UC San Diego Discoveries 2024
The 2024 issue showcases the many ways UC San Diego Health Sciences is reaching new heights.
Neuroscientist-turned-Science Writer
Sharing health and life science stories through writing, podcasting, and media relations
Recent Highlights
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
UC San Diego Human Milk Institute Names its Executive Director
Mitra Hooshmand, PhD, will lead strategy and operations at the innovative research institute
Stem Cell Therapy Rescues Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease
In the ongoing search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a burgeoning branch of medicine is bringing new hope. Stem cell therapies are already being used to treat various cancers and disorders of the blood and immune system. In a new proof-of-concept study, scientists at University of California San Diego show stem cell transplants may also be a promising therapeutic against Alzheimer’s. In the study, published August 8, 2023 in Cell Reports, the researchers demonstrate that transplanting hemat
Can Field Sobriety Tests Identify Drivers Under the Influence of Cannabis?
UC San Diego scientists evaluate how accurate law-enforcement administered field sobriety tests are at measuring cannabis exposure and impairment
Asymptomatic infections may underlie recent rise in whooping cough
In a new study published in Cell Host & Microbe, scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) compared the immune response of individuals who received older versus newer versions of the whooping cough vaccine. The unexpected findings may help explain the recent rise in whooping cough cases and point to potential targets for the next generation of vaccines.
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
Tethering of Shattered Chromosomal Fragments Paves Way for New Cancer Therapies
UC San Diego scientists discover shattered chromosomal fragments are tethered together during cell division before being rearranged; destroying the tether may help prevent cancerous mutations
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
UC San Diego’s Astrobiotechnology Hub to Drive Drug Discovery in Space
Leaders in academia, biotechnology and aerospace industries unite in their mission to advance stem cell science in space.
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
Small-Molecule Drug Reverses Neural Effects of Concussion
New Industry Documents Highlight Role of Pharmacies in Driving Opioid Epidemic
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
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
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