News Archive
July 11, 2018
Why are neuron axons long and spindly? Study shows they're optimizing signaling efficiency
A team of bioengineers at UC San Diego has answered a question that has long puzzled neuroscientists, and may hold a key to better understanding the complexities of neurological disorders: Why are axons, the spindly arms extending from neurons that transmit information from neuron to neuron in the brain, designed the way they are? Full Story
July 9, 2018
Biosensor chip detects single nucleotide polymorphism wirelessly and with higher sensitivity
A team led by the University of California San Diego has developed a chip that can detect a type of genetic mutation known as a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and wirelessly send the results in real time to an electronic device. The chip is at least 1,000 times more sensitive at detecting an SNP than current technology. The advance could lead to cheaper, faster and portable biosensors for early detection of genetic markers for diseases such as cancer. Full Story
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June 15, 2018
Graduating students honored with Awards for Excellence
Here are some highlights from the impressive resumes of the 2018 Jacobs School of Engineering student award winners, recognized by the IDEA Engineering Student Center and Dean Albert P. Pisano at the Ring Ceremony. Full Story
June 7, 2018
Engineering students and alumni sweep Triton Entrepreneur Night
Two teams led by students and alumni of the Jacobs School of Engineering won big at Triton Entrepreneur Night, the signature event of The Basement—an undergraduate business incubator founded in 2015 with support from alumni. The teams competitively pitched their ideas, Shark Tank style, to a panel of esteemed investors and entrepreneurs. Full Story
May 24, 2018
Engineering student leaders honored
Top performing engineering student leaders were honored at the 9th annual Engineering Leadership Awards celebration on May 17. The event, presented by the Gordon Engineering Leadership Center at UC San Diego, recognizes undergraduate and graduate engineering students who demonstrate extraordinary leadership through their communication skills, teamwork abilities and implementation of technical solutions in competitions or real-world challenges. Full Story
May 17, 2018
You Can Eat That Fork
Zhicong “Zack” Kong, a 2017 bioengineering alumnus from UC San Diego, created compostable, durable, edible cutlery that is unique for several reasons:the ingredients, a scalable manufacturing process and an innovative mold technology. Full Story
May 1, 2018
Study to Explore Whether Cannabis Compound Eases Severe Symptoms of Autism
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine are preparing a first-of-its-kind, multidisciplinary investigation to determine if and how cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant, provides therapeutic benefit to children with severe symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study, scheduled to launch in approximately one year, is funded by a $4.7 million gift from the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation, in partnership with the Wholistic Research and Education Foundation. It represents the largest known private gift to date for medicinal cannabis research in the United States. Full Story
April 24, 2018
Flames "On Edge" wins big at Research Expo
The research presented at Research Expo 2018 was “on fire” thanks to UC San Diego mechanical engineering graduate student Luca Carmignani. He took home the top prize at Research Expo for his work to understand the spread of fire over real-world 3D shapes. Full Story
April 12, 2018
Eight Jacobs School alumni recognized at UC San Diego's first 40 Under 40 awards
From startup founders to VPs at major technology companies, eight alumni of the Jacobs School of Engineering were recognized in the first 40 Under 40 awards bestowed by the University of California San Diego. Full Story
April 2, 2018
Even DNA that Doesn't Encode Genes Can Drive Cancer
Most of the human genome — 98 percent — is made up of DNA but doesn’t actually encode genes, the recipes cells use to build proteins. The vast majority of genetic mutations associated with cancer occur in these non-coding regions of the genome, yet it’s unclear how they might influence tumor development or growth. Now researchers at University of California San Diego have identified nearly 200 mutations in non-coding DNA that play a functional role in cancer. Each of the mutations could represent a new target in the search for cancer drugs. The study is published April 2, 2018 in Nature Genetics. Full Story
March 21, 2018
A wearable system to monitor the stomach's activity throughout the day
A team of researchers has developed a wearable, non-invasive system to monitor electrical activity in the stomach over 24 hours—essentially an electrocardiogram but for the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract. Applications include monitoring GI activity for patients outside of a clinical setting, which cuts down costs. Monitoring for longer periods of time also increases the likelihood of capturing abnormal events. Researchers detail their findings in the March 22 issue of Nature’s open access journal Scientific Reports. Full Story
March 15, 2018
Engineers Sweep Entrepreneur Challenge Startup Stage at Ignite
Engineers showed up in force at the second annual Ignite Conference pitch competition at UC San Diego. Almost a third of the 29 startups pitching their innovative business ideas during the Entrepreneur Challenge-led elevator pitch competition were founded by engineers—including the first, second and third place winners. That’s right, it was an engineering clean sweep. Full Story
March 12, 2018
Engineers develop most efficient red-light-activated switch that can turn genes on and off in mammalian cells
A team of researchers has developed a light-activated switch that can turn genes on and off in mammalian cells. This is the most efficient so-called “optogenetic switch” activated by red and far-red light that has been successfully designed and tested in animal cells—and it doesn’t require the addition of light sensing molecules from outside the cells. Full Story
March 5, 2018
How a Yeast Cell Helps Crack Open the 'Black Box' Behind Artificial Intelligence
A research team recently developed what they call a “visible” neural network and used it to build DCell, a model of a functioning brewer’s yeast cell, commonly used as a model in basic research. To do this, they amassed all knowledge of cell biology in one place and created a hierarchy of these cellular components. Then they mapped standard machine learning algorithms to this knowledgebase. Full Story
February 27, 2018
New online tool gives 3D view of human metabolic processes
A new computational resource called Recon3D provides a 3D view of genes, proteins and metabolites involved in human metabolism. Researchers used the tool to map disease-related mutations on proteins and also probed how genes and proteins change in response to certain drugs. The work provides a better understanding of disease-causing mutations and could enable researchers to discover new uses for existing drug treatments. Full Story
February 22, 2018
How Bacteria Steal Antibiotic-Resistant Genes
Researchers at the University of California San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation have identified the mechanism by which a clinically relevant bacterium may gain antibiotic resistance, and have come up with a model for predicting the conditions under which it spreads. The findings, which establish a framework for understanding, quantifying and hopefully combating the emergence of superbugs, were published in a recent paper in eLife. Full Story
February 16, 2018
UC San Diego Bioengineering Student Wins Winston Churchill Scholarship
Aswini Krishnan, a fourth-year bioengineering major at the University of California San Diego, has been awarded a Winston Churchill Scholarship, one of the most prestigious and competitive awards available to American students pursuing science, mathematics and engineering fields. The award provides one year of funding to pursue a master’s degree at Winston Churchill College at the University of Cambridge. Krishnan is the fourth UC San Diego student to receive the award since the program’s inception in 1963. Full Story
January 15, 2018
Researchers develop a remote-controlled cancer immunotherapy system
A team of researchers has developed an ultrasound-based system that can non-invasively and remotely control genetic processes in live immune T cells so that they recognize and kill cancer cells. Full Story
January 11, 2018
From Class to Clinic
It’s not every day that an undergraduate class influences the way surgeons prepare for operations. But that’s exactly what happened with a freshman bioengineering class co-taught by then-PhD student Jason Caffrey ’11, MS ’13‚ and professor Robert Sah. Full Story
December 11, 2017
Updated brain cell map connects various brain diseases to specific cell types
Researchers have developed new single-cell sequencing methods that could be used to map the cell origins of various brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. By analyzing individual nuclei of cells from adult human brains, researchers have identified 35 different subtypes of neurons and glial cells and discovered which of these subtypes are most susceptible to common risk factors for different brain diseases. Full Story