CryoEM Study Captures Opioid Signaling in the Act
Scientists have used ultra-high-resolution cryo–electron microscopy to capture the most detailed portrait ever of an opioid drug triggering the biochemical signaling cascade that gives it its power.
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2018: A Drug Odyssey
The journey from discovering and developing effective, precise medications to using them correctly and safely in patients is hardly fast and easy. Nor is it a straight shot. Scientists in the UCSF School of Pharmacy are challenging the status quo every step of the way.
Electric ‘Sixth Sense’ Evolved Differently in Sharks and Skates
UCSF researchers have discovered that shark and skate electrosensory systems have distinct specializations that match how the animals use their electrical sense in the wild.
Synthetic ‘Tissues’ Build Themselves
Researchers have demonstrated the ability to program groups of individual cells to self-organize into multi-layered structures reminiscent of simple organisms or the first stages of embryonic development.
Gut Bacteria Produce a Special Enzyme To Protect Us from Plant Toxins
A UCSF researcher is among scientists who discovered the specific bacterial enzyme found in the human gut that can render a common heart drug ineffective.
Body’s 'Natural Opioids' Affect Brain Cells Much Differently than Morphine
Study led by UCSF scientists shows that brain cells react differently to opioid substances created inside the body than they do to purely synthetic opioid drugs.
Research Finds ‘Achilles Heel’ for Aggressive Prostate Cancer
UC San Francisco researchers have discovered a promising new line of attack against lethal, treatment-resistant prostate cancer.
Findings Flip Scientists' Understanding of Key Growth Switch Involved in Cancer
A new study finds that a common cancer-causing mutation in a GTPase called Gαs subverts the model for this type of growth switch in cancer.
Memory-Enhancing Drug Acts as Molecular 'Staple'
UCSF researchers have shown that an experimental brain boosting drug, ISRIB, acts like a molecular staple, pinning together parts of a much larger protein involved in cellular stress.
New Blood Thinners May Shorten Patients’ Hospital Stays
The use of newer blood-thinners for patients at risk of stroke may lead to two fewer days in the hospital for those who experience complications, with the same survival rate as the older drug warfarin.
UCSF Excels in U.S. News 2019 Best Graduate Schools Rankings
UCSF’s School of Medicine placed in the top five nationally in this year’s U.S. News & World Report survey of best graduate and professional schools. UCSF’s biomedical science PhD programs were among the top 10, and the School of Nursing was also highly ranked.
Genomic Analysis Reveals Why Asthma Inhalers Fail Minority Children
The largest-ever whole-genome sequencing study of drug response in minority children has revealed new clues about why the front-line asthma drug albuterol does not work as well for minority children.
Researchers Invent Reversible 'Off-Switch' for Cellular Proteins
UCSF scientists have invented a technique that lets them precisely and reversibly disrupt the action of specific cellular proteins at a microscopic scale by making them split apart when illuminated with blue light.
New Approach Attacks 'Undruggable' Cancers from the Outside In
Researchers at UCSF have found a way to attack one of the most common drivers of lung, colorectal, and pancreatic cancer by targeting the proteins it produces on the outside of the cell.
Researchers Launch Atlas of Developing Human Brain
UCSF have taken the first step toward a comprehensive atlas of gene expression in cells across the developing human brain.
