News
January 12, 2016
Brain monitoring takes a leap out of the lab
Bioengineers and cognitive scientists have developed the first portable, 64-channel wearable brain activity monitoring system that’s comparable to state-of-the-art equipment found in research laboratories. The researchers are working toward a world where neuroimaging systems work with mobile sensors and smart phones to track brain states throughout the day and augment the brain’s capabilities. Full Story
December 15, 2015
Why the Flu Vaccine Is Less Effective in the Elderly
Around this time every year, the flu virus infects up to one-fifth of the U.S. population and kills thousands of people, many of them elderly. A study published by Cell Press on Dec. 15 in Immunity now explains why the flu vaccine is less effective at protecting older individuals. More broadly, the findings reveal novel molecular signatures that could be used to predict which individuals are most likely to respond positively to vaccination. Full Story
December 15, 2015
Chewing slowly helps prevent excessive weight gain in children
Waiting 30 seconds in between bites of food allows children to realize they’re no longer hungry before they overeat—preventing excessive weight gain. That’s the conclusion of a study published by an international team of researchers, including UC San Diego bioengineers. The study is the first clinically controlled trial to test how effective eating slowly is for detecting that feeling of satiety--and losing weight, the researchers said. Full Story
December 15, 2015
UC San Diego Professors Elected Fellows of National Academy of Inventors
Two researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have been named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors. Shu Chien, Distinguished Professor of Bioengineering and Medicine, and Michael Sailor, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, were among 168 new fellows announced by the academy today. Full Story
November 23, 2015
Shu Chien among UC San Diego Professors Named AAAS Fellows
Bioengineering professor Shu Chien is among six University of California, San Diego professors named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society. They are among 347 members selected this year by colleagues in their disciplines to be honored for scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. Shu Chien, MD, PhD, is a professor of medicine and bioengineering and director of the Institute of Engineering in Medicine at UC San Diego. He was cited for “continuing outstanding contributions to vascular physiology and vascular cell and molecular biology, which have greatly increased our understanding of vascular pathologies including atherosclerosis.” His work, which focuses on the study of how blood flow and pressure affect vessels, earned him a National Medal of Science in 2011. He is one of only 11 scholars in the United States to be a member of all three national academies: Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Full Story
November 17, 2015
Bioengineering professor featured in Top 100 list on African-American influential site
Bioengineer Todd Coleman, from the University of California, San Diego, has been named one of 100 outstanding individuals for 2015 by The Root, a premier news, opinion and culture site for African-American influencers. Coleman will present his research at the prestigious TEDMED conference Nov. 18 to 20 in Palm Springs. Full Story
November 16, 2015
New findings on fat cell metabolism could lead to new approaches for treating diabetes and obesity
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego report new insights into what nutrients fat cells metabolize to make fatty acids. The findings pave the way for understanding potential irregularities in fat cell metabolism that occur in patients with diabetes and obesity and could lead to new treatments for these conditions. Full Story
November 13, 2015
Founding Chair of UC San Diego Department of Bioengineering receives prestigious Franklin Award
Shu Chien, founding chair of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, where is he currently a professor and director of the Institute of Engineering in Medicine, has received the prestigious Franklin Institute Award. Full Story
November 2, 2015
Researchers are on their way to predicting what side effects you'll experience from a drug
UC San Diego researchers have developed a model for predicting a drug’s side effects on different patients. The proof of concept study is aimed at determining how different individuals will respond to a drug treatment and could help assess whether a drug is suitable for a particular patient based on measurements taken from the patient’s blood. Full Story
October 29, 2015
UC San Diego Launches Robotics Institute
The Jacobs School of Engineering and Division of Social Sciences at UC San Diego have launched the Contextual Robotics Institute to develop safe and useful robotics systems. These robotics systems will function in the real world based on the contextual information they perceive, in real time. Elder care and assisted living, disaster response, medicine, transportation and environmental sensing are just some of the helpful applications that will emerge from tomorrow’s human-friendly robots.The Contextual Robotics Institute will leverage UC San Diego’s research strengths in engineering, computer science and cognitive science and work collaboratively across the campus and the region to establish San Diego as a leader in the research, development and production of human-friendly robotics systems. Full Story