News
![Neurons stripped of their identity are hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, study finds](https://soeapp.ucsd.edu/tools/uploads/news/2020/Alzheimer's-neurons-mechanisms.jpg)
November 13, 2020
Neurons stripped of their identity are hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, study finds
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have identified new mechanisms in neurons that cause Alzheimer’s disease. In particular, they discovered that changes in the structure of chromatin, the tightly coiled form of DNA, trigger neurons to lose their specialized function and revert to an earlier cell state. This results in the loss of synaptic connections, an effect associated with memory loss and dementia. Full Story
!['Monster tumors' could offer new glimpse at human development](https://soeapp.ucsd.edu/tools/uploads/news/2020/THUMBNAIL-teratoma-human-development.png)
November 4, 2020
'Monster tumors' could offer new glimpse at human development
Finding just the right model to study human development—from the early embryonic stage onward—has been a challenge for scientists over the last decade. Now, bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have homed in on an unusual candidate: teratomas. Full Story
![Energizing Plastics Renewability, Recycling Efforts](https://soeapp.ucsd.edu/tools/uploads/news/2020/THUMBNAIL-DOE-plastics-award.jpg)
October 30, 2020
Energizing Plastics Renewability, Recycling Efforts
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded UC San Diego nanoengineering professor Jon Pokorski $2 million in funding to develop a new kind of biodegradable plastic—one filled with bacterial spores that will aid in breaking down the material at the end of its life-cycle. Co-leading the project will be UC San Diego bioengineer Adam Feist. Full Story