University of Missouri

Dec. 2, 2022

Understanding grass diversity: the key to increase crop yields

The mutant corn ear in the middle makes kernels in single rows rather than paired rows. The McSteen lab studies kernel development in this grass crop to one day help improve crop yields. | photo by Kristina Abovyan, Bond LSC by Kristina Abovyan, Bond LSC You might look at your yard and not think much of grass, but the family of narrow-leafed plants spans 12,000 species and a world of diversity from the grasslands of the Serengeti to the corn fields of the Midwest. “They are incredible; they are all over the world and do all kinds…

Nov. 4, 2022

Complementary Crafts: New Bond LSC investigators bring dual microbiology projects to the center

By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Wendy and Bill Picking tackle a stomach-churning area of science. Fascinated by the bacterium responsible for bacillary dysentery, Bill studies its structure and function, while Wendy aims to use information on that same bacterium for healing. “I do the vaccine stuff, but he’s a protein chemist. So the proteins are what keep us together,” Wendy said. As two of Bond LSC’s newest investigators, the couple brings pathogenic microbiology expertise to the center. Their hiring is part of MizzouForward, an investment that aims to elevate and promote the University of…

Oct. 11, 2022

Mendoza lab receives $200,000 Pew Charitable Trusts grant for plant microbe nutrition collaboration

Pew Charitable Trusts may be best known for its non-partisan think tank subsidiary that focuses on demographic and social science issues, but its mission to improve public policy and inform bleeds over into support for science. David Mendoza — a Bond Life Sciences Center principal investigator and associate professor of plant sciences in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources — received a $200,000 grant for biomedical sciences from the Pew Charitable Trusts. “To have people you need plants, so if we manage to engineer better and more nutritious plants, the chances of improving…

Sep. 30, 2022

#IAmScience: Jaime Barros-Rios

By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC When Jaime Barros-Rios explains his work to others, he says he studies how plants make wood. All plants — from oaks down to daffodils and clovers — do, in fact, make wood …. or at least components of it. That component is lignin, a functional unit of plant cell walls and wood. Barros-Rios studies it as he learns the ins and outs of research at Bond LSC in hopes of potentially holding a faculty position at MU as part of the Preparing Future Faculty – Faculty Diversity (PFFFD) postdoctoral program.

Sep. 15, 2022

Becoming distinguished: Mittler awarded Board of Curators’ academic honor

By Roger Meissen | Bond LSC Bond Life Sciences Center’s Ron Mittler was recently named Curators’ Distinguished Professor by the University of Missouri System Board of Curators. This top honor is bestowed on professors for outstanding scholarship who have established substantial reputations within their field. “I am honored. Mizzou is such an amazing, supportive, and collaborative research environment and I feel lucky being here,” Mittler said. “I enjoy every moment working at Bond LSC.” Mittler’s research substantially focuses on the role reactive oxygen species (ROS) play in the regulation of different biological processes. While ROS can be…

Sep. 13, 2022

Structural change: Singh moves into Bond LSC Investigator role with focus on drug and cellular interactions

By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Kamlendra Singh sat down in his fourth floor office as a Bond LSC Investigator for the first time on September first after nearly 14 years at the Bond Life Sciences Center studying HIV, COVID-19 and how the right molecule can interact to fight disease. Designer compounds are Singh’s specialty, and as a new principal investigator he directs four projects on microscopic treatments for various diseases. He will also continue his work as Molecular Interactions Core Director alongside his new role. “Everyone [in the center] is such a tight community…

Aug. 26, 2022

#IAmScience: Negin Manshour

Negin Manshour first stepped into biology research as an engineering student using robotic algorithms to simulate proteins. When she left academia for her nine-year career developing elevator systems, her fascination with biology never faded. “I always had it in my mind that I wanted to work with proteins or biological concepts,” Manshour said. Manshour, a second year Ph.D. student in the Dong Xu lab at Bond LSC investigates formation and structures of certain molecules. She uses machine learning to design peptides, small chains of amino acids which combine into proteins – building blocks for cells –…

Aug. 17, 2022

Cutting into CRISPR: Walking through the process driving plant research

Gene-editing is the pinnacle of a biologist’s toolbox, but often left unexplained it seems more magic than science. Growing rice from a small cluster of cells to 4-foot stalks can take six-months or more of planning and careful nurture. But how do scientists change the intricate genetic material in each cell of the plants? The CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool changes a plant’s DNA. As Ph.D. student Ajay Gupta knows firsthand through work altering plants for the Bing Yang lab. “CRISPR is relatively new. It’s like 10 years old only and still we are working to modify it and improve it…

July 25, 2022

Chemical Correspondence: MU researcher plays key role in overseas aptamer technology

By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Donald Burke is a principal investigator at the Bond Life Sciences Center. He is a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology and a joint professor of biochemistry. Photo by Lauren Hines | Bond LSC What started as an email correspondence between two aptamer enthusiasts rapidly snowballed into a hat trick of authorships for Donald Burke. “I was contacted by a student in India asking if I would be an external advisor for her Ph.D. committee,” said Burke, a principal investigator at MU’s Bond Life Sciences Center. Burke’s extensive research with…

July 15, 2022

#IAmScience Beatriz Praena Garcia

Photo by Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Art and science are often considered opposites, but Beatriz Praena Garcia sees overlap. “I think in this job you need to be very artistic,” Praena said. “I have a basic methodology to do the essays … then I read a little bit online. You can search in another paper and do some research to see how you can apply it to your work. You can be more creative, so it’s not always the same.” The postdoctoral researcher studies influenza vaccines in the Henry Wan lab, tackling them from three angles.

July 1, 2022

#IAmScience: Ajay Gupta

By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Photo by Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Ajay Gupta learned biology basics as a first year undergraduate on the bumpy bus ride from his small hometown to Punjab Agricultural University. Just a few hours’ ride, he made the most of his time before he returned home to help his family’s agricultural goods business. Working extra hours in the margins of his time has become a habit for Gupta. Now a plant science first year Ph.D. student in the Bing Yang lab and Department of Plant Science and Technology Millikan Endowment…

June 20, 2022

A Dual Focus: MU researcher earns $181,734 NIH grant and U.S. Public Health Service Award for COVID-19 research in the lab and on campus

By Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Cynthia Tang is an M.D.-Ph.D. student in the Wan lab. Photo by Cara Penquite | Bond LSC Cynthia Tang’s academic career is marked by her propensity to multitask. From earning a major and three minors during her undergrad to making a documentary while getting lab and clinical experience, she makes the most of her time. Recently Tang received the Excellence in Public Health Award from the United States Public Health Service, and a $181.734 National Institutes of Health grant to be used over four years . . . all while getting…