MCB and Chemical Engineering Professor David Schaffer collaborated with HHMI scientists to develop a powerful new viral vector that can deliver genetically-encoded neural activity sensors in the brain. This tool provides a new opportunity to observe the structures of neural networks on a larger scale, as well as the specific role of projection neurons in neural networks.
Department News
Below are articles from various sources about members of MCB and their research.
A team of researchers led by MCB Professor and HHMI Investigator Michael Rape has found that in addition to its importance for bone strength, calcium has a major role as a signal molecule that regulates bone formation and growth at a cellular level. This finding could help locate and correct erroneous signals during bone growth that lead to bone abnormalities.
MCB Associate Professor Diana Bautista and MCB Professor and HHMI Investigator Randy Schekman co-authored this study.
The Department of Molecular & Cell Biology welcomes Professor Eric Betzig and Associate Professor Na Ji, who will be joining us in the summer of 2017. Betzig was awarded the Nobel prize in 2014 for developing super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, which allows scientists to look inside cells and visualize the pathways of individual molecules, including those involved in disease. Ji studies optical imaging technology development and its application in neurobiology.
The East West Alliance, a global network of universities and medical schools supported by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, annually supports a symposium at one of the participating institutions. The 2016 symposium will be held at UC Berkeley, Sunday, October 30 through Tuesday, November 1, on the theme "Frontiers in Health Research".
The new $600 million Chan Zuckerberg Biohub will bring together research powerhouses UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco and Stanford University in a medical science research center headquartered near UCSF's Mission Bay campus. It will provide flexible laboratory space, the latest technological tools, and funding for high impact exploratory projects.
HHMI Investigator and Professor of Neurobiology Yang Dan was recently interviewed in the Journal Neuron. She talks about the work being performed in her lab, her motivation, and the neural intricasies of sleep.
MCB Professor Rebecca Heald is studying the effects of genome size in amphibians, where larger genomes generate larger cells, organelles, and spindle apparatus sizes during cell division. Her research seeks to identify these “scaling factors” that regulate spindle sizes in other organisms as well.
New research out from Professor Andrew Dillin's lab! "An intriguing finding in nematode worms suggests that having a little bit of extra fat may help reduce the risk of developing some neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington’s, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases."
Professor of the Graduate School Robert Zucker is the 2017 recipient of the Sir Bernard Katz Award of the Exocytosis/Endocytosis Subgroup of the Biophysical Society. The award recognizes excellence in research and outstanding careers in the field of exocytosis/endocytosis. Dr. Zucker will give a talk at the upcoming annual meeting in February, 2017. Read More...
MCB Adjunct Professor Gary Karpen and his team published a new study recently in the journal Nature Communications -- their findings could lead to a new biomarker for the early stages of tumor development.