News

2025 Jacobs School Award of Excellence Recipients

June 12, 2025

2025 Jacobs School Award of Excellence Recipients

The Jacobs School of Engineering will celebrate the undergraduate students in the class of 2025 at its annual Ring Ceremony on Friday, June 13. Six students were selected from the nearly 1,500  students receiving bachelor’s degrees from the Jacobs School of Engineering to receive an Award of Excellence from their academic department.   Full Story


Recognizing Sex Differences in Disease Can Improve Treatments for All

June 6, 2025

Recognizing Sex Differences in Disease Can Improve Treatments for All

One-size-fits-all hats are okay, but one-size-fits-all medical treatments don’t cut it. A new study shows that drug treatment outcomes are significantly different for a type of heart valve disease, called aortic valve stenosis, based on how the disease progresses in males versus females. Full Story


A Clearer Look at Diabetic Kidney Disease via New Optical Imaging Technology

May 16, 2025

A Clearer Look at Diabetic Kidney Disease via New Optical Imaging Technology

Bioengineers and clinicians working together developed an “optical biopsy” that could improve how kidney disease is diagnosed and studied. The new technology does not rely on stains or dyes. Full Story


Women’s Physical Activity Levels are Less Variable Than Men’s, Study Says

May 14, 2025

Women’s Physical Activity Levels are Less Variable Than Men’s, Study Says

Women’s physical activity levels are less variable than men’s, according to a new study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. What’s more, women’s hormonal cycles did not have a noticeable impact on physical activity levels. Full Story


Self-assembling Molecules Take the Spotlight at Research Expo 2025

May 5, 2025

Self-assembling Molecules Take the Spotlight at Research Expo 2025

Materials science and engineering Ph.D. student Liya Bi won the grand prize at the 43rd annual Jacobs School of Engineering Research Expo for his work studying how molecules organize themselves into highly ordered patterns on metal surfaces. Full Story


Using Bacteria as Living Test Tubes to Study Human Gene Mutations and Find New Drug Leads

April 30, 2025

Using Bacteria as Living Test Tubes to Study Human Gene Mutations and Find New Drug Leads

Traditional methods of studying human gene mutations are often laborious and costly. Now bioengineers at UC San Diego have developed a new simple approach to rapidly check on human gene changes and also screen chemicals as potential drugs by turning everyday bacteria into living test tubes. Full Story


This Injected Protein-like Polymer Helps Tissues Heal After a Heart Attack

April 25, 2025

This Injected Protein-like Polymer Helps Tissues Heal After a Heart Attack

Researchers have developed a new therapy that can be injected intravenously right after a heart attack to promote healing and prevent heart failure.  The therapy both prompts the immune system to encourage tissue repair and promotes survival of heart muscle cells after a heart attack. Researchers tested the therapy in rats and showed that it is effective up to five weeks after injection.    Full Story


AI Helps Unravel a Cause of Alzheimer's Disease and Identify a Therapeutic Candidate

April 25, 2025

AI Helps Unravel a Cause of Alzheimer's Disease and Identify a Therapeutic Candidate

A new study found that a gene recently recognized as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease is actually a cause of it, due to its previously unknown secondary function that triggers a pathway that disrupts how cells in the brain turn genes on and off. Full Story


Childhood Exposure to Bacterial Toxin May Be Triggering Colorectal Cancer Epidemic Among the Young

April 23, 2025

Childhood Exposure to Bacterial Toxin May Be Triggering Colorectal Cancer Epidemic Among the Young

In an effort to explain a modern medical mystery, an international team of researchers led by bioengineers at the University of California San Diego has identified a potential microbial culprit behind the alarming rise in early-onset colorectal cancer: a bacterial toxin called colibactin. Full Story


UC San Diego Bioengineer Inducted Into 2025 Class of the AIMBE College of Fellows

March 31, 2025

UC San Diego Bioengineer Inducted Into 2025 Class of the AIMBE College of Fellows

Bioengineering professor Daniela Valdez-Jasso was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). She was recognized for her research exploring the roles of biomechanical forces in the progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Full Story