News Archive - Scott LaFee

Brain Ripples May Help Bind Information across the Human Cortex

Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine provide some of the first empirical evidence that brain ripples exist. These electrical waves have long been hypothesized as a way for the brain to integrate and encode memories.

‘You Are What You Eat,’ and Now Researchers Know Exactly What You’re Eating

UC San Diego researchers describe a new method to identify all of the unidentified molecules derived from food, providing a direct way to link molecules in diet to health outcomes.

Familiarity Breeds Exempt: Why Staph Vaccines Don’t Work in Humans

UC San Diego researchers say they may have found the reason why multiple human clinical trials of staphylococcus vaccines have failed: the bacteria knows us too well.

Awash in Potential: Wastewater Provides Early Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus

Scientists and physicians at UC San Diego and Scripps Research describe how wastewater sequencing provided dramatic new insights into levels and variants of SARS-CoV-2 on campus and in the broader community — a key step to public health interventions in advance of COVID-19 case surges.

A Rhythmic Small Intestinal Microbiome Prevents Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

UC San Diego researchers found that in mice how much they ate and when altered the nature of their gut microbiome: too much food too frequently resulted in poorer microbial and metabolic health.

Organoids Reveal Similarities Between Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 and Rett Syndrome

Using brain organoids, UC San Diego researchers discover mutational commonalities between muscular dystrophy type 1 and Rett syndrome, suggesting the potential of a similar treatment for both.

New Genetic Associations in Pediatric NAFLD Affect Both Risk and Severity

In a pair of studies, UC San Diego School scientists have deepened investigations into the genetic origins of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in children, describing multiple gene variants that contribute to disease risk.

With Roommates, It’s All About Chemistry, Molecularly Speaking

UC San Diego researchers describe how the microbiomes of people and the homes they live in interact and change each other.

Pediatric Liver Disease Increases Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes

UC San Diego researchers describe connection between pediatric liver disease and increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Both rates are rising in children.

Unprecedented Case Series Advances Promise of Phage Therapy

An international team of researchers, led by scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh, report promising results from the largest case series yet of patients treated with bacteriophage therapy for antibiotic-resistant infections.