Skip to main content

News Archive

News Archive - Liezel Labios

Nanobowls Offer a Way to Magnetically Deliver Drugs in the Body

August 3, 2016

Imagine a device that could transport drugs to any diseased site in the body with the help of a small magnet. Researchers at the University of California San Diego have taken a step toward that goal by developing nano-sized vessels, called nanobowls, that could be filled with drug molecules and controlled with magnets for guided delivery to specific tissues and organs, including cancer tissue, small organs such as the pancreas and hard to access areas like the brain.

Flexible Wearable Electronic Skin Patch Offers New Way to Monitor Alcohol Levels

August 2, 2016

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a flexible wearable sensor that can accurately measure a person’s blood alcohol level from sweat and transmit the data wirelessly to a laptop, smartphone or other mobile device. The device can be worn on the skin and could be used by doctors and police officers for continuous, non-invasive and real-time monitoring of blood alcohol content.

Engineers Receive SunShot Grant to Develop Less Costly, More Efficient Solar Collectors

July 28, 2016

University of California San Diego electrical and computer engineering professor Boubacar Kante will lead a three-year, $2.5 million project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative aimed at making solar energy systems cost-competitive with traditional energy sources.

Researchers Improve Performance of Cathode Material by Controlling Oxygen Activity

July 7, 2016

An international team of researchers has demonstrated a new way to increase the robustness and energy storage capability of a particular class of “lithium-rich” cathode materials—by using a carbon dioxide-based gas mixture to create oxygen vacancies at the material’s surface. Researchers said the treatment improved the energy density—the amount of energy stored per unit mass—of the cathode material by up to 30 to 40 percent.

Human Brain Houses Diverse Populations of Neurons, New Research Shows

June 24, 2016

A team of researchers has developed the first scalable method to identify different subtypes of neurons in the human brain. The research lays the groundwork for “mapping” the gene activity in the human brain and could help provide a better understanding of brain functions and disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia and depression.

Engineers Develop a New Biosensor Chip for Detecting DNA Mutations

June 14, 2016

Bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego have developed an electrical graphene chip capable of detecting mutations in DNA. Researchers say the technology could one day be used in various medical applications such as blood-based tests for early cancer screening, monitoring disease biomarkers and real-time detection of viral and microbial sequences.

Engineers 3D-print a New Lifelike Liver Tissue for Drug Screening

February 8, 2016

A team led by engineers at the University of California, San Diego has 3D-printed a tissue that closely mimics the human liver’s sophisticated structure and function. The new model could be used for patient-specific drug screening and disease modeling. Researchers said the advance could help pharmaceutical companies save time and money when developing new drugs.

Seeing Where Energy Goes May Bring Scientists Closer to Realizing Nuclear Fusion

January 14, 2016

An international team of researchers has taken a step toward achieving controlled nuclear fusion—a process that powers the Sun and other stars, and has the potential to supply the world with limitless, clean energy. The team, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego and General Atomics, developed a new technique to “see” where energy is delivered during fast ignition experiments and improve energy delivery to the fuel target.

Noise Can’t Hide Weak Signals From This New Receiver

December 11, 2015

Electrical engineers at the University of California, San Diego developed a receiver that can detect a weak, fast, randomly occurring signal. The study lays the groundwork for a new class of highly sensitive communication receivers and scientific instruments that can extract faint, non-repetitive signals from noise. The advance has applications in secure communication, electronic warfare, signal intelligence, remote sensing, astronomy and spectroscopy.

Electric Fields Remove Nanoparticles From Blood With Ease

November 20, 2015

Engineers at the University of California, San Diego developed a new technology that uses an oscillating electric field to easily and quickly isolate drug-delivery nanoparticles from blood. The technology could serve as a general tool to separate and recover nanoparticles from other complex fluids for medical, environmental, and industrial applications.
Category navigation with Social links