News

Study of promising Alzheimer's marker in blood prompts warning about brain-boosting supplements

May 3, 2022

Study of promising Alzheimer's marker in blood prompts warning about brain-boosting supplements

Elevated levels of an enzyme called PHGDH in the blood of older adults could be an early warning sign of Alzheimer's disease. Research led by UC San Diego has consistently found high levels of PHGDH expression in brain tissue and blood samples of older adults with different stages of the disease. The findings also prompt caution against the use of dietary supplements that contain the amino acid serine as a remedy for Alzheimer's disease. Full Story


Startup cofounded by UC San Diego bioengineer wins angel investment competition

April 20, 2022

Startup cofounded by UC San Diego bioengineer wins angel investment competition

Karios Technologies, a company cofounded by UC San Diego bioengineering professor Karen Christman, won the inaugural Apis Health Angel Conference, a Seattle-based event that connects investors and health-related startups.    Full Story


Sun and solar panels shine at 40th Research Expo

April 19, 2022

Sun and solar panels shine at 40th Research Expo

Nanoengineering master’s student Tala Sidawi had her time in the sun at the 2022 edition of Research Expo. Sidawi took home the grand prize for her work to model how solar panels “breathe” water in real time. Such a model could help researchers design solar panels that last longer and perform better in humid environments, and also cost less to build.   Full Story


Bioengineers Visualize Fat Storage in Fruit Flies

April 14, 2022

Bioengineers Visualize Fat Storage in Fruit Flies

For the first time, researchers have visually monitored, in high resolution, the timing and location of fat storage within the intact cells of fruit flies. The new optical imaging tool from the lab of bioengineering professor Lingyan Shi at the University of California San Diego is already being used to untangle often discussed, yet mysterious, links between diet and things like obesity, diabetes and aging. The work from bioengineers at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering is published in the journal Aging Cell. Full Story


Researchers map lung development after birth into late childhood for the first time

April 12, 2022

Researchers map lung development after birth into late childhood for the first time

How do the lungs develop after taking their first breaths outside the womb? What cellular events and changes early in life give rise to lung malfunction and disease? To help answer these questions, UC San Diego researchers have constructed the first single-cell atlas of postnatal lung development in humans and mice. Full Story


ICRA 2022 preview: from robots inspired by insects to helping robots navigate and interact

April 11, 2022

ICRA 2022 preview: from robots inspired by insects to helping robots navigate and interact

From algorithms that help robots better navigate and interact with the world and humans, to robots inspired by insects, researchers at the University of California San Diego are making significant contributions to the field of robotics at the 2022 International Conference on Robotics and Automation taking place from May 23 to 27, 2022  in Philadelphia.   Full Story


Research Expo enters its 4th decade

April 1, 2022

Research Expo enters its 4th decade

Connected systems take center stage at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering’s 40th annual Research Expo on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Join us to hear from more than 100 graduate students from all six Jacobs School of Engineering departments, as they present their groundbreaking engineering and computer science research. Full Story


UC San Diego bioengineers inducted into prestigious biomedical institution

March 16, 2022

UC San Diego bioengineers inducted into prestigious biomedical institution

Two 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). Professors Stephanie Fraley and Prashant Mali are among the 153 new AIMBE Fellows who will be recognized at a ceremony during AIMBE’s 2022 Annual Event on March 25. Full Story


Bioengineering alumnus on COVID-19 antiviral pill development team

February 24, 2022

Bioengineering alumnus on COVID-19 antiviral pill development team

Jacobs School of Engineering alumnus Britton Boras shares how his graduate degree prepared him for a career at Pfizer, where he was on the team that developed a COVID-19 antiviral pill. Full Story


Simplifying RNA editing for treating genetic diseases

February 10, 2022

Simplifying RNA editing for treating genetic diseases

New research led by bioengineers at the University of California San Diego could make it much simpler to repair disease-causing mutations in RNA without compromising precision or efficiency. The new RNA editing technology holds promise as a gene therapy for treating genetic diseases. In a proof of concept, UC San Diego researchers showed that the technology can treat a mouse model of Hurler syndrome, a rare genetic disease, by correcting its disease-causing mutation in RNA. Full Story