Human Neurons Continue to Migrate After Birth, Research Finds
Researchers at UCSF have discovered a previously unknown mass migration of inhibitory neurons into the brain’s frontal cortex during the first few months after birth.
University of California San Francisco
Give to UCSFResearchers at UCSF have discovered a previously unknown mass migration of inhibitory neurons into the brain’s frontal cortex during the first few months after birth.
Ten years after Shinya Yamanaka published his Nobel Prize-winning discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells, there's been rapid progress in some areas and major challenges in others.
Chronic pain and loss of bladder control are among the most devastating consequences of spinal cord injury.
A team of researchers led by UCSF scientists has demonstrated in mice that it is possible to generate healthy new liver cells within the organ itself, making engraftment unnecessary.
Stem cell biologists at UCSF have demonstrated that IL-1 itself directly transforms the blood system by driving blood stem cells in the bone marrow to switch away from their restorative, rejuvenating role in blood renewal and towards emergency production of immune cells.
Strengthening the link between Zika virus and microcephaly, scientists at UCSF have discovered that a protein the virus uses to infect skin cells and cause a rash is present also in stem cells of the developing human brain and retina.
New research by UCSF stem cell biologists has revealed that a DNA-binding protein called Foxd3 acts like a genetic traffic signal, holding that ball of undifferentiated cells in a state of readiness for its great transformation in the third week of development.
We asked experts across UCSF to identify what's ahead in how we approach research, what disease areas will see major advances, and where basic science will be translating into real treatments.
Researchers at UCSF have succeeded in mapping the genetic signature of a unique group of stem cells in the human brain that seem to generate most of the neurons in our massive cerebral cortex.
UCSF scientists describe capturing and studying individual metastatic cells from human breast cancer tumors implanted into mice as the cells escaped into the blood stream and began to form tumors elsewhere in the body.
Zev Gartner is working to building a fully functioning 3-D human breast tissue that will allow him to test potential cancer therapies, an innovation that's earned him a spot among Popular Science's "Brilliant 10" this year.
UCSF researchers have successfully isolated human muscle stem cells and shown that the cells could robustly replicate and repair damaged muscles when grafted onto an injured site.
UCSF researchers have for the first time developed a method to precisely control embryonic stem cell differentiation with beams of light, enabling them to be transformed into neurons in response to a precise external cue.
Adult neural stem cells, which are commonly thought of as having the ability to develop into many type of brain cells, are in reality pre-programmed before birth to make very specific types of neurons.
UC San Francisco scientists have identified characteristics of a family of daughter cells, called MPPs, which are the first to arise from stem cells within bone marrow that generate the entire blood system.
By studying fossilized teeth from thousands of extinct rodent species, UCSF and University of Helsinki scientists have shown how fundamental evolutionary mechanisms drive the emergence of novel mammalian stem cells.
Researchers at UCSF have pulled aside the curtain on a protein informally known as the “wasabi receptor,” revealing at near-atomic resolution structures that could be targeted with anti-inflammatory pain drugs.
A research team at UC San Francisco has discovered an RNA molecule called Pnky that can be manipulated to increase the production of neurons from neural stem cells.
UCSF Magazine explores how scientists are uncovering surprising new tools – young blood and video games – to rejuvenate the brain.
A protein that may partly explain why human brains are larger than those of other animals has been identified by scientists from two stem-cell labs at UCSF.
Researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley have teamed up to create an innovative, integrated center for research on neurodegenerative diseases.
Five UCSF neuroscientists have received research grants in the highly competitive first wave of National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards to support President Obama’s BRAIN Initiative.
UCSF researchers have identified cells’ unique features within the developing human brain, using the latest technologies for analyzing gene activity in individual cells, and have demonstrated that large-scale cell surveys can be done much more efficiently and cheaply than was previously thought possible.
The immune system ages and weakens with time, making the elderly prone to life-threatening infection and other maladies, and a UCSF research team now has discovered a reason why.
A new stem-cell discovery might one day lead to a more streamlined process for obtaining stem cells, which in turn could be used in the development of replacement tissue for failing body parts.
Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes and UCSF have made an important breakthrough: they have discovered a way to transform skin cells into mature, fully functioning liver cells that flourish.
UCSF scientist Valerie Weaver, PhD, received a $1.2 million award from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for research that explores the transformation of stem cells into specialized cell types.
Geneticists from Ohio, California and Japan used stem cells to correct a defective “ring chromosome” with a normal chromosome. Such therapy has the promise to correct chromosome abnormalities that give rise to birth defects, mental disabilities and growth limitations.
In a finding that directly contradicts the standard biological model of animal cell communication, UCSF scientists have discovered that typical cells in animals have the ability to transmit and receive biological signals by making physical contact with each other, even at long distance.
Experts across UCSF weigh in on what some of 2014's top trends are in research and patient care.