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BYU Cell Biology and Physiology

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Provo, UT
BYU Cell Biology and Physiology

This is the place to hear all about the latest CELL news, including research and department highlights!

Physiology is the study of the functions of the body systems. Developmental biology is the study of how specific genes govern differentiation of cells, tissues, and organs with unique structure and functions. Both disciplines require a firm foundation of mathematics, chemistry, physics, and cellular biology. The related area of biophysics uses the methods of physics, chemistry, mathematics and bio

logy to investigate the physical basis of life. Upper division courses require synthesis and integration of information from many areas of science to allow understanding of such remarkable processes of how the heart pumps blood, how neurons communicate with one another, how insulin regulates blood sugar, or how specific gene products determine the morphology and functional capacity of the nervous system. Knowledge in these areas is expanding rapidly due to application of new techniques in molecular biology. Hence, significant exposure to concepts and techniques of molecular biology is an important component of the major.

09/01/2026

The CELL department has a new Lab Technician! Here is a little bit about her...

"My name is Aubrey Teeples! I am originally from Spanish Fork, UT and yes, I think it's the greatest city. I love to read, spend time with my family, cook/bake, and go boating (although I don't go nearly as often as I'd like). I am excited to be at BYU and experience the culture of kindness that is so prevalent here. I am also excited to be returning to the research lab setting in a supportive role. "

08/11/2026

The CELL Department is hiring! Visit this site for more information! https://cell.byu.edu/position-announcement

08/03/2026

Dr. Jeff Edwards published a study this March about the impact of chronic morphine on synaptic modifications of the brain reward circuit (ventral tegmental area; VTA) and the differences of morphine impact on adolescent versus adult aged mice. They found that morphine alters excitatory synapses of all inhibitory cells of the VTA, but only alters excitatory synapses of about ½ these cells in adults. This suggests adolescents could potential be more susceptible to the effects of chronic morphine than adults. This along with some of his other studies provide evidence and highlight that researchers in the future should compare adults to adolescent ages more often as currently more research is done in adolescent aged rodents than in adults. However, as addiction propensity increases dramatically in users when they start as adolescent ages versus adults it is essential to study both ages together in studies in the future. We are grateful for his lab's contributions to science!

07/02/2026

Dr. Ben Bikman and colleagues just had a study accepted in the Journal of Personalized Medicine (2026). This retrospective case series followed seven patients through a six-month program that paired a whole-food ketogenic diet with low-dose semaglutide (the active ingredient in popular GLP-1 medications) to tackle insulin resistance and improve cardiometabolic health. The standout finding: about 92% of the weight participants lost came from fat, while muscle was largely preserved—a notable contrast to GLP-1 drugs used alone, where a sizable share of weight loss can come from lean tissue. Patients also saw improved insulin sensitivity, a ~37% drop in visceral fat, and better inflammatory and cholesterol markers. The bigger idea? These early results raise the possibility that low-dose semaglutide might work best as a short-term "transition aid" to help people adopt a sustainable diet, rather than as a drug taken indefinitely. While these findings are preliminary and point to the need for larger controlled trials, they offer a promising, personalized roadmap for treating insulin resistance—the root driver of so much chronic disease.

05/11/2026

We may not know how to cure cancer yet, but thanks to Dr. Jared Barrott and his work, we know a little bit more about how cancer cells mutate.

Researchers affiliated with Brigham Young University’s Simmons Center for Cancer Research have published a recent review article summarizing why we should care about cancer mutations that exist at a low frequency within a tumor. The study, “Hidden in the Noise: Low-Variant Allele Frequency Mutations and Their Impact on Precision Oncology,” appears in the Journal of Genome Biotechnology and Genetics and examines how preservation and sequencing techniques influence the detection of clinically relevant mutations. The study emphasizes the importance of low-variant allele frequency (low-VAF) mutations, which are often implicated in therapeutic resistance, metastasis, and recurrence. Improved detection of these low-frequency variants has been shown to expand treatment eligibility and enable earlier identification of disease progression. The researchers conclude that proper tissue handling and adaptive sequencing methods and bioinformatic pipelines provide superior molecular fidelity, supporting more accurate and comprehensive genomic profiling and enabling downstream functional analyses. These findings highlight a critical, yet underexamined, variable in precision oncology workflows and suggest that tissue handling at the point of resection may have long-term implications for both research and clinical outcomes to properly detect significant tumor mutations that are less abundant.

04/03/2026

He is Risen! 🕊️

"As an anatomist, I love how the formation of the human body is the culminating event of the Creation and the restoration of the body is the focus of Christ’s Resurrection. I have found that as I increase my understanding of this twice-gifted miracle of the body, I regularly see evidence of God’s love and wisdom." - Dr. Amber Gonda, Anatomy Professor 🌟

03/30/2026

Please join us for this week's CELL seminar! No April fools, you don't want to miss it!

03/23/2026

We are excited to have Dr. Ashley Calder present to us this Wednesday! Don't miss it!

03/16/2026

We are so excited to hear from BYU graduate and entrepreneur Chad Pollard this week! This is one seminar you do not want to miss!

03/02/2026

We are excited to host the upcoming College seminar! We look forward to seeing you there!!!

Address

Provo, UT
84602

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Website

http://cell.byu.edu/

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