Technology & Engineering

Research

The Latest

New Injectable Hydrogel Encourages Regeneration and Improves Functionality After a Heart Attack

University of California, San Diego bioengineers have demonstrated in a study in pigs that a new injectable hydrogel can repair damage from heart attacks, help the heart grow new tissue and blood vessels, and get the heart moving closer to how a healthy heart should. The results of the study were published Feb. 20 in Science Translational Medicine and clear the way for clinical trials to begin this year in Europe. The gel is injected through a catheter without requiring surgery or general anesthesia -- a less invasive procedure for patients.

UC San Diego Cancer Scientist Wins $3 Million Award

Napoleone Ferrara, MD, PhD, the molecular biologist credited with helping decipher how tumors grow and now senior deputy director for basic sciences at the University of California, San Diego Moores Cancer Center, was today named one of 11 recipients of the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, which comes with a $3 million cash award.

Rewriting a Receptor’s Role

In a pair of new papers, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences upend a long-held view about the basic functioning of a key receptor molecule involved in signaling between neurons, and describe how a compound linked to Alzheimer’s disease impacts that receptor and weakens synaptic connections between brain cells.

Tough, Light and Strong: Lessons From Nature Could Lead to the Creation of New Materials

In a sweeping review of the field of bio-inspired engineering and biomimicry in the Feb. 15 issue of the journal Science, two engineers at the University of California, San Diego, identify three characteristics of biological materials that they believe engineers would do well to emulate in man-made materials: light weight, toughness and strength.

Engineering Students Develop App to Help Protect Marine Conservation Areas

A team of engineering students at UC San Diego has been working hard to help protect the beaches and waters off the La Jolla coastline by developing a web app that will allow volunteers to monitor the health of marine conservation areas. Volunteers will input information about human activity, pollution, and even poaching, into the app via an interactive form.

Sciences, Engineering Join Therapeutics in UC San Diego “Express License” Program

Almost 160 active companies in San Diego County have been established by UC San Diego alumni, faculty and staff. With the launch of a second "Express License" program, founding a company with engineering or physical sciences technology invented at the university just got easier.