News Archive

January 7, 2016 — Researchers at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego have entered into a research collaboration with Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen R&D), one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, to identify new therapeutic targets for Chagas disease, a parasitic infection that is the leading cause of heart failure in Latin America.

January 6, 2016 — Epidemiologists at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that persons residing at higher latitudes, with lower sunlight/ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure and greater prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, are at least two times at greater risk of developing leukemia than equatorial populations.

January 4, 2016 — By analyzing peer-reviewed scientific papers that examined the effectiveness of a surgical procedure, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine provide evidence suggesting that the conclusions of these studies appear to be influenced by the authors’ mentors and medical training.

January 4, 2016 — The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, passed under the Affordable Care Act, requires all pharmaceutical and medical device companies to report payments to physicians, including consulting fees, gifts, speaking fees, meals, travel and research grants. This information is searchable to the public on a database called Open Payments, managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medical Services (CMS). A recent study by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine analyzed this database and compared payments among different specialties and identified which ones topped the list.

December 21, 2015 — Building upon previous research, scientists at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Moores Cancer report that a protein called Wnt5a acts on a pair of tumor-surface proteins, called ROR1 and ROR2, to accelerate the proliferation and spread of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells, the most common form of blood cancer in adults.

December 16, 2015 — UC San Diego Health and the City of El Centro have entered the next phase of a comprehensive management services relationship with El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC). Under a new agreement, UC San Diego Health will provide strategic planning and management and consulting services to the ECRMC Board of Trustees and hospital leadership. UC San Diego Health and ERCMC will align administrative expertise, business and clinical initiatives with the goals of enhancing ECRMC’s ability to deliver high-quality, integrated and cost-effective care to patients in the Imperial Valley.

December 16, 2015 — The renewed emphasis on strengthening the university’s “innovation ecosystem” gets a big boost this week with the launch of the UC San Diego Entrepreneurs-in-Residence program.

December 15, 2015 — Some decline in memory and cognitive function is a normal part of aging, but what if it could be prevented? Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis have launched a major clinical trial to investigate whether mental decline in seniors can be slowed or halted through exercise and other health-related interventions.

December 15, 2015 — Around this time every year, the flu virus infects up to one-fifth of the U.S. population and kills thousands of people, many of them elderly. A study published by Cell Press on Dec. 15 in Immunity now explains why the flu vaccine is less effective at protecting older individuals. More broadly, the findings reveal novel molecular signatures that could be used to predict which individuals are most likely to respond positively to vaccination.

December 15, 2015 — Texting a friend, using a GPS device or talking on a cell phone while driving – even hands-free – can put lives in danger. Distracted driving has emerged as a major transportation safety problem. To combat it, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine recently received funding for the ninth consecutive year from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.