News Archive
May 5, 2022
Breaking through to the brain
UC San Diego bioengineering Professor Ester Kwon, who leads the Nanoscale Bioengineering research lab, is developing nanomaterials that could be used to diagnose and treat traumatic brain injury. Full Story
May 4, 2022
Arrhythmia mapping technology demonstrates positive clinical results
Bioengineers and cardiologists from UC San Diego invented a technology that can accurately and noninvasively map atrial and ventricular heart arrhythmias in a matter of minutes. The technology demonstrated 97.3 percent accuracy in a clinical validation study, and recently received FDA clearance. Full Story
May 3, 2022
Study of promising Alzheimer's marker in blood prompts warning about brain-boosting supplements
Elevated levels of an enzyme called PHGDH in the blood of older adults could be an early warning sign of Alzheimer's disease. Research led by UC San Diego has consistently found high levels of PHGDH expression in brain tissue and blood samples of older adults with different stages of the disease. The findings also prompt caution against the use of dietary supplements that contain the amino acid serine as a remedy for Alzheimer's disease. Full Story
April 20, 2022
Startup cofounded by UC San Diego bioengineer wins angel investment competition
Karios Technologies, a company cofounded by UC San Diego bioengineering professor Karen Christman, won the inaugural Apis Health Angel Conference, a Seattle-based event that connects investors and health-related startups. Full Story
April 19, 2022
Sun and solar panels shine at 40th Research Expo
Nanoengineering master’s student Tala Sidawi had her time in the sun at the 2022 edition of Research Expo. Sidawi took home the grand prize for her work to model how solar panels “breathe” water in real time. Such a model could help researchers design solar panels that last longer and perform better in humid environments, and also cost less to build. Full Story
April 14, 2022
Bioengineers Visualize Fat Storage in Fruit Flies
For the first time, researchers have visually monitored, in high resolution, the timing and location of fat storage within the intact cells of fruit flies. The new optical imaging tool from the lab of bioengineering professor Lingyan Shi at the University of California San Diego is already being used to untangle often discussed, yet mysterious, links between diet and things like obesity, diabetes and aging. The work from bioengineers at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering is published in the journal Aging Cell. Full Story
April 12, 2022
Researchers map lung development after birth into late childhood for the first time
How do the lungs develop after taking their first breaths outside the womb? What cellular events and changes early in life give rise to lung malfunction and disease? To help answer these questions, UC San Diego researchers have constructed the first single-cell atlas of postnatal lung development in humans and mice. Full Story
April 11, 2022
ICRA 2022 preview: from robots inspired by insects to helping robots navigate and interact
From algorithms that help robots better navigate and interact with the world and humans, to robots inspired by insects, researchers at the University of California San Diego are making significant contributions to the field of robotics at the 2022 International Conference on Robotics and Automation taking place from May 23 to 27, 2022 in Philadelphia. Full Story
April 1, 2022
Research Expo enters its 4th decade
Connected systems take center stage at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering’s 40th annual Research Expo on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Join us to hear from more than 100 graduate students from all six Jacobs School of Engineering departments, as they present their groundbreaking engineering and computer science research. Full Story
March 16, 2022
UC San Diego bioengineers inducted into prestigious biomedical institution
Two bioengineers at the University of California San Diego will be inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). Professors Stephanie Fraley and Prashant Mali are among the 153 new AIMBE Fellows who will be recognized at a ceremony during AIMBE’s 2022 Annual Event on March 25. Full Story
February 24, 2022
Bioengineering alumnus on COVID-19 antiviral pill development team
Jacobs School of Engineering alumnus Britton Boras shares how his graduate degree prepared him for a career at Pfizer, where he was on the team that developed a COVID-19 antiviral pill. Full Story
February 10, 2022
Simplifying RNA editing for treating genetic diseases
New research led by bioengineers at the University of California San Diego could make it much simpler to repair disease-causing mutations in RNA without compromising precision or efficiency. The new RNA editing technology holds promise as a gene therapy for treating genetic diseases. In a proof of concept, UC San Diego researchers showed that the technology can treat a mouse model of Hurler syndrome, a rare genetic disease, by correcting its disease-causing mutation in RNA. Full Story
February 9, 2022
Mapping mutation 'hotspots' in cancer reveals new drivers and biomarkers
UC San Diego researchers have identified a previously unrecognized key player in cancer evolution: clusters of mutations occurring at certain regions of the genome. These mutation clusters contribute to the progression of about 10% of human cancers and can be used to predict patient survival. Full Story
January 27, 2022
New drug screening method answers why Alzheimer's drugs fail, suggests new targets
A study led by UC San Diego sheds light on why Alzheimer’s drugs so far have been ineffective at curing or reversing the disease. The researchers identify new targets for drug development and present a new method to screen drugs for treating Alzheimer's disease. Full Story
January 10, 2022
Introducing the second cohort of Racial Equity Fellows
Seven UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering students have been selected to serve as Racial Equity Fellows. In this role, they will act as student advocates on the Jacobs School Student and Faculty Racial Equity Task Force, each bringing their demonstrated interest in diversity, equity and inclusion to the Task Force. Full Story
December 20, 2021
Our 2021 Research Headlines
From research into new ways to detect and preventCOVID-19, to new treatments for heart conditions and technology to combat natural disasters and climate change, it has been a busy year at the Jacobs School of Engineering. Here is a snapshot of research that made headlines this year, thanks to the dedicated work of our faculty, graduate and undergraduate student researchers, and staff Full Story
December 2, 2021
Developing Sex-specific Treatments for Heart Disease
Heart diseases progress differently in men and women, yet treatments remain strikingly similar. UC San Diego bioengineering professor Brian Aguado aims to change that by studying sex-specific differences in disease, and developing new biomaterial treatments. Full Story
November 30, 2021
10 Jacobs School faculty among 2021 list of most highly cited researchers in the world
Ten professors at the University of California San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering are among the world’s most influential researchers in their fields. The professors, Ludmil Alexandrov, Trey Ideker, Rob Knight, Prashant Mali, Ying Shirley Meng, Shyue Ping Ong, Bernhard O. Palsson, Joseph Wang, Sheng Xu and Liangfang Zhang, are amone 51 professors and researchers at UC San Diego named in the prestigious list of Highly Cited Researchers in 2021. Full Story
September 23, 2021
Graduate students honored as Siebel Scholars
Five graduate students working at the interface of engineering and medicine have been honored as 2022 Siebel Scholars. They are pursuing graduate degrees in bioengineering, electrical engineering, nanoengineering, and bioinformatics, all with a focus on advancing human health. Full Story
September 14, 2021
Three Jacobs School undergraduate programs ranked in nation's top 10
Three undergraduate academic programs at the Jacobs School of Engineering were ranked in the top 10 programs for undergraduates in rankings released Sept. 13, 2021 by U.S. News and World Report. Full Story