Cancer Center at Illinois

08/07/2025

📣 The CCIL welcomes its four newest members!

🔷 Matthew Bramlet - Pediatric Cardiologist, OSF HealthCare

🔶 Wael Mostafa - Clinical Associate Professor, Carle Illinois College of Medicine

🔷 Nicholas Rawson - Clinical Assistant Professor, Carle Illinois College of Medicine

🔶 Aiman Soliman - Senior Research Scientist, National Center for Supercomputing Applications

They will join the CCIL’s Cancer Technology and Data Science Program which aims to characterize and fight cancer through the development of technology - which could involve advancing cancer imaging for diagnostics and treatment or improving computational analyses, allowing scientists and doctors to better understand the complexities of cancer.

🔗 https://go.illinois.edu/NewMembers

08/06/2025

CCIL members Erik Nelson and Nien-Pei Tsai have both been promoted to full professors in the Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology 👏

Nelson is the research program co-leader for the CCIL’s Cancer Engineering & Biological (CEB) Systems Program. Tsai is a member of the CEB research program.

🔗 https://go.illinois.edu/Promotions

08/05/2025

Check out this article from The News-Gazette to learn a little more about CCIL Associate Director for Translational Research and Development Tim Fan -- including his favorite spots on campus!

Meet Professor Timothy Fan, who’s around animals 24-7 — be it at work (he’s the Khan Chair of Veterinary Oncology Research) or home (six dogs, four cats, box turtle and

08/03/2025

⭐️ ResearcHStart Student Spotlight! ⭐️

Bonnie Weaver is in CCIL member Hong Chen's lab where she's investigating gene expression and protein levels related to the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in a modified mouse model with an increased risk of colorectal cancer.

"The best part of my ResearcHStart experience has been learning about areas of research that are new to me and getting to work with mentors."

08/02/2025

⭐️ ResearcHStart Student Spotlight! ⭐️

Shriya Nagaraj works in CCIL member Hua Wang's lab where she studies how modified extracellular vesicles affect dendritic cell activation, which plays a role in cancer immunity.

"ResearcHStart gave me the space to try things, make mistakes, learn from them, and actually grow ... I have made new friends, built lab skills, and this whole experience has made me even more excited about maybe pursuing research in the future."

08/01/2025

⭐️ ResearcHStart Student Spotlight! ⭐️

Malak Halabya works in CCIL member Diwakar Shukla's lab where she's developing and comparing the performance of two machine learning models to predict certain enzyme kinetic properties. The findings could help scientists better understand cancer metabolism, accelerate drug discovery, and improve the design of targeted therapies.

"I loved getting the chance to learn directly from mentors and work on real research projects. It was inspiring to get to join a research group and experience what it feels like to be part of the research community."

07/31/2025

⭐️ ResearcHStart Student Spotlight! ⭐️

Maya Aviram is working in CCIL member Brendan Harley's lab where she is creating hydrogel biomaterials that can be used to treat and study cancer.

"ResearcHStart offered an opportunity to get introduced to a future in research while developing skills essential to any career in STEM. We all have to start somewhere, and the possibility to start with the structure and relationships this program offers excited me."

07/30/2025

⭐️ ResearcHStart Student Spotlight! ⭐

Aleksandra Goncalo is working in CCIL member Gregory Underhill's lab where she studies the role of the tumor microenvironment in drug treatments against pancreatic and liver cancer.

"The best part of ResearcHStart has been gaining hands-on lab experience ... It’s given me a much clearer picture of what a career in research can look like."

07/29/2025

A study from researchers found differences between benign and cancerous breast calcifications, using a combination of geology, biology and medicine. The findings could lead to fewer benign biopsies and guide therapeutic development.

"We want mammograms to be more precise and more accurate for distinguishing between benign breast disease and cancer." -- CCIL member Bruce Fouke

🔗 https://go.illinois.edu/FoukeBhargava

07/28/2025

Need sunscreen? 🌞 We've got you covered at Crystal Lake Park Family Aquatic Center and Sholem Aquatic Center!

Sunscreen is one of the best ways to protect yourself from skin cancer so we've partnered with the Champaign Park District and Urbana Park District to bring it to you this summer!

🔗 MORE: https://go.illinois.edu/SunSafety2025

07/25/2025

CCIL researcher Angad Mehta is using synthetic biology and synthetic immunology methods to develop antibodies and medical treatments to help combat cancer.

👏 He recently received a $1 million award from the Ono Pharma Foundation to support his work.

🔗 https://go.illinois.edu/Mehta

07/24/2025

Why is basic science support important for cancer breakthroughs?

That's the focus of a new interview with CCIL Phillip and Ann Sharp Director, Rohit Bhargava. He dives into how basic science contributes to cancer research, and the unique way CCIL scientists approach their work.

"Basic science is not just something that helps make better technology. It helps make a better society. If we focus on basic science — particularly in those areas that actually help the health of society, like cancer — I think we’ll be better off in the coming years." -- Rohit Bhargava

🔗 https://go.illinois.edu/Bhargava