced the genes and identified the processes by which bacteria make this particular phosphonate compound (FR900098). His results are reported in the August 25 issue of Chemistry & Biology.
Ping Ma: Letting the Data Speak
Cell biology experiments that used to take months now take one day, the number of labs doing bench science has exploded, as have the number of research techniques available and, to top it all off, the Internet makes sharing data as easy as clicking a mouse. Gene sequencing alone has generated so much DNA data that making sense of it all is a Herculean task. So what are we to do with this embarrassment of riches?
New Fellowship to Support
Cardiac Regenerative Medicine
Have your heart set on studying regenerative medicine? If you're a young scientist with an interest in cardiovascular regeneration and biomedical engineering, a new partnership between Carle Foundation Hospital and the Institute for Genomic Biology may offer the perfect post-doctoral experience.
Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Management for
Life Scientists
The IGB is co-sponsoring a new certificate program that will equip entrepreneurially minded MD, DVM, and PhD students in the life sciences with the necessary skills to meet the challenges of managing biotechnology ventures. The curriculum consists of six modules and draws from various disciplines, including management, law, regulatory policy, ethics, marketing, and finance. Students will learn the traditional ins and outs of entrepreneurship, such as creating a business plan and managing intellectual property, but they will also study topics specific to the life sciences, such as managing the FDA approval process and conducting clinical trials.
The Energy Biosciences Institute: Realizing Sustainable Biofuels
From media reports, Americans might conclude that surging ethanol production has put the nation well on the road to energy independence – but that is not quite the case. There are still a host of biological, environmental, technical, and legal issues that must be resolved for the U.S. biofuels industry to reach its potential, including avoiding conflict with food production, and maximizing environmental and economic benefits.
Embracing the Creativity of Art & Science
Darwin’s Playground is a series of three sculptures, ranging in height from 3-12 feet. Constructed of polyurethane covered with fiberglass, the sculptures are a striking focal point for the IGB plaza. The bright colors and whimsical shapes capture the creativity of biologists, and put to form a radical view of the role modern biologists play in shaping, and even creating, life. They were created by Chicago Artist Tony Tasset and were dedicated in September 2007.
Building a Better Pig
In times past, sea captains kept pigs on board their ships, but not to eat them. The captains believed pigs would unfailingly swim to the nearest shore if the ship went down - and thereby save the crew. Times have changed, but the pig is still viewed as a lifesaver, and again, not just for its food value - more than 40 pharmaceuticals are derived from swine.
Illinois Professor Named to Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry
Animal geneticist Harris Lewin, the director of the Institute for Genomic Biology and a professor and Gutgsell Endowed Chair in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois, has been elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry. He was the only American in a group of seven new foreign members elected during an annual meeting in late December.
