News Archive - Biological Sciences

Enhancing Immune Defenses: Researchers Unveil the Secrets of Specialized T Cells to Conquer Tumors

Immunologists have uncovered new approaches to enhance protection from tumors and infections. They have revealed new insights into the metabolism of specialized cells of the immune system known as tissue-resident CD8 T cells and how they could be enhanced as immune defense weapons against tumors.

Researchers Engineer Bacteria That Can Detect Tumor DNA

Creating new technologically advanced sensors, scientists from UC San Diego and Australia have engineered bacteria that detect the presence of tumor DNA in live organisms. Their innovation could pave the way to new biosensors capable of identifying various infections, cancers and other diseases.

Research Growth Tops $1.76B With Tremendous Portfolio of Discovery and Invention

University of California San Diego earned $1.76 billion in research funding last fiscal year, a 6 percent increase over the previous year.

Neurobiology Professor Gentry Patrick Named to Endowed Chair

Gentry Patrick, a professor of neurobiology and director of the Center for Empathy and Social Justice in Human Health at UC San Diego, has been named as the inaugural holder of the Kavli and Dr. William and Marisa Rastetter Chancellor’s Endowed Chair in Neurobiology.

Through the Lens of the Natural World

UC San Diego alum Brandon Güell recently was recognized in the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition for “Treefrog Pool Party,” a stunning photo that showcases his mastery of capturing rare moments in nature.

Fly Toolkit Created for Investigating COVID-19 Infection Mechanisms

Researchers have created a resource for analyzing how viruses infect human cells. The fruit fly-based toolkit provides a shortcut for assessing SARS-CoV-2 genes and understanding how they interact with human proteins, offering researchers a resource for new COVID-related drug therapies.

Queer Identity Empowers UC San Diego Scientists to Challenge Norms, Chart New Discoveries

Whether they're engineers, climate scientists or neurobiologists, researchers at UC San Diego say their LGBTQ+ identity makes them better scientists.

New Insight into How Plant Cells Divide

Plant and animal stem cells both rely on the cytoskeleton to divide properly, but a new study finds that they use them in opposite ways—while animal cells pull on the cytoskeleton, plant cells push it away. Harnessing that action could help scientists engineer more resilient plants.

New Genetic Technology Developed to Halt Malaria-Spreading Mosquitoes

Using CRISPR technology, UC San Diego scientists have engineered a new way to genetically suppress populations of Anopheles gambiae, the mosquitoes that primarily spread malaria in Africa and contribute to economic poverty in affected regions.

Plants Pollinated by Honey Bees Produce Lower-quality Offspring

In a first-of-its-kind comparison, UC San Diego scientists have shown that pollination by honey bees, which are not native to the Americas, produces offspring of considerably inferior quality (lower fitness) than offspring resulting from native pollinators.