News
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UCSC Genome Browser 2023 Update, Future Plans
This coming year represents the first in our new 5-year planning cycle. A major goal during this time is evaluation and adoption of a pangenome graph data format.
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Braingeneers develop novel method to automate the growth of brain tissue organoids on a chip
The new system can increase reproducibility in cerebral organoid research and shows promise for lowering levels of cellular stress Emily Cerf | UCSC | November 28, 2022 A team of engineers at UC Santa Cruz has developed a new method for remote automation of the growth of cerebral organoids – miniature, three-dimensional models of brain…
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Remote-controlled microscopes bring complex biology education to students worldwide
UC Santa Cruz researchers have developed a method for using remote-controlled, internet-connected microscopes to enable students anywhere in the world to participate in designing and carrying out biology experiments, increasing access to project-based learning in STEM.
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Closing cell—and academic—gaps
UCSC’s Genomics Institute opens up the world of bioinformatics and programming to students Bayan Parrenas Shimizu | UCSC | November 04, 2022 Launched just last year, UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institutes summer research programs are already seeing unparalleled success. Roman Reggiardo, Biomolecular Engineering and Mathematics Program Ph.D. candidate and Bioinformatics Summer Bridge instructor, witnessed this…
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Postdoctoberfest Spotlight: Jean Monlong
It is Postdoctoberfest! This week, we are celebrating the vital contributions that postdoctoral scholars make to UC Santa Cruz, and to the advancement of science more broadly. This Postdoctober, we are spotlighting Jean Monlong, who has been a postdoc with the Genomics Institute since 2018. His research in Benedict Paten’s lab is part of a…
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Semi-automated assembly of high-quality diploid human reference genomes
Abstract The current human reference genome, GRCh38, represents over 20 years of effort to generate a high-quality assembly, which has benefitted society1,2. However, it still has many gaps and errors, and does not represent a biological genome as it is a blend of multiple individuals3,4. Recently, a high-quality telomere-to-telomere reference, CHM13, was generated with the…
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Investigating bias in technology through Baskin Engineering’s anti-racism research fellowship
Melissa Weckerle | UCSC | October 14, 2022 Technology is vulnerable to bias. Recognizing the need for anti-racist technology that takes into consideration the perceptions and experiences of underrepresented populations, the UC Santa Cruz Baskin School of Engineering established the Fellowship for Anti-Racism Research (FARR) in 2021. Graduate students Roman Reggiardio and Milad Hakimshafaei are…
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Biomolecular engineering professor wins American Cancer Society award to develop technology for cancer early detection
Emily Cerf | UCSC | October 12, 2022 UC Santa Cruz Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Daniel Kim’s research centers around the mysteries of RNA “dark matter,” which is made from 75% of the three billion base pairs in the human genome, with the goal of discovering new RNA biomarkers for cancer early detection to…
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CALeDNA: Tracking biodiversity at the molecular level
Jen Elana Quick-Cleveland | ASBMBToday | October 12, 2022 An estimated 9 million kinds of plants, animals, protists and fungi live on Earth. Biodiversity loss is a major problem associated with human-made climate change. The current global rate of extinction is predicted to be nearly 100 times the baseline rate. But measuring those extinctions, or even accurately…
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New Live Cell Biotechnology Discovery Lab Aims to Reshape STEM Education
October 13, 2022 The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute has created a new Live Cell Biotechnology Discovery Lab as a maker space dedicated to creating the next generation of technologies for remote education. The lab, which occupies part of the second floor of the UCSC Westside Research Park, is inspired by an effort to improve…
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UCSC engineer played crucial role in 2022 Nobel Prize-winning research
Biomolecular engineering’s Richard (Ed) Green collaborated with medalist Svante Pääbo’s research on the Neanderthal genome Emily Cerf | UCSC | October 11, 2022 The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Swedish geneticist Svante Pääbo for his research on human evolution, specifically in using contemporary tools to sequence and compare the genomes…
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New Educational Module for UCSC Genome Browser
In response to requests from users, we are announcing a new education module in the UCSC Genome Browser training pages. The UCSC Genome Browser is our most widely used genomics tool. Tens of thousands of researchers access it each year to view all 23 chromosomes of the human genome, down to its individual nucleotides. It…