MCB has been busy this semester!
Read all about what MCB has been up to lately, from our recent research endeavors to our MCB 30 Alumni Symposuim!
Department News
Below are articles from various sources about members of MCB and their research.
YourChoice Therapeutics, a startup co-founded by MCB Associate Professor Polina Lishko, is developing the first hormone-free birth control for both men and women to be released in 2025.
The contraceptives were first developed in Lishko's lab, which focuses on the mammalian fertilization and molecular physiology of human sperm cells.
April 23, 2019
Congratulations to MCB Professor Kristin Scott for being elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences! Scott studies the taste system in fruit flies to understand how sensory information is processed by the brain and linked to behavior.
April 18, 2019
Congratulations to MCB Professor & Senior Associate Dean of Biological Sciences Richard Harland, who is a newly elected Fellow of The Royal Society of London! Harland is a pioneer in the field of developmental biology whose major contributions to the field include understanding dorsal ventral patterning of the early embryo and the induction and patterning of the neural plate.
April 18, 2019
On April 11, the MCB Industrial Affiliates Program (IAP) Spring 2019 Symposium brought together industry and academia to offer UC Berkeley scientists at all career stages an opportunity to build direct connections with nine innovative biotechnology companies. The event was a great success, drawing students and postdoctoral scholars from several departments on campus including MCB, IB, Bioengineering, Biophysics, and Comparative Biochemistry. Continue reading >
April 17, 2019
New research from Assistant Professor of MCB & Physics Hernan Garcia and scientists at New York University characterizes how the pioneer factor Zelda affects a gene's transcriptional output by enriching Dorsal protein activity at enhancer regions of Drosophila DNA during gene activation.
This finding "uncovers the physical parameters that affect gene activation, thus pushing forward our understanding of how genes are regulated in time and space,” according to NYU Biology Professor Christine Rushlow.
April 15, 2019
Cal Day 2019 is this Saturday, April 13, from 10 AM – 3 PM! Come by VLSB to learn about the MCB major, meet some of our distinguished researchers, tour the laboratory classrooms, and more.
April 12, 2019
Congratulations to MCB Professor Rebecca Heald, recipient of the 2018–19 Leon A. Henkin Citation for Distinguished Service! This award recognizes faculty with “exceptional commitment to the educational development of students from groups who are underrepresented in the academy.”
April 10, 2019
On March 28, the MCB Graduate Network and newly-established MCB Wellness Committee partnered to host the first-ever Wellness Symposium for students, faculty, and staff in the MCB Department. The event, held in honor of MCB PhD alum Cris Alvaro, aimed to focus on the importance of de-stigmatizing discussions of mental health in academia and emphasize mental health as an essential aspect of wellness. Continue reading >
April 03, 2019
Congratulations to the 11 MCB graduate students who have been named Outstanding Graduate Student Instructors! The OGSI Award recognizes GSIs from each department on campus for excellent work in the teaching of undergraduates.
April 01, 2019
Congratulations to MCB Assistant Professors Helen Bateup & Dirk Hockemeyer, who have both been named Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Investigators! This appointment recognizes accomplished junior faculty with well-established research program areas complementary to the current campus Biohub Investigators.
James Olzmann, Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology, was also appointed as an Investigator.
March 28, 2019
New research from the labs of MCB Professors Ehud Isacoff & John Flannery reports that insertion of a gene for a green-light receptor into the eyes of blind mice led to signs of reversed retinal degeneration. This gene therapy may soon be used to help restore vision in humans blindness due to retinal degeration.
March 15, 2019
Show your Blue and Gold spirit by participating in this year's Big Give. This is a chance for us all to come together as an entire Cal commuity—alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends—to support our favorite department. Even the smallest gift can make a big difference!
This year, we're funding two main initiatives:
- Expand tutoring services: As the MCB major continues to grow, we want to expand our tutoring opportunities to students in upper division MCB courses such as MCB 102, 104, and 110.
- Establish a teaching award for outstanding Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs): MCB GSIs are integral to the success of our undergraduates. This award will recognize their invaluable contribution to teaching excellence.
Consider making a donation to the MCB Department to help us create many more great moments in the future!
March 14, 2019
New research from the lab of MCB Professor Richard Kramer shows that a new therapy "could help prolong useful vision and delay total blindness" in humans with deteriorating vision. The treatment, which has been successful in trials with mice, utilizes drug or gene therapy to reduce interfering noise generated by nerve cells in the eye. Reduction of this noise can improve vision for those suffering from vision loss, including common age-related macular degeneration.
“This isn’t a cure for these diseases, but a treatment that may help people see better. This won’t put back the photoreceptors that have died, but maybe give people an extra few years of useful vision with the ones that are left,” says Kramer.
March 13, 2019
MCB Professor Michael Eisen has been named the new Editor-in-Chief of eLife, a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal for biomedical and life sciences. Eisen has long been a vocal proponent of open-access scientific publishing and reforming research communication.
March 06, 2019
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