News Archive - Liezel Labios

Swimming Microrobots Deliver Cancer-fighting Drugs to Metastatic Lung Tumors in Mice

UC San Diego engineers have developed microscopic robots, known as microrobots, that swim through the lungs to deliver cancer-fighting medication directly to metastatic tumors. This approach has shown promise in mice, where it inhibited the growth and spread of tumors that had metastasized to the lungs, thereby boosting survival rates compared to control treatments.

Wearable Ultrasound Patch Enables Continuous, Non-Invasive Monitoring of Cerebral Blood Flow

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a wearable ultrasound patch that can offer continuous, non-invasive monitoring of blood flow in the brain. The soft and stretchy patch can be comfortably worn on the temple to provide three-dimensional data on cerebral blood flow—a first in wearable technology.

$21 Million Gift to UC San Diego Honors Unique Efforts to Link Chemical and Nano Engineering More Strongly

A $21M gift from Aiiso Yufeng Li (Jeff) and his wife, DongDong Li (Doreen), honors unique efforts at UC San Diego to link chemical and nano engineering more strongly. In recognition of this gift, the department will be named the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering.

‘MUSIC Map’ Reveals Some Brain Cells Age Faster and Are More Prevalent in Alzheimer’s

UC San Diego engineers have discovered that some brain cells age more rapidly than others, and they are disproportionately abundant in individuals afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, researchers observed sex-specific differences in the aging process of certain brain cells, with the female cortex exhibiting a higher ratio of “old” oligodendrocytes to “old” neurons compared to the male cortex.

Plant Virus Treatment Shows Promise in Fighting Metastatic Cancers in Mice

An experimental treatment made from a plant virus is effective at protecting against a broad range of metastatic cancers in mice, shows a new study from the University of California San Diego. The treatment, composed of nanoparticles fashioned from the cowpea mosaic virus—a virus that infects black-eyed pea plants—showed remarkable success in improving survival rates and suppressing the growth of metastatic tumors across various cancer models, including colon, ovarian, melanoma and breast cancer.

Engineering Professor Tackles Tricky Academic Topics on YouTube

Professor Darren Lipomi, who also serves as associate dean for students at UC San Diego’s Jacobs School of Engineering, uses his YouTube platform to candidly address the realities and tough conversations of academic life head-on.

Biodegradable ‘Living Plastic’ Houses Bacterial Spores That Help It Break Down

A new type of bioplastic could help reduce the plastic industry’s environmental footprint. Researchers have developed a biodegradable form of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) filled with bacterial spores that, when exposed to nutrients present in compost, germinate and break down the material at the end of its life cycle.

Computational Tools Fuel Reconstruction of New and Improved Bird Family Tree

Using computational methods and supercomputing infrastructure at UC San Diego, researchers have built the largest and most detailed bird family tree to date—an intricate chart delineating 93 million years of evolutionary relationships between 363 bird species, representing 92% of all bird families.

UC San Diego Engineers Inducted Into 2024 Class of the AIMBE College of Fellows

Engineering professors Ludmil Alexandrov and Sheng Xu were inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), one of the highest distinctions accorded to medical and biological engineers.

Healable Cathode Could Unlock Potential of Solid-state Lithium-sulfur Batteries

UC San Diego engineers developed a cathode material for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries that is healable and highly conductive, overcoming longstanding challenges of traditional sulfur cathodes. The advance holds promise for bringing more energy dense and low-cost Li-S batteries closer to market.