Seeds of Change
The Harnessing Plants Initiative is scaling a new kind of crop that could save the future of farming—and the planet.
Science Writer and Communicator
Sharing health and life science stories through writing, podcasting, and media relations
Recent Highlights
Pallav Kosuri: Making magic out of molecules
Salk Assistant Professor Pallav Kosuri’s work sounds like it’s straight out of science fiction. A physicist-turned-bioengineer, Kosuri is developing nanoscale technologies that are on their way to transforming how we diagnose and treat diseases. But it’s his choice of building material that is especially surprising—these mini-machines are made almost entirely out of DNA.
Estrogen-related receptors could be key to treating metabolic and muscular disorders
Salk scientists find estrogen-related receptors regulate energy production in mouse muscles, making them a promising therapeutic target for metabolic disorders
Kay Watt: From Peace Corps to plant science
At the heart of the Harnessing Plants Initiative is Program Manager Kay Watt who tackles all of the strategy, site operations, budgeting, reporting, communication, and outreach that keep the whole program on track.
Getting to the root of Alzheimer’s
Salk Scientists are teaming up to understand brain aging. Instead of treating the symptoms of Alzheimer’s as they emerge, the researchers are developing drugs to proactively target the aging processes that may trigger the disease in the first place.
Lara Labarta-Bajo explains how infections affect your brain
How can an infection in your lungs have such a lasting effect on your brain? Lara Labarta-Bajo, a postdoctoral researcher in Associate Professor Nicola Allen‘s lab, studies how the immune system and the brain communicate with each other. Her latest findings reveal a surprising relationship between infections, brain aging, and mobility.
Jesse Dixon talks DNA loops and six-toed cats
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.
One in three Americans has a dysfunctional metabolism, but intermittent fasting could help
A clinical trial from the Salk Institute and UC San Diego School of Medicine showed time-restricted eating improved cardiometabolic health in adults with metabolic syndrome.
Unveiling Telo-seq: A breakthrough in telomere research on aging and cancer
Salk scientists debut a method for determining the length and sequence of telomeres on individual chromosomes, revealing new insights into their dynamics in health and disease
UC San Diego Discoveries 2024
The 2024 issue showcases the many ways UC San Diego Health Sciences is reaching new heights.
Modeling the origins of life: New evidence for an “RNA World”
Salk scientists unveil RNA capabilities that enable Darwinian evolution at a molecular scale, and bring researchers closer to producing autonomous RNA life in the laboratory
Salk scientists discover new target for reversible, non-hormonal male birth control
Oral administration of HDAC inhibitor blocked sperm production and fertility in mice without affecting libido
Shooting for the Stars
UC San Diego scientists are sending cells into space and health science into the future. The unique microgravity environment offers an unparalleled view into the molecular mechanisms of cancer and aging.
Reverse Metabolomics: New Method Finds Biomarker for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
UC San Diego scientists develop groundbreaking approach to microbiome research, improving its ability to explain and treat disease
One-Two Punch: Novel Drug Pairing Could Beat Pancreatic Cancer
UC San Diego researchers find a combination of drugs outperformed other treatments in human and mouse models of pancreatic cancer; now urge clinical trial
Smartly Done
Artificial intelligence is on its way to transforming how we understand and treat disease. Learn how UC San Diego Health Sciences faculty are driving innovation in radiology, disease modeling and drug discovery.
T Cells Can Activate Themselves to Fight Tumors
When you need a bit of motivation, it often has to come from within. New research suggests cancer-fighting immune cells have found a way to do just that.
To Ward Off Aging, Stem Cells Must Take Out the Trash
UC San Diego scientists find stem cells’ unique way of discarding misfolded proteins could be the key to maintaining long-term health and preventing disease
Exploring the Role of Dopamine in Natural Behaviors
New research suggests that the neuromodulator plays a role in learning even in the absence of external rewards. The work also raises new questions.
(Re)introducing John
John M. Carethers, MD, is many things: physician, scientist, teacher, mentor, husband, father, friend and role model. He’s also the new vice chancellor for Health Sciences at UC San Diego.
Precision Meditation
Backed by neuroscience and individually customized, mindfulness meditation enters an era of clinical precision.
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
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
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
New Look at an Ancient Disease: Study Finds Novel Treatment Targets for Gout
UC San Diego scientists identify a new model of the arthritic disease, centered on the joint lubricating protein lubricin
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