News Archive
March 21, 2016
Tiny Trees at Research Expo 2016 are High-Tech Flexible Sensors
The tiny trees on the image above, part of the artwork for Research Expo 2016, are actually sensors, fabricated by researchers in the lab of University of California, San Diego bioengineering professor Todd Coleman. The sensors are high-tech flexible sensors for medical applications, and can be used to monitor vital signs and brain activity. Full Story
March 8, 2016
New therapy could treat poor blood circulation caused by peripheral artery disease
Bioengineers and physicians at UC San Diego have developed a potential new therapy for critical limb ischemia, a condition that causes extremely poor circulation in the limbs and leads to an estimated 230,000 amputations every year in North America and Europe alone to prevent the spread of infection and tissue death. The new therapy could prevent or limit amputations for a condition that affects more than 27 million people and is a manifestation of advanced peripheral arterial disease. Full Story
March 2, 2016
Jacobs School of Engineering Faculty Earn Diversity Awards
University of California, San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering professors Tara Javidi and Todd Coleman have been awarded the 2015 UC San Diego Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action and Diversity Award. Full Story
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February 24, 2016
New Research Centers and 200+ Graduate Student Posters to be Highlighted at Research Expo 2016
Advances coming out of new industry-focused research centers at the University of California, San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering will be highlighted in faculty talks and in some of the more than 200+ graduate student posters that will be presented on April 14, 2016 at Research Expo. Full Story
February 8, 2016
Engineers 3D-print a new lifelike liver tissue for drug screening
A team led by engineers at the University of California, San Diego has 3D-printed a tissue that closely mimics the human liver’s sophisticated structure and function. The new model could be used for patient-specific drug screening and disease modeling. Researchers said the advance could help pharmaceutical companies save time and money when developing new drugs. Full Story
February 1, 2016
Jacobs School Researchers Cited Among 'World's Most Influential Scientific Minds'
Four researchers at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego were included on the 2015 listing of “The World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds,” an annual compendium of “Highly Cited Researchers” by Thomson Reuters, a multinational mass media and information company. Full Story
January 28, 2016
Bioengineers inducted into prestigious institution
Three bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego, will be inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the organization announced. Professors Karen Christman, Gabriel Silva and Shyni Varghese will be recognized during a ceremony at the National Academy of Sciences Great Hall in Washington, DC, on April 4. Full Story
January 12, 2016
Brain monitoring takes a leap out of the lab
Bioengineers and cognitive scientists have developed the first portable, 64-channel wearable brain activity monitoring system that’s comparable to state-of-the-art equipment found in research laboratories. The researchers are working toward a world where neuroimaging systems work with mobile sensors and smart phones to track brain states throughout the day and augment the brain’s capabilities. Full Story
December 15, 2015
Why the Flu Vaccine Is Less Effective in the Elderly
Around this time every year, the flu virus infects up to one-fifth of the U.S. population and kills thousands of people, many of them elderly. A study published by Cell Press on Dec. 15 in Immunity now explains why the flu vaccine is less effective at protecting older individuals. More broadly, the findings reveal novel molecular signatures that could be used to predict which individuals are most likely to respond positively to vaccination. Full Story
December 15, 2015
Chewing slowly helps prevent excessive weight gain in children
Waiting 30 seconds in between bites of food allows children to realize they’re no longer hungry before they overeat—preventing excessive weight gain. That’s the conclusion of a study published by an international team of researchers, including UC San Diego bioengineers. The study is the first clinically controlled trial to test how effective eating slowly is for detecting that feeling of satiety--and losing weight, the researchers said. Full Story
December 15, 2015
UC San Diego Professors Elected Fellows of National Academy of Inventors
Two researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have been named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors. Shu Chien, Distinguished Professor of Bioengineering and Medicine, and Michael Sailor, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, were among 168 new fellows announced by the academy today. Full Story
November 23, 2015
Shu Chien among UC San Diego Professors Named AAAS Fellows
Bioengineering professor Shu Chien is among six University of California, San Diego professors named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society. They are among 347 members selected this year by colleagues in their disciplines to be honored for scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Shu Chien, MD, PhD, is a professor of medicine and bioengineering and director of the Institute of Engineering in Medicine at UC San Diego. He was cited for “continuing outstanding contributions to vascular physiology and vascular cell and molecular biology, which have greatly increased our understanding of vascular pathologies including atherosclerosis.” His work, which focuses on the study of how blood flow and pressure affect vessels, earned him a National Medal of Science in 2011. He is one of only 11 scholars in the United States to be a member of all three national academies: Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Full Story
November 17, 2015
Bioengineering professor featured in Top 100 list on African-American influential site
Bioengineer Todd Coleman, from the University of California, San Diego, has been named one of 100 outstanding individuals for 2015 by The Root, a premier news, opinion and culture site for African-American influencers. Coleman will present his research at the prestigious TEDMED conference Nov. 18 to 20 in Palm Springs. Full Story
November 16, 2015
New findings on fat cell metabolism could lead to new approaches for treating diabetes and obesity
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego report new insights into what nutrients fat cells metabolize to make fatty acids. The findings pave the way for understanding potential irregularities in fat cell metabolism that occur in patients with diabetes and obesity and could lead to new treatments for these conditions. Full Story
November 13, 2015
Founding Chair of UC San Diego Department of Bioengineering receives prestigious Franklin Award
Shu Chien, founding chair of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, where is he currently a professor and director of the Institute of Engineering in Medicine, has received the prestigious Franklin Institute Award. Full Story
November 2, 2015
Researchers are on their way to predicting what side effects you'll experience from a drug
UC San Diego researchers have developed a model for predicting a drug’s side effects on different patients. The proof of concept study is aimed at determining how different individuals will respond to a drug treatment and could help assess whether a drug is suitable for a particular patient based on measurements taken from the patient’s blood. Full Story
October 29, 2015
UC San Diego Launches Robotics Institute
The Jacobs School of Engineering and Division of Social Sciences at UC San Diego have launched the Contextual Robotics Institute to develop safe and useful robotics systems. These robotics systems will function in the real world based on the contextual information they perceive, in real time. Elder care and assisted living, disaster response, medicine, transportation and environmental sensing are just some of the helpful applications that will emerge from tomorrow’s human-friendly robots.The Contextual Robotics Institute will leverage UC San Diego’s research strengths in engineering, computer science and cognitive science and work collaboratively across the campus and the region to establish San Diego as a leader in the research, development and production of human-friendly robotics systems. Full Story
October 27, 2015
Bioengineers cut in half time needed to make high-tech flexible sensors
Bioengineers at UC San Diego have developed a method that cuts down by half the time needed to make high-tech flexible sensors for medical applications. The advance brings the sensors, which can be used to monitor vital signs and brain activity, one step closer to mass-market manufacturing. The new fabrication process will allow bioengineers to broaden the reach of their research to more clinical settings. It also makes it possible to manufacture the sensors with a process similar to the printing press, said Todd Coleman, the bioengineering professor at the Jacobs School leading the project. Full Story
October 15, 2015
Researchers identify a new culprit behind fibrosis
An international team of researchers has identified a new molecule involved in skin fibrosis, a life-threatening disease characterized by the inflammation and hardening of skin tissue. The new study is the first to investigate the role of this molecule in skin fibrosis and paves the way toward new and improved therapies for the disease. Full Story
October 14, 2015
Meet the Jacobs School's 17 new faculty
The Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego is building and strengthening its research abilities by hiring 17 new faculty this year. With these hires, the school is increasing its impact in clinical medicine, robotics, wireless technologies, genomics, data sciences and cybersecurity, clean energy, advanced manufacturing—and more. Full Story