Below are articles from various sources about members of MCB and their research.
New research from MCB Associate Professor David Savage and MCB & Chemistry Professor Jennifer Doudna shows that an enzyme called ProCas9 can be used to target specific cells during CRISPR gene editing.
“This is an extra layer of security you could put on the molecule to ensure accurate cutting,” said Savage.
Our department has much to celebrate and be thankful for this year, especially our extraordinary community!
Watch the 2018 holiday video and read the MCB Co-Chairs message here...
Congratulations to DNA Sequencing Facility director Hitomi Asahara, whose provisional patent is now available for licensing from UC Berkeley IPIRA. The provisional patent improves Sanger sequencing elongation speeds during DNA sequencing.
Earlier this year, Asahara received a UC Berkeley SPOT award for improving the efficiency and lowering the costs of operations at the DNA Sequencing Facility.
We are excited to announce Ellen Lumpkin will join the MCB faculty in the Division of Cell & Developmental Biology this July.
Dr. Lumpkin is currently an Associate Professor of Somatosensory Biology (in Dermatology) and of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University. She is also the co-director of the Thompson Family Foundation Initiative in CIPN & Sensory Neuroscience.
New research from MCB Assistant Professor Stephan Lammel challenges the long-standing presumption that dopamine exists primarily as a reward in response to pleasurable stimuli. Instead, Lammel's findings indicate that dopamine has a "yin-yang" personality and is released in response to both pleasurable and displeasurable stimuli as a means of changing neural circuits. Those changes then train the brain to either pursue or avoid those stimuli.
This new understanding of the function of dopamine can lead to new approaches in treating certain neurological disorders affected by dopamine, such as Parkinson's and substance addiction.
Congratulations to Hillel Adesnik, Xavier Darzacq, and Polina Lishko on their promotions to MCB Associate Professors!
Hillel Adesnik studies the dynamics of neural circuits underlying information processing in the cerebral cortex. His lab seeks to understand how cortical microcircuits process sensory information to drive behavior.
Xavier Darzacq studies transcription regulation during cellular differentiation. The Tjian-Darzacq group focuses on the role imposed by nuclear architecture on the molecules regulating transcription, and have developed new techniques to study the organization of proteins in the nucleoplasm.
Polina Lishko studies cell biology of mammalian fertilization. Her research on human sperm cell motility may lead to new forms of male contraceptives.
A new study from MCB Associate Professor & HHMI Investigator Andreas Martin reveals how proteasomes convert energy into mechanical motion to break down and recycle proteins. This research on the mechanism of proteasomes could improve treatment of diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and cancer.
It is with great sadness we report the passing of Jack Kirsch, who served as a Professor of MCB and Chemistry from 1964 to 2006 and as a Professor of the Graduate School in retirement. Jack was an esteemed scientist and a pillar of the campus community who will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked with him.
Jack received the UC Berkeley Edward A. Dickson Emeriti Professorship in 2016, a prestigious award that recognizes dedicated Emeriti who have made outstanding and far-reaching contributions to teaching, research, and public service. The award epitomizes the remarkable impact Jack had on the Cal community, from his groundbreaking research career in the field of biochemistry to his passion for teaching a freshman seminar titled "Sampling the Performing Arts at Berkeley."
In this time of loss, we as a community must remember how fortunate we are to have been influenced by Jack's great legacy. We offer our condolences to Jack's family and close friends.
New research published in Science by MCB Professor and HHMI Investigator Eva Nogales pushes the limits of cryo-electron microscopy with freeze-frames of TFIID, a critical gene transcription molecule. TFIID, or transcription factor IID, is a relatively large protein with a structure that had been difficult to capture prior to the research.
These more detailed images "could help drug designers create drugs that interfere with the molecule’s structural changes in order to tweak the expression of a gene that is causing disease."
Congratulations to MCB Professor Susan Marqusee for becoming a 2019 Miller Senior Fellow! The fellowship supports excellence in science at UC Berkeley by enhancing interactions among Miller Institute Fellows, all of whom are accomplished and distinguished scientists in their field. It also provides significant discretionary funds for research.