Category: health news
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New study discovers tiny target on RNA to short-circuit inflammation
UC Santa Cruz researchers have discovered a peptide in human RNA that regulates inflammation and may provide a new path for treating diseases such as arthritis and lupus. The team used a screening process based on the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR to shed light on one of the biggest mysteries about our RNA–the molecule responsible…
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UC Santa Cruz researchers’ tool creates ‘synthetic’ images of cells for enhanced microscopy analysis
“We are generating synthetic images that can also be turned into a time lapse movie, where we can generate the unseen future of cells… With that, we want to see if we are able to predict the future states of a cell, like if the cell is going to grow, migrate, differentiate or divide.”
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Genomics on the ground level
Russ Corbett-Detig and Eric Enbody at the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution in Ferria, Italy, 2023. April 15, 2024 By Krizia Chambers One of the biggest current challenges in genomics research is figuring out how to make vast amounts of genomic data available to the people who need it. At the UC Santa Cruz…
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New diagnostic tool achieves accuracy of PCR tests with faster and simpler nanopore system
New tool combines optofluidics and nanopores to rapidly test for COVID-19 and Zika virus April 15, 2024 By Emily Cerf Over the past four years, many of us have become accustomed to a swab up the nose to test for COVID-19, using at-home rapid antigen tests or the more accurate clinic-provided PCR tests with a longer…
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Research on understudied lung cancer drivers may improve treatments
To diagnose and treat cancer, researchers and clinicians typically look at a person’s genetic material to find any mutations in genes that may “drive” cancer, helping to create a specialized treatment plan. They don’t normally look at the gene’s “isoforms” — slightly different versions of the genes that can be created in the body’s processes…
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Opening volley
UC Santa Cruz is broadening the federal Year of Open Science—aimed at making taxpayer-funded research findings more accessible to the public—into the Year of Open Scholarship, with the goal of normalizing open access to data and discovery
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Protein designer awarded $2.5M to develop bioluminescent protein for deep tissue imaging
Assistant Professor of Biomolecular Engineering Andy Yeh, who was awarded a nearly $2.5 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to develop completely artificial enzymes that can produce bioluminescence in the body for deep tissue imaging.
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PBS’s ‘Easter Island Origins’ explores surprising genetic research to help tell the story of the Rapa Nui people
Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is famous for its moʻai, giant human-like figures carved out of stone that can weigh more than 80 tons. It is an island with a rich history that has been communicated over the generations through oral histories and hundreds of archeological sites, and now UC Santa Cruz Assistant…
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Bioelectronics enable precise control on organoids for better understanding of neuro diseases, neuron circuits
An experimental setup with the plug-and-play bioelectronics system on top of a cell culture plate. February 07, 2024 By Emily Cerf Cortical organoids, which are miniature three-dimensional models of brain tissue grown from stem cells, offer scientists a sophisticated and accurate model to better understand how neurons control brain functioning — but researchers are still developing…
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Insights from UCSC-made COVID-19 tracking tool will guide the future of studying pathogens in real time
UShER, a software developed at UC Santa Cruz to map the genomic evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is the most widely used tool for tracking COVID-19 worldwide. A new paper from the tool’s creators outlines the “game-time” decisions that the programmers made to keep up with an evolutionary tree of millions of genomic sequences, offering…
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Cloud technologies bring organoids into undergraduate classrooms for the first time
Cortical organoids — miniature models of brain tissue grown from stem cells — are becoming increasingly relevant in biotechnology for their usefulness in drug discovery, the study of infectious disease, and more. But the tiny organ models are very tricky to grow and maintain in the lab, meaning many students majoring in biotech-related fields enter…
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Indigenous scientists awarded $9M to establish the first RADx Tribal data repository that upholds Indigenous data sovereignty
Today, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced $9 million in funding for an Indigenous Data Repository led by Native scientists to help improve health in tribal communities and for all Indigenous Peoples. UCSC Genomics Institute Assistant Researcher Ann Mc Cartney will work alongside the Indigenous leaders on this project.