News
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New UCOP Grant to Explore Autism Spectrum Disorder Using 3D Brain Organoid Models
The University of California’s Office of the President has awarded QB3 a $1.8 million grant by the to explore the origins of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The funds will support researchers in the “Braingeneers” group at UC Santa Cruz, UCSF, and UC Berkeley who will use brain organoids (3D models of neural networks grown from…
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25 years of the UCSC Genome Browser
When Katie Pollard first began working toward her Ph.D. in biostatistics at UC Berkeley in the late 90s, the human genome had not yet been sequenced. Then, on July 7, 2000, UC Santa Cruz published the HGCP’s first draft of a sequence online. Suddenly, a whole new field of genomics sprung into being. It was…
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Genomic analysis reveals ritual sacrifice of close relatives in ancient Moche burial site
New research by UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute core member Lars Fehren-Schmitz reveals a startling discovery that the Moche people, who lived in Peru 1,500 years ago, sacrificed related family members, including adolescents, upon another family member’s death — the first time archaeologists had confirmed such intra-family sacrifice among the Moche people. “Most of what…
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Mark Akeson elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors
UC Santa Cruz Professor Emeritus of Biomolecular Engineering and Genomics Institute Associate Member Mark Akeson has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Akeson is the co-inventor of nanopore sequencing, a revolutionary method for reading DNA and RNA that has enabled some of the most significant advances in the genomics field.
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UCSC alum and current student make Forbes 30 under 30 list in healthcare
UCSC adjunct professor and alum Aviv Elor and UCSC PhD candidate Ash Robbins have been named to the Forbes 30 under 30 in Healthcare list. The two co-founded Immergo Labs to put artificial intelligence and virtual reality to work helping physical therapists in the telehealth domain. See the Forbes Profile.
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UC Santa Cruz innovators recognized for impact at 2024 Santa Cruz Works Titans Awards
Two UC Santa Cruz faculty members, Richard (Ed) Green and Chris Benner, have been selected as awardees for the eighth annual Santa Cruz Works Titans Awards, which recognize outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the local tech and entrepreneurial community.
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Genomics Institute faculty and staff help create non-profit to center Indigenous Knowledge while accelerating conservation genomics research
Several current and former UC Santa Cruz faculty and staff have joined with leading experts in the field of conservation genomics to launch Wise Ancestors, a non-profit centering Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities as co-creators of biodiversity conservation projects.
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UC Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay Aquarium lead collaboration on kelp conservation
How can California’s kelp forests, which have faced dramatic declines due to climate change, persist and thrive in the future? The stakes could not be higher. Giant kelp, the foundation of coastal ecosystems from Mexico to Alaska and across the globe, is one of the most productive plants on Earth. These underwater forests act as…
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World’s most highly cited researchers includes 16 members of the UCSC Genomics Institute
In a notable recognition of scholarly achievement, 24 scientists and engineers from UC Santa Cruz have earned a spot on the 2024 Highly Cited Researchers list, recently unveiled by Clarivate. Six UC Santa Cruz researchers have joined the list since 2023, when 18 UCSC researchers were honored. This prestigious list acknowledges researchers globally whose papers rank…
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Dockstore receives a new update to make sharing workflows even more seamless
Dockstore 1.16 new features include AI-based automatic topic sentence generation, automatic DOI generation and discovery, and improved search results Dockstore is a free and open-source registry for sharing analytical tools and workflows in bioinformatics and adjacent fields of study. Over 4,400 workflows are currently being shared on the platform. Examples include workflows to analyze viral…
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How optogenetics can put the brakes on epilepsy seizures
In what could one day become a new treatment for epilepsy, researchers at UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Berkeley have used pulses of light to prevent seizure-like activity in neurons. The researchers used brain tissue that had been removed from epilepsy patients as part of their treatment.
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$7.5 million awarded to UC Santa Cruz to support leadership in salmon-recovery science
UC Santa Cruz has received nearly $7.5 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) to vault scientific research on imperiled Pacific salmon populations into one of the nation’s most powerful collaborations between the agency and academia to save the vital species.