News Archive - Mario Aguilera

Biologists Pinpoint Key Factor in Immune System Response to Viral Infection

Researchers studying how small worms defend themselves against pathogens have discovered a gene that acts as a first-line response against infection. They identified “ZIP-1” as a centralized hub for immune response, a finding could have implications for understanding human immunity against viruses.

Scientists Expand CRISPR-Cas9 Genetic Inheritance Control in Mammals

UC San Diego biologists have developed a method for genetic inheritance control in male mice, an achievement that advances new laboratory models in an array of research pursuits, from investigations of human disease to therapeutic drug design to invasive species removal.

‘Simple’ Bacteria Found to Organize in Elaborate Patterns

Researchers have discovered that communities of bacteria are far more advanced than previously believed. Scientists found that cells within these communities are organized in elaborate patterns, a feature previously associated with higher-level organisms such as plants and animals.

Neurobiologists Reveal How Value Decisions are Coded into Our Brains

A new study is showing how value choices are recorded in our brains. Researchers found that persistency allows value signals to be most effectively represented, or “coded,” across different areas of the brain, especially in a critical area within the cerebrum known as the retrosplenial cortex.

Researchers Develop CRISPR-based Rapid Diagnostic Tool for SARS-CoV-2

UC San Diego scientists have created a new technology that rapidly detects the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The new SENSR was developed using CRISPR gene-editing technology as a rapid diagnostic that eventually could be used in homes, airports and other locations.

UC San Diego Physicist Helps Launch National Network Examining Earth’s Planetary Limits

UC San Diego Physics Professor Tom Murphy is among five authors of an essay, appearing in the November 2021 issue of the journal Energy Research & Social Science, that cautions current levels of worldwide economic growth, energy use and resource consumption will overshoot Earth's finite limits.

Matthew Lovett-Barron Named 2021 Packard Fellow

UC San Diego Assistant Professor Matthew Lovett-Barron, who researches the neural mechanisms of internal brain states and collective decision making in schooling fish, has been selected for the 2021 Packard Fellowship Program and the Searle Scholars Program.

Neurobiologists Identify Widely Used Assembling and Stabilizing Forces behind Brain Synapses

UC San Diego scientists have provided promising new evidence that the “planar cell polarity,” a powerful signaling pathway, is a widely used mechanism for the formation and maintenance of a large number of synapses.

Elizabeth Villa Selected as 2021 HHMI Investigator

Biological Sciences Associate Professor Elizabeth Villa has been selected as a 2021 Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator. As one of 33 scientists chosen out of pool of more than 800, Villa will receive $9 million over a seven-year HHMI Investigator term.

New Technology Designed to Genetically Control Disease-spreading Mosquitoes

Scientists have created the precision-guided sterile insect technique, a new CRISPR-based technology to control Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species responsible for spreading wide-ranging diseases including dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika.