January 8, 2019
January 8, 2019 —
Using CRISPR, researchers developed a way to suppress insects, including those that ravage crops and transmit deadly diseases. The technology alters genes for sex determination and fertility. When eggs are introduced, only sterile males emerge, resulting in a low-cost method of controlling pests.
December 17, 2018
December 17, 2018 —
UC San Diego scientists have been granted $2 million to develop new methods for manufacturing products based on algae. Biologist Stephen Mayfield will lead efforts to develop novel platforms to produce biologically based monomers that will be used to manufacture renewable and biodegradable products.
October 29, 2018
October 29, 2018 —
Biologists at UC San Diego have discovered a new way of re-sensitizing drug-resistant human tumor cells to the potency of DNA-damaging agents, the most widely used group of cancer drugs. In a new study, they describe how a human gene known as Schlafen 11 controls the sensitivity of tumor cells to DDAs. Their research may pave the way to new strategies to overcome chemotherapeutic drug resistance.
September 27, 2018
September 27, 2018 —
Scientists have known that bacteria produce small spherical versions of themselves. Lacking basic materials to reproduce or function like normal cells, the natural role of minicells—which protrude like budding balloons off the ends of bacteria—has remained a mystery. Now, researchers at UC San Diego have demonstrated for the first time that minicells play a key function in the survival of bacteria.
August 15, 2018
August 15, 2018 —
UC San Diego biologists and their colleagues have revealed that enhancer RNAs play a significant role in cancer dissemination. The researchers found that eRNAs have a direct role in the activation of genes that are important for tumor development. This role is facilitated by the ability of eRNAs to directly interact with BRD4, a protein known as a cancer disseminator. BRD4 has been recognized as a promising cancer target.
July 25, 2018
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 12, 2018
July 12, 2018 —
New research has uncovered a protein that enables the replication of arenaviruses, lethal pathogens spreading in West Africa. The research identified DDX3 as a key factor through its unexpected ability to dismantle normal human immune system defenses. The study may pave the way to new therapeutic treatments for arenaviruses and hemorrhagic fever.
July 10, 2018
July 10, 2018 —
Researchers discovered an unexpected twist in the battle versus tumors. Tumors employ a protein called PD-L1 to blind T cells from functioning. PD-L1 protects tumors through a “molecular brake” known as PD-1. Researchers have found that some tumor cells display not only their PD-L1 weapon, but also the PD-1 brake, essentially becoming a neutralizing function. The unexpected mechanism could help determine whether a cancer patient will respond to immunotherapy.
July 9, 2018
July 9, 2018 —
UC San Diego has selected Kit Pogliano, a professor of molecular biology, as its new dean for the Division of Biological Sciences. Pogliano was selected after a national search and will begin her new appointment on Sept. 15, 2018. She is the fourth dean of the division and its first female leader. She will lead a renowned division that consistently ranks among the world’s best in biology research and education.
June 14, 2018
June 14, 2018 —
The Pew Charitable Trusts has announced that UC San Diego Biological Sciences Assistant Professors Matthew Daugherty and Enfu Hui have been selected to the 2018 class of Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences. Pew also announced that Diego Alvarez and Grisel Cruz Becerra, Biological Sciences postdoctoral researchers, have been named new Pew Latin American Fellows in the Biomedical Sciences.
