Celebrating the Life and Legacy of UC San Diego Bioengineering Pioneer David Gough

Glucose Sensing

“Dave made the key discoveries over decades that provided the knowledge necessary for continuous glucose sensors that can be implanted for long periods of time,” said UC San Diego bioengineering professor Geert Schmid-Schoenbein. “His research demonstrated both the feasibility and the incredible value of continuous blood glucose monitoring over extended periods. His work on long-term biosensors will have a major impact on people with diabetes and other chronic complications well into the future.”

Advances and inventions made by Gough and his research teams, for example, provided the foundational research for GlySens Incorporated, the company he co-founded. GlySens developed a long-term, fully implantable, miniature biosensor capable of continuously measuring blood glucose levels that was described in a landmark paper in Science Translational Medicine in 2010.

Along with his former UC San Diego bioengineering PhD student Joseph Lucisano, Gough co-founded GlySens to bring a fully implantable long-term glucose biosensor to a state of commercial readiness. The GlySens team overcame numerous technical challenges and advanced its enzyme-based biosensor technology to human clinical trials. In later trials, implant durations reached up to two years.

“Our successes at GlySens were made possible by the groundbreaking foundational research that Dave and his UCSD team had conceived and executed. We founded the company to translate those fundamental engineering science insights into practical realities, and I remain profoundly grateful for the tireless support he provided for our efforts,” said Lucisano. “Dave’s influence in the industry of biosensing remains pervasive to this day, with many companies in the field leveraging to great advantage the engineering modeling and analysis approaches that he pioneered.” Lucisano earned his PhD in bioengineering at UC San Diego.

Gough’s work also laid important groundwork for efforts to combine continuous glucose monitoring with insulin pumps, with the ultimate goal of creating an artificial pancreas.

Gough applied his unmatched knowledge of biochemical sensing in living tissue to the development of other types of biosensors but declined to accept formal credit, remaining focused on the glucose sensor, explained Schmid-Schoenbein. Generations of Gough’s students and collaborators brought to light the intricate and tremendous complexities of reliably monitoring a well known molecule like glucose in a living tissue, and developing the technology to do so.

Gough authored over 100 publications in leading journals and held more than 18 patents related to implantable sensor technologies.

Improving Lives through Biomedical Innovation

Through teaching, mentorship, service and a stint as department chair, Gough helped to shape bioengineering at UC San Diego into one of the most respected bioengineering programs and departments in the world. In all that he did, he never lost sight of his goal of practical applications that would improve lives.

“Dave was a fervent supporter of the Small Business Innovation Research [SBIR] Program from the US Small Business Administration. He felt strongly that laboratory research findings should be translated rapidly to the private sector for clinical trial and practice,” said UC San Diego bioengineering professor emeritus John Watson. “He undoubtedly is one of the all-time leaders in encouraging and reviewing hundreds of SBIR grants.”

Gough's focus on connecting research with industry extended to engineers who were already in the workplace. He was a co-creator of the Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) program in Medical Device Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. This was a rigorous master’s degree program designed to allow engineers already working in industry to complete the degree while keeping their day jobs. He took great pride in helping working engineers enhance their technical skills in the area of medical devices because he knew this kind of professional development could lead to improved outcomes for people.

Inspired Mentor and Teacher

Gough supervised more than 60 doctoral students and many undergraduate students. He is remembered for his kindness, patience, and commitment to the success of each student. He inspired curiosity, integrity, and a desire to make a difference.

Gough’s passion for teaching and inspiring future generations of bioengineers extended to high school students as well. He was determined, for example, to inspire students from under-resourced schools in San Diego to consider STEM degrees.

“He worked hard on communicating the impact of the work done on campus to the community. He made sure that people understood the value of the university, beyond the headlines,” said Carol Gough, David Gough’s wife.

These acts of reaching beyond the confines of the UC San Diego campus included outreach to biotech companies in the San Diego area in order to make sure his students had access to internships and other opportunities. At a time when bioengineering was an emerging field, “he felt it was important that students knew what was out there and how companies work.”

Through his students and mentees, Gough’s legacy continues to grow and blossom.

Awards and Accolades

Gough’s contributions to bioengineering were recognized with numerous awards and accolades. He was an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). The Juvenile Diabetes Association awarded him the M.J. Kugel Award.

At the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, he received the Gordon Engineering Leadership Award as well as multiple teaching awards.

Gough attended the University of Utah, earning a BA in Biology in 1970, a BS in Chemistry in 1971, and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering 1974. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Joslin Clinic at Harvard Medical School from 1974 to 1976. In 1976, he joined the UC San Diego faculty. He retired in 2021.

When Gough arrived on the UC San Diego campus in 1976, he joined the Bioengineering Division in the Department of Applied Mechanics and Engineering Sciences (AMES). In 1994, he was one of the founding faculty of the Department of Bioengineering. The department was renamed the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering in 2023.

Gough was also recognized as an honorary professor at the Peking Union Medical College and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.