News Archive
2023 News Releases
August 10, 2023
Researchers Engineer Bacteria That Can Detect Tumor DNA
Pushing into a new chapter of technologically advanced biological sensors, UC San Diego bioengineers and colleagues across campous and in Australia have engineered bacteria that can detect the presence of tumor DNA in a live organism. Full Story
August 2, 2023
New Insights on Pelvic Floor Damage after Vaginal Birth, and New Directions for Treatment
UC San Diego bioengineers are leading a team reporting new insights in Science Translational Medicine on pelvic floor muscle (PFM) dysfunction and new directions for treatment and prevention. Full Story
July 26, 2023
UC San Diego Bioengineers Uncover Lipid Metabolic Dynamics in Drosophila Brain During Aging
UC San Diego bioengineers uncover lipid metabolic dynamics in the brains of fuit flies during aging. This research relies on a cutting-edge imaging technique called SRS imaging. The technique allows researchers to peer inside living cells without disturbing cell function. This research demonstrates a new approach for studying brain lipid metabolic activity in live cells. The research also illuminates the interconnection of aging, dietary, and genetic manipulations on brain lipid metabolic regulation. Full Story
July 19, 2023
Single-Cell Atlas of the Human Kidney Provides New Resources to Study Kidney Disease
What causes certain individuals who experience a sudden decline in kidney function to develop kidney disease while others recover? A new study co-led by UC San Diego bioengineers could provide detailed insight—at the level of individual cells—into the underlying factors contributing to these divergent outcomes. Full Story
June 1, 2023
The Class of 2023: Dedicated to Their Dreams
UC San Diego’s Class of 2023 looks forward to diving into their future. Their passions range from international environmental equity to artificial intelligence and from biosustainability to lasers and optics. Together, they forged their own pathways at UC San Diego and look forward to taking their next steps. Our soon-to-be alumni are ready to turn their tassels and start making their dreams into reality. Full Story
May 18, 2023
New Research from UC San Diego Sheds Light on the Possible Origins of Life
UC San Diego researchers have identified the conditions for cell metabolism to emerge on the early Earth, shedding new light on the origins of life itself, along with the fundamental nature of biological carbon fixation. Full Story
May 1, 2023
Safe, autonomous driving tech takes the wheel at Research Expo 2023
Ross Greer, an electrical and computer engineering graduate student at UC San Diego, won the grand prize at Research Expo 2023 for his work on a technology that could enable vehicles to drive more autonomously and decide when the driver is prepared to take back control of the wheel. Full Story
April 27, 2023
Scientists Slow Aging by Engineering Longevity in Cells
Researchers have developed a biosynthetic “clock” that keeps cells from reaching normal levels of deterioration related to aging. They engineered a gene oscillator that switches between the two normal paths of aging, slowing cell degeneration and setting a record for life extension. Full Story
April 18, 2023
This student organization builds neurotechnology devices
UC San Diego students will present three projects at an event that will bring together teams for five University of California campuses April 29 at UCLA. The neuro-tech conference is organized by student organizations at UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis. Full Story
April 11, 2023
Commercial-scale Biomanufactured Melatonin is Here
For the first time, large amounts of melatonin are being made by bacteria. Engineered E. coli are feeding on glucose and churning out melatonin, the hormone that controls circadian rhythms. This mode of manufacturing is growing thanks in part to bioengineering advances made at UC San Diego. Full Story
March 2, 2023
Four Early Career Professors at UC San Diego Awarded Sloan Research Fellowships
Nanoengineering professor Tod Pascal and bioengineering professor Lingyan Shi are among the four professors at UC San Diego who have been selected as 2023 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellows, a prestigious award for early-career scientists of outstanding promise. Full Story
February 28, 2023
Two UC San Diego Engineers Elected to the National Academy of Inventors
Two engineers from the University of California San Diego have been elected Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), in recognition of their efforts to improve human health through engineering. Bioengineering professors Michael J. Heller, who is also associated with nanoengineering, and Karen Christman are being recognized for the positive impacts that have come from their research. Full Story
February 1, 2023
This Injectable Biomaterial Heals Tissues From the Inside Out
A new biomaterial that can be injected intravenously, reduces inflammation in tissue and promotes cell and tissue repair. The biomaterial was tested and proven effective in treating tissue damage caused by heart attacks in both rodent and large animal models. Researchers also provided proof of concept in a rodent model that the biomaterial could be beneficial to patients with traumatic brain injury and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Full Story
January 25, 2023
Supplementation with amino acid serine eases neuropathy in diabetic mice
Approximately half of people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes experience peripheral neuropathy—weakness, numbness, and pain, primarily in the hands and feet. The condition occurs when high levels of sugar circulating in the blood damage peripheral nerves. Now, working with mice, Salk Institute researchers, in collaboration with the University of California San Diego, have identified another factor contributing to diabetes-associated peripheral neuropathy: altered amino acid metabolism. Full Story
January 17, 2023
In Cells, UV-Emitting Nail Polish Dryers Damage DNA and Cause Mutations
The ultraviolet nail polish drying devices used to cure gel manicures may pose more of a public health concern than previously thought. Researchers at UC San Diego studied these UV light-emitting devices, and found that their use leads to cell death and cancer-causing mutations in human cells. Full Story