UCSF researchers are studying how climate change fuels toxic algal blooms, partnering with global and tribal communities to monitor health risks and protect food security.

A new study traces the molecular pathway connecting the gut immune system to the brain during a parasitic infection, explaining how the immune system triggers a loss of appetite.

TRPM8, a key cold-sensing protein in nerve cells, activates to send “cold” signals to the brain when exposed to low temperatures or cooling sensations like menthol. New research from UCSF reveals how TRPM8 changes shape in response to cold, offering insights into cold sensitivity, pain conditions, and why birds are less sensitive to cold than mammals.

Poor sleep is associated with an increased risk for dementia, but many sleep studies have had inconsistent results. For the first time, used AI to analyze tiny electrical signals in the brain of 7,000 participants healthy participants to calculate “brain age." They find that dementia risk increases significantly when the brain age exceeds actual age.

New research pits psychedelic-assisted therapy against traditional antidepressants in an unblinded study that presents a sobering viewpoint on the treatment's potential.

Former UCSF Chancellor and Nobel-Prize winning cancer researcher, J. Michael Bishop, has died at the age of 90.

Brian Smith, UCSF’s ethics chief, will retire on August 1 after 11 years, leaving a legacy of institutional integrity and oversight across the university’s expansive research and clinical operations.

The UCSF Lynch Syndrome Center is a leading Northern California clinic specializing in Lynch syndrome, a common genetic condition increasing the risk of colon cancer and other cancers. The center offers comprehensive, multidisciplinary care, advanced cancer screening, and cutting-edge treatments, including an NIH-funded vaccine trial, to nearly 1,000 patients.

UCSF research shows psychedelics like psilocybin may treat depression, Parkinson’s, and addiction, offering new hope in clinical trials.

UCSF’s neurological surgery and orthopaedic surgery departments have earned the Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery. UCSF Health is one of only five hospitals in California to achieve this national certification.