MALI LAB RESEARCH

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. The findings are published Feb. 10 in Nature Biotechnology.

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ALEXANDROV LAB RESEARCH

Netflix-style Algorithm to Predict Tumor Behavior

The science behind predicting your viewing habits on Netflix could one day be used to guide doctors in managing some of the hardest-to-treat cancers, shows a study led by the University of California San Diego and University College London.

The researchers used artificial intelligence to analyze and categorize the size and scale of DNA changes across the genome when cancer starts and grows. By analyzing genomes from 9,873 patients with 33 types of cancer, the scientists found 21 categories of common changes to the structure and number of chromosomes in the genetic material of tumors.

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WANG LAB & CHIEN LAB | COLLABORATIVE RESEACH

Ultrasound Triggers Immune Cells to Attack Tumors in Mice Without Toxic Side Effects

Bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a cancer immunotherapy that pairs ultrasound with cancer-killing immune cells to destroy malignant tumors while sparing normal tissue.

The new experimental therapy significantly slowed down the growth of solid cancerous tumors in mice.

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ZHANG LAB RESEARCH

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, scientists have constructed the first single-cell atlas of postnatal lung development in humans and mice.

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SHI LAB RESEARCH

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.

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ZHONG LAB RESEARCH

New Tool Enables Mapping of Protein Interaction Networks at Scale

Proteins—long chains of amino acids—each play a unique role in keeping our cells and bodies functioning, from carrying out chemical reactions, to delivering messages, and protecting us from potentially harmful foreign invaders. More recent research has shown that these proteins not only serve their individual purpose, but also interact with other proteins to carry out even more numerous and complex functions through these protein-protein interactions (PPI).

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