Below are articles from various sources about members of MCB and their research.
A remarkable new 3D map of the fly brain from the lab of MCB Professor & HHMI Investigator Eric Betzig allows researchers to visit any of the fly's 40 million synapses – and took only 3 days to produce.
This rapid 3D imaging technique may ultimately allow researchers to judge strength of neural connections and trace those involved in decision-making and memory, among many other uses. Watch the video >
Undergraduates: Here’s your chance to gain hands-on experience working with CRISPR technology! Enroll in our unique Summer 2019 workshop and learn the CRISPR research essentials.
Sponsored by Innovative Genomics Institute.
UC Berkeley MCB hosted its 2nd annual networking reception for over 100 MCB alumni and friends working in the healthcare, biotechnology, and financial industries during the 37th annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco earlier this week. The reception was a time to catch up with old classmates and faculty, make new connections with various Cal alumni (Chemistry, EECS and Bioengineering), and meet industry professionals from innovative companies wanting to create new ties. Continue reading >
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.