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News Archive - Biological Sciences

Bioengineering, Bioinformatics Graduate Students Selected as Siebel Scholars

September 22, 2022

Five UC San Diego bioengineering and bioinformatics graduate students have been honored as 2023 Siebel Scholars. The Siebel Scholars program recognizes the most talented students in the world’s leading graduate schools of business, computer science, bioengineering and energy science.

A Sea Change for Plastic Pollution: New Material Biodegrades in Ocean Water

September 22, 2022

Seeking solutions to counteract a rapid rise in plastic trash, scientists at UC San Diego have developed biodegradable material that is designed to replace conventionally used plastic. In a new study, an interdisciplinary team of researchers has shown that the material biodegrades in seawater.

CRISPR-based Technology Targets Global Crop Pest

August 18, 2022

Applying CRISPR-based technology to a broad agricultural need, scientists have developed a new technology aimed at Drosophila suzukii, the invasive fruit fly responsible for millions of dollars in crop damage. The technology replaces the need for insecticides with precise genetic edits in flies.

Best New Dean of Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science

August 5, 2022

Brookie Best, PharmD, has been named the next dean of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego, succeeding James McKerrow, PhD, MD, who stepped down June 30, 2022.

Giant Viruses Build a Cell Nucleus Surprisingly Like Our Own

August 3, 2022

Scientists are using new technologies to obtain unprecedented looks inside viruses and their unique abilities to infect and destroy bacteria. Using cryo-EM and other technologies, they found that jumbo phage cells feature a compartment that is surprisingly similar to the nucleus of human cells.

Evolve… Innovate… Repeat: Scientists Peel Back the Layers of Virus-Host Evolution and Innovation

July 12, 2022

Scientists have uncovered an intriguing new understanding of how viruses and the hosts they infect evolve new innovations to outcompete each other. Culminating a 10-year research effort, the researchers tracked the way fitness landscapes constantly change in the ongoing struggle for survival.

Awash in Potential: Wastewater Provides Early Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus

July 7, 2022

Scientists and physicians at UC San Diego and Scripps Research describe how wastewater sequencing provided dramatic new insights into levels and variants of SARS-CoV-2 on campus and in the broader community — a key step to public health interventions in advance of COVID-19 case surges.

“Soft” CRISPR May Offer a New Fix for Genetic Defects

July 1, 2022

Scientists have developed a CRISPR-based technology that could offer a safer approach to correcting genetic defects. The new “soft” CRISPR system makes use of natural DNA repair machinery, providing a foundation for novel gene therapy strategies with the potential to cure genetic diseases.

Immune Cells Anchored in Tissues Offer Unique Defenses Against Pathogens and Cancers

June 29, 2022

Researchers are expanding their understanding of unique immune “memory” cells equipped to remember malicious invaders. They developed an atlas that describes tissue-resident memory cells in diverse settings, boosting prospects for new immune defense strategies at vulnerable infection sites.

UC San Diego Biological Sciences Professors Elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 9, 2022

School of Biological Sciences neurobiologist Yishi Jin and molecular biologist James T. Kadonaga have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors bestowed upon U.S. scientists and engineers.
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