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News Archive - School of Medicine

Exosomes are the Missing Link to Insulin Resistance in Diabetes

September 21, 2017

Chronic tissue inflammation resulting from obesity is an underlying cause of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. But the mechanism by which this occurs has remained cloaked, until now. In a paper, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers identified exosomes — extremely small vesicles or sacs secreted from most cell types — as the missing link.

Drug Combination May Improve Impact of Immunotherapy in Head and Neck Cancer

September 21, 2017

Checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapy has been shown to be very effective in recurrent and metastatic head and neck cancer but only in a minority of patients. University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers may have found a way to double down on immunotherapy’s effectiveness.

Researchers Develop New Tool to Assess Individual’s Level of Wisdom

September 20, 2017

Researchers at University of San Diego School of Medicine have developed a new tool called the San Diego Wisdom Scale (SD-WISE) to assess an individual’s level of wisdom, based upon a conceptualization of wisdom as a trait with a neurobiological as well as psychosocial basis.

Brain Powered: Increased Physical Activity Among Breast Cancer Survivors Boosts Cognition

September 19, 2017

It is estimated that up to 75 percent of breast cancer survivors experience problems with cognitive difficulties following treatments, perhaps lasting years. Currently, few science-based options are available to help. University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers report in a pilot study of 87 female breast cancer survivors that an increase in physical activity more than doubled the women’s post-treatment mental processing speed.

People with Schizophrenia Left Out of Longevity Revolution

September 15, 2017

A team of researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System analyzed published longitudinal studies of mortality in schizophrenia that met their strict research criteria and found that the mean standardized mortality ratio – a measure of the mortality rate in schizophrenia – has increased 37 percent from pre-1970s studies to post-1970s studies.

Researchers Develop New Strategy to Target KRAS Mutant Cancer

September 13, 2017

In a new study, published this month in Cancer Discovery, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers report that approximately half of lung and pancreatic cancers that originate with a KRAS mutation become addicted to the gene as they progress.

These Mutations Could Be Key to Understanding How Some Harmful Conditions Develop

September 12, 2017

A team of researchers led by a bioinformatician at the University of California San Diego has developed a method to help determine whether certain hard-to-study mutations in the human genome, called short tandem repeats or microsatellites, are likely to be involved in harmful conditions. The team, which also includes scientists from the New York Genome Center, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, details their findings in the Sept. 11 issue of Nature Genetics.

When Ancient Fossil DNA Isn’t Available, Ancient Glycans May Help Trace Human Evolution

September 11, 2017

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and collaborators discovered a new kind of glycan (sugar chain) that survives even in a 4 million-year-old animal fossil from Kenya, under conditions where ancient DNA does not. While ancient hominin fossils are not yet available for glycan analysis, this proof-of-concept study, published September 11 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sets the stage for unprecedented explorations of human origins and diet.

New UC San Diego Master’s Degree Will Train Professionals for Drug Development Careers

September 6, 2017

The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California San Diego now offers a Master of Science in Drug Development and Product Management. This is the pharmacy school’s first master’s degree program. The program is intended for experienced professionals to gain managerial and regulatory knowledge required to lead all aspects of the drug development process, from discovery to clinical application in managed markets.

Zika Virus Targets and Kills Brain Cancer Stem Cells

September 5, 2017

In developing fetuses, infection by the Zika virus can result in devastating neurological damage, most notably microcephaly and other brain malformations. In a new study, published today in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report the virus specifically targets and kills brain cancer stem cells.
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