News Archive - Mario Aguilera

Scientists Set a Path for Field Trials of Gene Drive Organisms

A broad coalition that includes UC San Diego scientists sets commitments for field trials of powerful gene drive technology. The multidisciplinary group encourages trials that are safe, transparent and ethical.

I See You: Honey Bees Use Contagious and Honest Visual Signal to Deter Attacking Hornets

UC San Diego-led research is providing new details about honey bees and their defenses against preying hornets. Using a common iPad, James Nieh and his colleagues conducted the first study that demonstrates that a contagious warning signal counters “fake news” in social insects.

Researchers Reveal Switch Used in Plant Defense Against Animal Attack

Researchers have identified the first key biological switch that sounds an alarm in plants when plant-eating animals attack. The mechanism will help unlock a trove of new strategies for improved plant health, from countering crop pest damage to engineering more robust global food webs.

UC Researchers Pioneer More Effective Method of Blocking Malaria Transmission in Mosquitoes

UC scientists have made a major advance in the use of genetic technologies to control the transmission of malaria parasites. They employed a strategy known as population modification, which uses a CRISPR-Cas9 gene drive system to introduce genes preventing parasite transmission in mosquitoes.

UC San Diego’s Susan Ackerman Elected to National Academy of Medicine

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has announced that University of California San Diego Professor Susan Ackerman, a pioneer in the study of homeostasis in developing and aging neurons, has been elected to membership in the prestigious organization.

New Research Provides Clues on Optimizing Cell Defenses When Viruses Attack

UC San Diego scientists are providing new clues on how cells defend themselves from attack from viruses. The new study advance’s science’s understanding of interferons— proteins that help combat viruses like SARS-CoV-2—with possible implications for new clinical treatments.

Biologists Create New Genetic Systems to Neutralize Gene Drives

Addressing concerns about gene-drive releases in the wild, UC San Diego scientists and their colleagues have developed two new genetic systems that halt or eliminate gene drives after release. The details are published in the journal Molecular Cell.

Artificial Intelligence Aids Gene Activation Discovery

With the aid of artificial intelligence, UC San Diego scientists have solved a long-standing puzzle in human gene activation. The discovery described in the journal Nature could be used to control gene activation in biotechnology and biomedical applications.

Overlooked ‘Housekeeping’ Gene Plays Unexpected Role in Seizures

Molecules known as tRNAs are often overlooked in study of disease processes. Researchers have now found that a mutation in a tRNA gene called n-Tr20—expressed only in the brain—can disrupt the landscape of entire cells, leading to chain reactions that alter brain function and behavior.

Leading-edge Technology Unmasks Protein Linked to Parkinson’s Disease

An elusive protein that many consider the key of fully understanding the causes of genetic Parkinson’s disease has come much more clearly into focus. Impacting millions around the world, Parkinson’s is a neurological disorder that progressively attacks motor functions.