News
October 25, 2018
Machine learning identifies antibiotic resistance genes in tuberculosis-causing bacteria
Researchers have trained a machine learning algorithm to identify and predict which genes make infectious bacteria resistant to antibiotics. The approach was tested on strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis—the bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) in humans. It identified 33 known and 24 new antibiotic resistance genes in these bacteria. The approach could be used to predict resistance in other infection-causing pathogens. Full Story
October 1, 2018
Four researchers recognized for innovative and transformative work by NIH
Three researchers at the University of California San Diego have been selected to receive 2018 NIH Director’s New Innovator Awards. In addition, David Traver from the UC San Diego School of Medicine, has received an NIH Director’s Transformative award. Full Story
September 19, 2018
Engineering graduate students selected as Siebel Scholars
Five Jacobs School of Engineering graduate students working to improve immunology, cardiac health, blood transfusions and our understanding of the genome have been named 2019 Siebel Scholars. The Siebel Scholars program recognizes the most talented students in the world’s leading graduate schools of business, computer science, bioengineering and energy science. Full Story
September 6, 2018
UC San Diego clinician-engineer teams selected as 2018 Galvanizing Engineering in Medicine awardees
Four clinician-engineer teams from UC San Diego have been selected to receive the 2018 Galvanizing Engineering in Medicine (GEM) awards. GEM, an initiative of UC San Diego Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute (ACTRI) and UC San Diego Institute of Engineering in Medicine (IEM), brings engineers and clinicians together to develop innovative technologies that can be applied to solving challenging problems in medical care. This year’s projects address challenges in the areas of urology, telerobotic surgery, oncology, and spinal cord injuries. Full Story
August 22, 2018
Scientists discover a destructive mechanism that blocks the brain from knowing when to stop eating
An international team of researchers has uncovered a destructive mechanism at the molecular level that causes a well-known phenomenon associated with obesity, called leptin resistance.They found that mice fed a high-fat diet produce an enzyme named MMP-2 that clips receptors for the hormone leptin from the surface of neuronal cells in the hypothalamus. This blocks leptin from binding to its receptors. This in turn keeps the neurons from signaling that your stomach is full and you should stop eating. This is the first time that a destructive molecular mechanism has been observed and described. Full Story
August 17, 2018
Bioengineers receive $12M grant from NIH to further research on building blocks of human metabolism
The University of California San Diego has received a $12 million, four-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to expand the Metabolomics Workbench, a searchable, interactive repository of data for all research in the field of metabolomics—the study of the small molecules called metabolites that are found within cells and biological systems. The Metabolomics Workbench project, led by bioengineering professor Shankar Subramaniam at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego, launched in 2012 with a $6 million grant from the NIH. This new infusion of funds will allow Subramaniam and colleagues to add a wide range of clinical data to the Workbench and take the project into the clinic itself. This in turn will allow researchers and physicians to develop better tools to diagnose diseases through metabolite markers in blood. Full Story
July 31, 2018
Medical mist could fight hospital-acquired infections
A team of engineers and physicians in San Diego have developed a device that diffuses potent disinfectants for airborne delivery. Notably, the device works on a range of disinfectants that have never been atomized before, such as Triethylene glycol, or TEG. In a study published in the August issue of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, the team used the device to atomize disinfectants onto environmental surfaces contaminated with bacteria and showed that it effectively eliminated 100 percent of bacteria that commonly cause hospital-acquired infections. In addition, atomized bleach solution, ethanol and TEG completely eliminated highly multi-drug resistant strains of bacteria including K. pneumoniae. Full Story
July 23, 2018
UC San Diego bioengineers bring functional genomics data into personal websites
Bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a programming library that can enable researchers to effortlessly visualize and share genomic data on their personal websites. The new open source programming library, named “GIVE” (genomic interaction visualization engine), can be used by non-experts and in many cases even eliminates the need to write any computer codes. Full Story
July 17, 2018
High vinculin levels help keep aging fruit fly hearts young
A new discovery in how heart muscles maintain their shape in fruit flies sheds light on the crucial relationship between cardiac function, metabolism, and longevity. Researchers from the University of California San Diego discovered that maintaining high levels of the protein vinculin—which sticks heart muscle cells to one another—confers health benefits to fruit flies. Their work shows that fruit flies bred to produce 50 percent more vinculin enjoyed better cardiovascular health and lived a third of their average life span longer. Full Story
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