News Archive - School of Medicine

Experts Come Together to Save 3-year-old Gorilla’s Eyesight at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

San Diego Zoo Safari Park and UC San Diego Health experts performed cataract surgery to restore a 3-year-old gorilla’s eyesight.

Objective Subtle Cognitive Difficulties Predict Amyloid Accumulation and Neurodegeneration

Researchers report that accumulating amyloid protein occurred faster among persons deemed to have "objectively-defined subtle cognitive difficulties" (Obj-SCD) than among persons considered to be "cognitively normal," offering a potential new early biomarker for Alzheimer's disease.

Measuring Mutations in Sperm May Reveal Risk for Autism in Future Children

Spontaneous mutations in male sperm are linked to development of autism spectrum disorder. Researchers have created a way to measure mutations and estimate risk of ASD in future children. If developed into a clinical test, the method could be a useful predictive tool in genetic counseling.

Injection of Virus-Delivered Gene Silencer Blocks ALS Degeneration, Saves Motor Function

Novel spinal therapy/delivery approach prevented disease onset in neurodegenerative ALS disease model in adult mice and blocked progression in animals already showing disease symptoms.

In Some Children with Autism, “Social” and “Visual” Neural Circuits Don’t Quite Connect

Researchers combined eye gaze data with brain scans to discover that in a common subtype of autism, brain areas responsible for vision and attention are not controlled by social brain networks, and so social stimuli are ignored.

Stroke Drug Boosts Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

In a UC San Diego study, rats with spinal cord injuries experienced a three-fold increase in motor activity when treated with neural progenitor cells that had been pre-conditioned with a modified form of tPA, a drug commonly used to treat non-hemorrhagic stroke.

Math Equation Predicts and Detects Liver Cancer

University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center researchers developed a math equation to predict and detect liver cancer and identified when healthy cells become cancerous.

New Program to Address Impaired Driving from Alcohol, Cannabis and Prescription Drugs

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine will expand a statewide program to prevent driving under the influence of alcohol, cannabis and prescription drugs.

New CRISPR-based Gene-Drive System in Bacteria Defeats Antibiotic Resistance

Scientists have developed a CRISPR-based gene-drive system that inactivates a gene rendering bacteria antibiotic-resistant. The new system leverages technology developed by UC San Diego biologists in insects and mammals that biases genetic inheritance of preferred traits called “active genetics.”

Have You Found Meaning in Life? Answer Determines Health and Well-being

A recent study by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that the presence of and search for meaning in life are important for health and well-being, though the relationships differ in adults younger and older than age 60.