Breakthrough Interdisciplinary Research. Life-Changing Impact.
A Complex Problem
Fighting cancer goes beyond a single field, perspective, or approach. The Cancer Center at Illinois combines expertise from multiple disciplines, fostering the creativity that leads to innovation in treatments, diagnostic tools, and prevention strategies. Below is a snapshot of the CCIL’s interdisciplinary research strategy.
Measuring Success
The CCIL monitors the effectiveness of efforts through member participationevents, case studies, progress in facilities and new equipment, development of clinical collaborations, and
translation to industry. The following metrics are crucial to evaluating our collaborative efforts.
26
New nembers since 2022
69%
Interdisciplinary publications from 2019-24
49%
Collaborative, peer-reviewed, multi-PI grants in 2024
>$100M
Awarded in new multi-PI centers since 2022
Collaboration Mechanisms
The CCIL places an emphasis on interdisciplinary research teams through the following mechanisms.
Organizing regular working group, research program, and organizational level meetings
Funding collaborative pilot projects and providing staff support to help progress
Facilitating collaborations in education and mentoring
Investing in facilities and SRs to address resource gaps
Developing clinical partnerships
Strategically recruiting, developing and supporting members across disciplines
Robust Membership
125
Faculty Researchers
6
Colleges/Schools
21
Department/Fields
Colleges/Schools
Departments/Fields
- Animal Sciences
- Bioengineering
- Biochemistry
- Biomedical & Translational Sciences
- Cell and Developmental Biology
- Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
- Chemistry
- Comparative Biosciences
- Computer Science
- Earth Science & Environmental Change
- Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Food Science & Human Nutition
- Information Sciences
- Kinesiology & Community Health
- Materials Science & Engineering
- Mechanical Science & Engineering
- Molecular & Integrative Physiology
- Nuclear, Plasma, & Radiological Engineering
- Pathobiology
- Physics
- Sociology
Find Illinois scientists who are transforming cancer research.
Interdisciplinary Seed Grant in Action: CCIL Seed Grant Leads to NIH Grant Support
Project: Characterizing Oncogenic Noncoding RNAs in Breast Cancer Progression and Metastasis
Providing insight into long non-coding RNAs, which are often present in cancer cells, and heavily affect breast cancer progression, metastasis, and patient survival rates.
$250K
Initial Seed Grant
$1.25M
Resulting NIH Support
Research Team
Kannanganattu Prasanth
Professor, Cell & Developmental Biology
Auinash Kalsotra
Professor, Biochemistry
Erik Nelson
Associate Professor, Molecular & Integrative Physiology
Wawrzyniec Dobrucki
Associate Professor, Bioengineering
“The support from the CCIL seed grant and cross-campus collaborations helped answer key questions, created a much stronger proposal, and was instrumental in obtaining the R01,” Kannanganattu said. “The CCIL is a great platform to meet and discuss science, bringing people together with different areas of expertise.” — Kannanganattu Prasanth
Translating Interdisciplinary Research to the Clinic
The CCIL and the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute are joining forces on the Breakthrough Engineering and Advanced Treatment of (BEAT) Cancer Research Initiative, a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary research teams to drive innovative cancer treatment and care solutions.
Interdisciplinary Education
The CCIL’s undergraduate Cancer Scholar Program’s encourages interdisciplinary engagement with members and other students. Courses in the program are team-taught and require students undertaking research with a primary or collaborative member outside their home department.
An Educational Journey: Joy Chen
Introduction to cancer research via researcHStart, an interdisciplinary program for high school students
Undergraduate research via the Cancer Scholars Program and Mayo Clinic fellowship
Now: Ph.D. candidate studying breast cancer at the University of California, Berkeley
“It’s rare to have a program for high schoolers with little experience and train them through an introduction to research.” — Joy Chen