News Archive

July 25, 2018 — In a study published online July 25 in the journal Nature, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers identified a signaling pathway that activates the NLRP3 inflammasome implicated in several severe chronic inflammatory disorders.

July 25, 2018 — A concept known as “percolation” is helping microbiologists at UC San Diego explain how communities of bacteria can effectively relay signals across long distances. Once regarded as simple clusters of microorganisms, communities of bacteria have been found to employ a strategy we use to brew coffee and extract oil from the sea. Percolation helps the microscopic community thrive and survive threats, such as chemical attacks from antibiotics.

July 24, 2018 — They each bring diverse expertise as doctors, educators, lawyers and entrepreneurs. Yet they all share a common interest: propelling the bold experiments, lifesaving solutions and nontraditional learning opportunities at the University of California San Diego. The UC San Diego Board of Trustees are unique ambassadors who dedicate their time and talents to supporting the university’s continued growth. This year, eight trustees will join the 2018-19 UC San Diego Foundation Board.

July 24, 2018 — In a new study, published in this week’s issue of Cell Reports, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine scrutinized the whole genome sequences of 18 induced pluripotent stem cell lines derived from skin cells that they had reprogrammed to identify and characterize somatic mutations.

July 24, 2018 — The University of California San Diego has been awarded $11.3 million over four years from DARPA to lead a multi-institution project which aims to develop electronic design automation tools for 24-hour, no-human-in-the-loop hardware layout generation.

July 23, 2018 — Like small-scale Legos clicking into place, nature autonomously puts together microscopic building blocks. Living systems are biochemical machines that excel at building and moving their parts. Just as machines need energy in some form to operate, living systems are energized by consuming “fuel”—substances or food—reliably. The human body, for example, contracts muscles by the motion of tiny nanomotors—molecular devices that convert energy at the nanoscale scale to generate movement at the macroscale. The ability to mimic nature’s self-assembly would revolutionize science’s approach to synthesizing materials that could heal, contract or reconfigure.

July 23, 2018 — Using advanced fabrication techniques, engineers at the University of California San Diego have built a nanosized device out of silver crystals that can generate light by efficiently “tunneling” electrons through a tiny barrier. The work brings plasmonics research a step closer to realizing ultra-compact light sources for high-speed, optical data processing and other on-chip applications.

July 20, 2018 — The governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) unanimously approved this week two grants worth more than $2.2 million to University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers investigating stem cell-based therapies for a rare genetic disorder that affects the heart and a chronic, progressive affliction of the lungs.

July 18, 2018 — “It may not be easy to run an engineering school, but it’s impossible without your friends,” said Jacobs School of Engineering Dean Albert P. Pisano at the annual Charles Lee Powell Foundation graduate fellowship luncheon. “To the ladies and gentlemen of the Powell Board—I am grateful for that friendship which was paid forward through other deans and other times. I, too, am standing on the shoulders of all the previous investment, and I do really appreciate all of that.”

July 18, 2018 — By doping alumina crystals with neodymium ions, engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a new laser material that is capable of emitting ultra-short, high-power pulses—a combination that could potentially yield smaller, more powerful lasers with superior thermal shock resistance, broad tunability and high-duty cycles.