UC San Diego Today

Current methods to model or correct mutations in live cells are inefficient, especially when multiplexing — installing multiple point mutations simultaneously across the genome. Researchers from the UC San Diego have developed new, efficient genome editing tools called multiplexed orthogonal base editors (MOBEs) to install multiple point mutations at once. Their work, led by Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Alexis Komor’s lab, appears in Nature Biotechnology.

While humans feature a sophisticated sense of smell, insects have a much more basic olfactory system. Yet they depend upon smell to survive. Scientists have figured out how fruit flies use a simple but efficient system to recognize odors, and the answer lies at the edges of their antennae.

Now funded with a new state grant, a team at UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute is developing “The Climate Games,” an educational video game set in locations already experiencing the impact of a changing climate.

What broad and pressing societal problems, challenges or questions do you think UC San Diego is uniquely, well-positioned to help solve.