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UCSF’s 11 Most Popular Health and Science Stories of 2019
Browse the stories that most engaged our readers in 2019.
Stem Cell Therapy: What’s Real and What’s Not at California’s For-Profit Clinics
We asked Arnold Kriegstein, MD, PhD, director of the UCSF Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Program, about for-profit stem cell clinics and what’s real and what’s not in stem cell medicine.
Stem Cell Studies Offer Hope for Childhood Neurological Condition
International team of researchers report progress in using stem cells to develop new therapies for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, a rare genetic condition affecting boys that can be fatal before 10 years of age.
Three UCSF Researchers Win NIH Grants for High-Risk, High-Reward Research
The NIH has awarded grants to Faranak Fattahi, Alexander Pollen, and Vasanth Vedantham to pursue highly innovative and unusually impactful biomedical research.
New Clues on Stem Cell Transplant Rejection Revealed in Study
Study shows that the adult-to-iPSC conversion process can mutate DNA found in mitochondria, causing mice and humans to reject iPSCs, and stem cell transplants more generally.
Tweaked CRISPR in Neurons Gives Scientists New Power to Probe Brain Diseases
In a paper researchers describe a technique that uses a special version of CRISPR developed at UCSF to systematically alter the activity of genes in human neurons generated from stem cells, the first successful merger of stem cell-derived cell types and CRISPR screening technologies.
Multiple Sclerosis Attacks Brain’s ‘Projection Neurons’
Brain damage associated with MS specifically targets a common class of brain cells called projection neurons
UCSF Receives $10M from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation
The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation will be making three gifts totaling $30 million to fund innovative research, faculty recruitment, training, and retention at The Broad Foundation’s namesake stem cell research centers at UCSF, the UCLA and the USC.
Mood Neurons Mature During Adolescence
A new study suggests that the human brain may maintain reserves of immature neurons throughout life, using these “Peter Pan” cells in a similar manner to the neurogenesis seen in other species
Brain Changes in Autism Traced to Specific Cell Types
Changes in gene activity in specific brain cells are associated with the severity of autism in children and young adults with the disorder.
‘Super-Hero’ Stem Cells Survive Radiation to Regrow Muscles
Newly discovered radiation-resistant stem cells are normally rare and inactive (left), but they take on a major role in muscle repair when regular stem cells are damaged by radiation (right). Credit:
CRISPR Gene Editing Makes Stem Cells ‘Invisible’ to Immune System
UCSF scientists have used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system to create the first pluripotent stem cells that are functionally “invisible” to the immune system.
Chimpanzee Brain Organoids Hint at Secrets of Human Evolution
UCSF researchers created a chimpanzee brain “organoids” that mimic the development and organization of full-size brains.
