Nicole Mlynaryk

San Diego Science Writer

Science Writer and Communicator

Sharing health and life science stories through writing, podcasting, and media relations

    Recent Highlights

    Salk Institute for Biological Studies •

    Jesse Dixon | Beyond Lab Walls Podcast

    Did you know each of your cells contains a six-foot-long strand of DNA? In a miraculous feat of molecular origami, your genome can fold itself into a tightly packed structure that fits into the tiny space of a cell’s nucleus. Hear how Assistant Professor Jesse Dixon combines his scientific and medical training to unravel the rules of DNA folding and explain how a single misplaced bend or loop can lead to diseases like cancer.
    UC San Diego •

    Artificial Intelligence Aids Discovery of Super Tight-Binding Antibodies

    Scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based strategy for discovering high-affinity antibody drugs.

    In the study, published January 28, 2023 in Nature Communications, researchers used the approach to identify a new antibody that binds a major cancer target 17-fold tighter than an existing antibody drug. The authors say the pipeline could accelerate the discovery of novel drugs against cancer and other diseases such as C
    UC San Diego •

    Tissue-Specific Immunity May Be the Future, if We Can First Learn its Rules

    After experiencing an infection, the immune system leaves behind memory T cells, which maintain a long-lasting molecular memory of the pathogen and are ready to sound the alarm if it ever returns. While some memory T cells are designed to circulate through the bloodstream and provide whole-body protection, others reside in specific organs and are specialized to fight the pathogens that target that part of the body. These T cells can provide life-long immunity at the target tissue, but can also c
    Simons Foundation •

    New Efforts to Relate Brain Structure and Function Reveal Surprising Properties of Neural Circuits

    Nematodes don’t like to be touched. A poke will send the worm slithering backward, away from the bothersome nudge. Unless, that is, the worm was in the midst of turning when it was poked. “Somehow, the act of turning makes the worm change the way it responds to this very salient stimulus, but we didn’t know how this computation played out in the brain,” says Andrew Leifer, a neuroscientist at Princeton University and an investigator with the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain. Despite havi
    The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology •

    Did gonorrhea give us grandparents?

    Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine previously found a set of human gene mutations that protect older adults against cognitive decline and dementia. In a new study, published July 9, 2022 in Molecular Biology and Evolution, they focus on one of these mutated genes and attempt to trace its evolution ⁠— when and why it appeared in the human genome. The findings suggest selective pressure from infectious pathogens like gonorrhea may have promoted the emergence of th
    UC San Diego •

    Disparities in United States COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

    When reports showed COVID-19 vaccination rates were lower among racial/ethnic minority groups, most discussions focused on mistrust and misinformation among these populations or their reduced access to health care facilities. But new research from University of California San Diego and collaborating institutions has identified an additional barrier to equity: whether or not each health care facility actually received and administered vaccines.

    In a study published July 28, 2022 in PLOS Medicine
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