Health & Behavior

Research

The Latest

Junior Seau Foundation Supports Brain Injury Studies and Education at UC San Diego

The Junior Seau Foundation has pledged $250,000 to support brain injury research and education at the University of California San Diego. The gift is made in memory of the beloved NFL Football Hall of Famer and longtime San Diego Charger, Junior Seau, who passed away in 2012 and was subsequently diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease associated with repeated blows to the head.

New Gene Fusions and Mutations Linked to Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors

In recent years, researchers have identified specific gene mutations linked to gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), which primarily occur in the stomach or small intestine, but 10 to 15 percent of adult GIST cases and most pediatric cases lack the tell-tale mutations, making identification and treatment difficult. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Moores Cancer Center have identified new gene fusions and mutations associated with this subset of GIST patients.

UC San Diego Research Awarded $3.8 Million for Critical, Innovative Work

University of California San Diego researchers are leading three separate research projects, each involving faculty from across the UC system. A total of $3.79 million in grants from the University of California Multicampus Research and Programs Initiatives has been awarded to fund the work.

Art’s Content: Jacobs Medical Center Captures Curative Power of Creativity

Modern hospitals are designed to aid healing in every possible space, from operating rooms and recovery areas to cafeterias and lobbies. One way is through art, and the new Jacobs Medical Center at UC San Diego Health reflects this with an extraordinary collection of paintings, photographs, sculptures, and other mediums, by renowned artists that are featured on every floor and inside every patient room throughout the 10-story hospital.

Unexpected Activity of Two Enzymes Helps Explain Why Liver Cancer Drugs Fail

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that lack of two types of enzymes can lead to liver disease and cancer in mice. In human liver tumors, they found that deficiencies in these two enzymes, Shp2 and Pten, are associated with poor prognosis. The study, published December 13 by Cell Reports, provides a new understanding of liver cancer development, new therapeutic approach and new mouse model for studying the disease.

Personality Traits and Psychiatric Disorders Linked to Specific Genomic Locations

A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has identified six loci or regions of the human genome that are significantly linked to personality traits, report researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine in this week’s advance online publication of Nature Genetics. The findings also show correlations with psychiatric disorders.