blog posts Inspired by piano-playing, UIC professor creates phone app to track brain fitness Jan 2, 2024 12:15 pm Biomedical engineering professor Alex Leow developed BiAffect, an app and research study that analyzes smartphone keyboard data patterns to learn about a person’s neuropsychological state. UIC recognized for recovering food for homeless Jan 8, 2021 1:00 pm In the fall of 2020, volunteers with UIC’s Food Recovery Network (FRN) chapter collected 7,589 pounds of food and donated it to area homeless shelters. UIC has been recognized for the achievement of the most recovered pounds by any FRN chapter nationwide in the Fall of 2020. Carle Illinois College of Medicine students design device for longer, better sleep Jan 16, 2024 12:00 pm The team of medical students recently won an award from the U.S. Academy of Medicine for their concept called "SoundAsleep" - a wearable brain wave monitor connected to an app and sound system. The device transmits specific sounds during certain sleep periods to extend and deepen quality sleep. UIC Nursing clinic improves sexual health in LGBTQ+ community Jan 21, 2022 3:00 pm One year after opening, a UIC College of Nursing and UI Health clinic based at Center on Halsted has brought HIV prevention and STI treatment services to more than 100 of the center’s LGBTQ+ community members. ‘Decoy’ protein works against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants Jan 21, 2022 3:00 pm Researchers from UIC and UIUC have collaborated to develop a new drug treatment to prevent death and lung damage in COVID-19 patients. Early model studies show it may be very effective. UIUC microbiology team gains new insights into Salmonella resistance Jan 31, 2024 10:15 am Salmonella is notorious for surviving and replicating in immune system cells called macrophages, but Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology researchers have discovered how a system of proteins called TamAB helps Salmonella survive under the harsh conditions inside those cells. OSF & UIC award Community Health Advocacy grants Feb 2, 2022 9:30 am OSF HealthCare is partnering with UIC to award eight grants totaling more than $700,000 to support projects that remove barriers to care, particularly in low-income, under-resourced communities; enhance health and wellness education, and leverage technology to improve training and community outreach. In person or over Zoom, UIC students help the community Feb 3, 2021 9:00 am Nearly 200 UIC students spent their day off volunteering in the Chicago community for the MLK Day of Service. Carle Illinois professor awarded prize to advance vaccine research Feb 9, 2022 8:00 am UIUC biochemistry professor Nicholas Wu has been recognized with a Michelson Prize: Next Generation Grant. He will be awarded $150,000 to enable his high-impact ideas to advance human immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy. UI Health leads Chicago in providing vaccines for phase 1B Feb 10, 2021 9:15 am The first day it opened a community COVID-19 vaccination site UIC and UI Health administered more than 1,600 shots to phase 1A and phase 1B eligible people, representing nearly a quarter of all vaccine doses (23%) distributed in Chicago on that day. UIC, UIUC collaboration shows ultrasounds can predict risk of preterm birth Feb 12, 2024 1:15 pm The new ultrasound method works as early as 23 weeks into a pregnancy, according to the research published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology Maternal Fetal Medicine. Oncology dietitians rarely ask cancer patients about food insecurity, study finds Feb 14, 2022 3:15 pm Although studies suggest that many cancer patients experience food insecurity, few oncology dietitians routinely ask them if they are having problems affording or obtaining food, new UIUC research has found. UIUC med students offering free women’s healthcare to those in need Feb 26, 2024 10:00 am The volunteer students are working with doctors at Avicenna’s Women’s Health Clinic to help provide free obstetrics and gynecological care for women who are under-insured or uninsured. New insight into links between Alzheimer's Disease and hearing loss Mar 2, 2022 10:45 am Researchers at Carle Illinois College of Medicine have uncovered new evidence about hearing loss in patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The work could eventually lead to earlier intervention and new treatment strategies to delay cognitive decline. Real Impact: Robust program turns out nurses willing to answer the call Mar 11, 2024 3:15 pm The University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing trains healthcare experts at all three University of Illinois System universities. The program in Springfield is the newest with students gaining in-depth, hands-on experience at Springfield Memorial Hospital. UIC works with Chicago to deliver vaccinations to city's most vulnerable Mar 16, 2021 10:00 am The University of Illinois Chicago along with Protect Chicago Plus have partnered to provide 1,000 COVID-19 vaccines to residents in the Englewood neighborhood, with plans to expand to other city areas with vulnerable populations Real Impact: Heart-focused agency advances neighbor helping neighbor Mar 21, 2023 10:00 am When the five-year grant that launched Illinois Heart Rescue in 2012 expired, the State of Illinois recognized the results-driven program’s impact and took over funding. The University of Illinois System again is advocating for the program’s funding as part of its annual state budget request. Volunteers help Chicago residents without internet connect to COVID-19 vaccines Mar 23, 2021 10:30 am A UIC computer science student created a volunteer group on Facebook aimed at helping individuals from Chicago's Black and brown communities book vaccine appointments online. Health equity initiatives receive funding from the American Cancer Society Mar 23, 2022 9:30 am UIC has received a $4 million, four-year grant from the American Cancer Society to establish a solutions-oriented consortium of health care researchers and clinicians charged with improving outcomes in communities disproportionately affected by cancer. Project helps East St. Louis residents overcome barriers to COVID-19 testing, vaccination Mar 23, 2022 9:30 am A project co-led by UIUC that is underway in East St. Louis, Illinois, is investigating strategies for overcoming barriers to COVID-19 testing and vaccination among more than 548 medically and socially vulnerable residents of St. Clair County. Better outcomes for Black and Latinx asthma patients Mar 23, 2022 9:30 am UIC was part of a study which found that when Black or Latinx asthma patients were instructed to use inhaled corticosteroids, their risk of severe exacerbation was reduced by 15%. Team identifies compound with potent antiseizure effects Mar 23, 2022 9:45 am UIUC researchers studying epileptic seizures of the temporal lobe – the most common type of epilepsy – discovered a compound that reduces seizures in the hippocampus, a brain region where many such seizures originate. Saliva test being expanded in Champaign-Urbana community Mar 24, 2021 10:15 am OSF HealthCare announced a new partnership with the University of Illinois Tuesday that will expand the U of I’s saliva-based COVID-19 test into the broader Champaign-Urbana community. SMS intervention for Type 2 diabetes in underserved communities Apr 7, 2022 10:00 am A team of UIC experts in Rockford, Illinois, will launch and study a text message-based intervention for Type 2 diabetes in underserved communities, thanks to a $30,000 grant award from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois’ Dr. Louis and Violet Rubin Fund. K-12 Shield Playbook offers guidance for reopening schools Apr 15, 2021 12:15 pm A new resource is available to help guide teachers and school administrators as they reopen schools amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, assembled by researchers and experts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. UIC researchers targeting blood vessels in brain to combat post-COVID 'fog' Apr 15, 2024 10:00 am In a new study, researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago have identified a mechanism that causes neurological problems in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19. The researchers also found a treatment that helped prevent these changes. New approach enhances muscle recovery in aged mice Apr 18, 2022 3:30 pm Scientists have developed a promising new method to combat the age-related losses in muscle mass that often accompany immobility after injury or illness. UIC to participate in NIH phase two clinical trial on additional boosters Apr 18, 2022 3:45 pm The University of Illinois Chicago will participate in a National Institutes of Health phase two clinical trial evaluating additional COVID-19 booster shots for adults. Community colleges in Illinois now have option to provide free covidSHIELD tests to state residents Apr 19, 2021 1:00 pm Community colleges across the state now have the ability to provide the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s (UIUC) innovative, saliva-based COVID-19 test at no cost to any state resident who wants one. UIUC researchers develop filter technology to combat 'forever chemicals' Apr 24, 2023 10:15 am PFAS, or per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, are human-made chemicals linked to a broad spectrum of health problems, including cancer and thyroid issues. They're also known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down and accumulate in the environment and in humans. Machine-learning model can distinguish antibody targets Apr 27, 2022 8:30 am A new University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign study shows that it is possible to use the genetic sequences of a person’s antibodies to predict what pathogens those antibodies will target. Child Development Laboratory cares for children of essential, critical personnel May 5, 2020 10:00 am Since mid-March, the staff at the CDL has stepped up to provide emergency childcare for a limited number of essential and critical personnel during the pandemic, under the state’s emergency childcare license. South Shore clinic expands COVID-19 testing May 5, 2020 10:15 am UI Health Mile Square Health Center — a network of federally qualified health centers, or FQHCs, in Chicago — is now providing COVID-19 testing to community members on the South Side who meet testing criteria at its South Shore clinic, located at 7037 S. Stony Island Ave. UIS helping private and community colleges and state agencies transition to remote learning May 5, 2020 9:45 am The University of Illinois Springfield Center For Online Learning, Research and Service (COLRS) is helping Illinois private and community colleges and state agencies transition to remote learning as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. State invests big in COVID tests for schools May 12, 2021 6:00 pm In an effort to ensure in-person learning can fully resume as quickly and safely as possible, the Illinois Department of Public Health today announced a $225 million investment to expand access to covidSHIELD saliva-based testing, developed by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, to middle and high schools across the state at low or no cost. DPI launches new education and workforce research center May 31, 2020 8:30 am The Discovery Partners Institute has launched a new education and workforce research center, IWERC, with $3.9 million from some of the city’s most influential philanthropists and foundations. Dance may be a step toward better working memory for older Latinos Jun 15, 2022 10:30 am New research from UIUC suggests that older Latinos who regularly participate in Latin dance can help their brains stay healthy. SHIELD CU helping raise vaccination rates among people of color Jun 16, 2021 9:00 am The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's SHIELD CU team is partnering with local organizations to help boost COVID-19 vaccine rates in Champaign County's community of color. UIS offers free public webinar series on community health Jun 17, 2020 8:45 am As part of the Springfield Innovation Hub, UIS and the Community Health Roundtable have launched a new webinar series on community health with immediate focus on the impact of COVID-19. Urbana-Champaign researchers work to improve cancer imaging Jul 10, 2023 1:00 pm Doctors have used nanoparticles in cancer patients to locate tumors during imaging scans more easily. But they tend to collect in the liver, not on the tumor. A new approach developed at UIUC looked to solve this problem. UICOMP team developing stroke treatment that can reduce brain damage Jul 17, 2023 12:00 pm The University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria researchers are studying how to control a protein called MMP-12 that increases in the brain after a stroke. They are attempting to create antibodies that specifically inhibit or suppress that protein. Study links insulin resistance, advanced cell aging with childhood poverty Jul 28, 2022 1:45 pm Black adolescents who lived in poverty as children and were pessimistic about their future had accelerated immune cell aging and greater levels of insulin resistance in their mid- to late twenties, according to a study by Allen W. Barton, a UIUC professor of human development and family studies. Behavioral intervention reduces depression, anxiety in adults with obesity Aug 4, 2022 1:00 pm Results from a UIC pilot clinical trial show that among a racially and ethnically diverse cohort of adults who were obese and depressed, an integrated behavioral intervention was more effective than usual care at reducing depression and associated anxiety symptoms than it was at promoting weight loss. Technique helps bring cell powerhouses back into balance Aug 4, 2022 1:00 pm Researchers at UIUC developed a technique using light to regulate mitochondria. The technique could be used as a treatment for cancer and other diseases. Sampling sewer water for COVID-19 in the C-U community Aug 9, 2021 11:45 am Illinois State Water Survey researchers have been sampling sewer water to look for traces of SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19, at the neighborhood level in Champaign-Urbana to help monitor the spread of the disease. U of I to expand COVID saliva testing nationally Aug 10, 2020 3:15 pm The U of I System has embarked on a broad effort to expand the reach of saliva-based testing pioneered by U of I researchers that supports widespread testing with rapid results to limit spread of the COVID-19 virus. Impact on the state economy Aug 14, 2019 1:00 pm The U of I System contributes $17.5 billion annually to the state’s economy through its research, hospital, and entrepreneurial activities, along with the universities' students and visitors, according to a recent study. More... UIUC team uncovers key driver of necrosis in cancer cells Aug 14, 2023 10:30 am Their study identifies a specific protein that plays a pivotal role in promoting cell death, which may allow the development of new immunotherapies against solid tumors and other challenging cancers. Assisting military-dependent communities Aug 19, 2019 2:30 pm UIC has received a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment to support economic research and resiliency in Illinois’ military-connected communities. More... Farm family delivers produce to food bank, with a little help Aug 24, 2022 2:30 pm A young Woodford County farm family is feeling grateful after an influx of volunteers helped them harvest a two-acre food plot, with the fresh produce destined for area food banks.