School of Medicine

The Latest

Events, Activities Emphasize Importance of Ethics for Scholars and Scientists

As a public research university, UC San Diego is committed to the highest standards of integrity in research.

Alternative Proteins Encoded by Same Gene Have Widely Divergent Functions

A single human gene can produce many different proteins. In the first large-scale study of its kind, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and McGill University report that most of these sibling proteins encoded by the same gene — known as protein isoforms — often play radically different roles within tissues and cells.

Alcohol Also Damages the Liver by Allowing Bacteria to Infiltrate

Alcohol itself can directly damage liver cells. Now researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report evidence that alcohol is also harmful to the liver for a second reason — it allows gut bacteria to migrate to the liver, promoting alcohol-induced liver disease. The study, conducted in mice and in laboratory samples, is published February 10 in Cell Host & Microbe.

Engineers 3D-print a New Lifelike Liver Tissue for Drug Screening

A team led by engineers at the University of California, San Diego has 3D-printed a tissue that closely mimics the human liver’s sophisticated structure and function. The new model could be used for patient-specific drug screening and disease modeling. Researchers said the advance could help pharmaceutical companies save time and money when developing new drugs.

UC San Diego Launches New Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Research Center

Roughly one-quarter of all Americans – an estimated 100 million adults and children – have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a chronic condition that can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver failure. Combining a diverse array of basic science, biomarkers, imaging and clinical efforts, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has launched a new NAFLD Research Center to better understand the disease and develop treatments where none currently exist.

UC San Diego Researchers Cited Among “World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds”

Twenty-two University of California, San Diego scientists and physicians are among the 2015 listing of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds,” an annual compendium of “Highly Cited Researchers” by Thomson Reuters, a multinational mass media and information company.