Rare Cells are ‘Window Into the Gut’ for the Nervous System
Specialized cells in the gut sense potentially noxious chemicals and trigger electrical impulses in nearby nerve fibers, according to a new study led by UCSF scientists.

University of California San Francisco
Give to UCSFSpecialized cells in the gut sense potentially noxious chemicals and trigger electrical impulses in nearby nerve fibers, according to a new study led by UCSF scientists.
A new study by UCSF researchers revealed the intriguing possibility that HP1α binds to stretches of DNA and pulls it into droplets that shield the genetic material inside from the molecular machinery of the nucleus that reads and translates the genome.
UCSF researchers have drawn a link between genetic abnormalities in neurodegenerative diseases and the formation of RNA foci, work the scientists said may open avenues to the development of new drug treatments.
In a major advance for fundamental biological research, UCSF scientists have developed a tool capable of illuminating previously inscrutable cellular signaling networks.
Researchers at UCSF and elsewhere are turning to virtual experiments for the initial steps of drug development.
UCSF researchers have used data-mining computational tools to identify a treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma, a cancer associated with underlying liver disease and cirrhosis that often only becomes symptomatic when it is very advanced.
A newly approved drug that is the first to reflect the current scientific understanding of multiple sclerosis is holding new hope for the hundreds of thousands Americans living with the disease. It also highlights the importance of clinician scientists like UCSF’s Stephen Hauser who are working to transform research into cures for patients.
Christina Hueschen took home the top prize at this year’s UCSF Grad Slam competition for her talk titled “How to Build an Elephant.”
Sharks, rays and skates can hunt for prey hidden in the sandy sea floor by “listening” for faint traces of bioelectricity – they can literally sense their prey’s heart beating.
UC San Francisco and Pfizer Inc.’s Centers for Therapeutic Innovation have renewed an agreement to identify and develop biologic compounds against both known and novel targets.
Researchers at UCSF have developed a new optogenetic tool that can be used to completely eliminate single cells from brain networks in animals. The researchers believe the new tool will enable exquisitely precise experiments to help researchers understand how each cell contributes to the whole.
Steven Altschuler and Lani Wu are using artificial intelligence to spot and label potential medical uses for biological compounds.
UCSF researchers have discovered a way to switch off the widely used CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system using newly identified anti-CRISPR proteins that are produced by bacterial viruses.
In findings that show the effectiveness of a new strategy for treating multiple sclerosis, researchers are reporting positive results from three large, international, multicenter Phase III clinical trials of the investigational drug ocrelizumab in both relapsing multiple sclerosis and primary progressive multiple sclerosis.
White blood cells called neutrophils race after bacteria at speeds up to a thousand times that of most human cells by moving in a special way. Lillian Fritz-Laylin and Megan Riel-Mehan want to know how that works.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has awarded the UCSF-Stanford Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (UCSF-Stanford CERSI) a five-year grant with up to $25 million in funding.
Graduate student Lauren Rodda captured a microscopic mage of a mouse gut, which highlights her work to understand the germinal center, where immune cells compete to be the best at recognizing an invading pathogen.
UCSF has ranked as one of the top 20 universities in the world, according to the 2017 Best Global Universities rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.
Postdoctoral scholar Audrey O’Neill captured 16 hours of video as part of her work that aims to understand what molecular steps cause cells to self-segregate.
The National Science Foundation has awarded $24 million over five years for a new ‘blue-sky’ bioengineering center based at UCSF.
Joe DeRisi, co-director of the new Chan Zuckerberg Biohub at Mission Bay, speaks about his vision for the Biohub and what researchers can look forward to.
UCSF, Stanford and UC Berkeley will join forces in a new biomedical science research center funded by a $600 million commitment from Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg and pediatrician Priscilla Chan.
Bruce Alberts and a group of prominent scientists have begun the Rescuing Biomedical Research initiative to fix what they see as systemic flaws in the current biomedical research enterprise.
An international team of researchers has developed a new opioid drug candidate that blocks pain without triggering the dangerous side effects of current prescription painkillers.
The first results from a large international study of patients taking metformin, the world’s most commonly used type 2 diabetes drug, reveal genetic differences among patients that may explain why some respond much better to the drug than others.
Using advanced imaging technology that allowed them to spy on interactions among cells in the lymph nodes of living mice, a research team led by UCSF scientists has identified a cell that is a key player in mounting the immune system’s defense against cancer.
A previously unidentifiable type of low-grade inflammation may explain why common anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin have shown promise against some types of cancer – even when patients don’t display typical signs of inflammation.
A drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of blocked electrical impulses to the heart and could be an effective treatment for certain types of heart disease known as conduction disease, in which the progression of electrical impulses through the heart is impeded.