News
April 30, 2025
Using Bacteria as Living Test Tubes to Study Human Gene Mutations and Find New Drug Leads
Traditional methods of studying human gene mutations are often laborious and costly. Now bioengineers at UC San Diego have developed a new simple approach to rapidly check on human gene changes and also screen chemicals as potential drugs by turning everyday bacteria into living test tubes. Full Story
April 25, 2025
This Injected Protein-like Polymer Helps Tissues Heal After a Heart Attack
Researchers have developed a new therapy that can be injected intravenously right after a heart attack to promote healing and prevent heart failure. The therapy both prompts the immune system to encourage tissue repair and promotes survival of heart muscle cells after a heart attack. Researchers tested the therapy in rats and showed that it is effective up to five weeks after injection. Full Story
April 25, 2025
AI Helps Unravel a Cause of Alzheimer's Disease and Identify a Therapeutic Candidate
A new study found that a gene recently recognized as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease is actually a cause of it, due to its previously unknown secondary function that triggers a pathway that disrupts how cells in the brain turn genes on and off. Full Story
April 23, 2025
Childhood Exposure to Bacterial Toxin May Be Triggering Colorectal Cancer Epidemic Among the Young
In an effort to explain a modern medical mystery, an international team of researchers led by bioengineers at the University of California San Diego has identified a potential microbial culprit behind the alarming rise in early-onset colorectal cancer: a bacterial toxin called colibactin. Full Story
March 31, 2025
UC San Diego Bioengineer Inducted Into 2025 Class of the AIMBE College of Fellows
Bioengineering professor Daniela Valdez-Jasso was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). She was recognized for her research exploring the roles of biomechanical forces in the progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Full Story
March 27, 2025
Bioengineer Elected AAAS Fellow
Karen Christman, a professor in the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering and the Sanford Stem Cell Institute, was elected a 2024 AAAS Fellow. Full Story
March 20, 2025
How a Y Chromosome Gene May Shape the Course of Heart Valve Disease
Bioengineers have shed new light on how a type of heart valve disease—aortic valve stenosis—progresses differently in males and females. The research paves the way for treatments that can be tailored to a patient's biological sex. Full Story
March 10, 2025
Sam Ward Appointed Vice Dean for Research at School of Medicine
Sam Ward, P.T., Ph.D., professor in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Radiology at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Bioengineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, has been appointed vice dean for research. Full Story
March 5, 2025
A New Way to Predict Cancer's Spread? Scientists Look at 'Stickiness' of Tumor Cells
By assessing how "sticky" tumor cells are, UC San Diego researchers have found a potential way to predict whether a patient's early-stage breast cancer is likely to spread. The discovery could help doctors identify high-risk patients and tailor their treatments accordingly. Full Story
February 27, 2025
Bioengineer elected to the National Academy of Inventors
Lingyan Shi was elected as a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors. She is an expert in imaging and spectroscopy technologies, such as stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) nanoscopy. This imaging technique can visualize chemical signatures such as molecular bonds in cells, tissues or animals without the need for fluorescent markers typically used in biological microscopy. The technology can be a powerful tool for diagnosing and assessing the impact of therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and aging processes, as well as for drug discovery. Full Story