Miki
Ii
Miki Ii
- Campus IllinoisCOM
- DepartmentMedical Education
- InstitutionThe Chicago School
Biography
Dr. Miki Ii, Ph.D., M.S. is an Associate Professor and Discipline Lead for Biochemistry and Genetics at the Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine. She earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from a leading medical school in Japan before establishing her academic career in the United States.
With more than two decades of experience in higher education, Dr. Ii has served as a tenure-track and full-time faculty member at several undergraduate institutions, as well as a faculty member in biochemistry and genetics at both M.D. and D.O. medical programs in Alaska and Pennsylvania. Her expertise spans biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and cell biology, with a strong commitment to integrating basic science with medical education.
Dr. Ii has an established record of success in securing competitive research funding, including grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a five-year National Science Foundation (NSF) education grant as Principal Investigator. Her research focuses on the dual roles of ribonucleases in DNA repair and gene expression, two fundamental processes essential for maintaining cellular health. Defects in these pathways contribute to a wide range of age-related diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, accelerated aging, and cancer.
Using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), Dr. Ii investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases and seeks to identify novel therapeutic strategies to mitigate their progression. Her research program also provides meaningful opportunities for medical student involvement, with numerous student research projects and scholarly accomplishments demonstrating the value of this model system in medical education.
An enthusiastic educator, Dr. Ii is dedicated to delivering high-quality, evidence-based medical education while incorporating innovative instructional approaches and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence in healthcare. Her contributions to biomedical research, medical education, and scientific leadership have been recognized nationally and internationally through professional honors, including recognition by Marquis Who's Who and Influential Women
Education History
Degree Institution B.S. (Biology) Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan M.S. (Biology) Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan Ph.D. (Molecular Biology) Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan Media Exposure
Appearance Marquis Who'sWho Honored Listee (Molecular Biology)
Recognized by Influential Women
Professional Skills
I am available to mentor medical students beginning in Spring 2027. My research is focused on identifying the roles of ribonucleases in: 1) Neurodegeneration; 2) Aging; and 3) Cancer. My lab uses the model organism C. elegans (nematode) and applies Molecular, Genetic, Biochemical, Cell Biological, and Physiological approaches to understand the mechanisms of human diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases (more specifically, motor-neuron disease), accelerated aging, and development of cancer. C. elegans is an excellent model and suitable for medical student's research projects. I mentored Medical, Graduate (Master's and Ph.D.), and Undergraduate students over two decades. My lab utilized Next-Generation Sequencing (Whole-Genome Sequencing and RNA-Seq) and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. In addition to the basic biomedical research, drug repurposing project (translational research) in which anti-cancer drugs are tested on neurodegenerative disease model worms as an alternative treatment to mitigate the symptoms.