Julius Named to Receive the Shaw Prize
For his groundbreaking work on the sensation of touch, David Julius, PhD, professor and chair of the UCSF Department of Physiology, has been named to receive the 2010 Shaw Prize in Life Sciences and Medicine.
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Discovery of Stem Cell Illuminates Human Brain Evolution, Points to Therapies
UCSF scientists have discovered a new stem cell in the developing human brain. The cell produces nerve cells that help form the neocortex - the site of higher cognitive function -- and likely accounts for the dramatic expansion of the region in the lineages that lead to man, the researchers say.
UCSF transgenic mouse mimics Parkinson's earliest symptoms
UCSF researchers have created the first transgenic mouse to display the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease using the genetic mutation that is known to accompany human forms of the disease.
Statins may slow progression of multiple sclerosis, new study finds
A UCSF-led study examining the impact of statins on the progression of multiple sclerosis found a lower incidence of new brain lesions in patients taking the cholesterol-lowering drug in the early stages of the disease as compared to a placebo.
Childhood obesity interventions must start before birth
To be a truly comprehensive and successful anti-obesity program, First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign must include interventions that target pregnant women, infants, and pre-school-age children, UCSF experts say.
Institute of Medicine study led by UCSF's Hauser links Gulf War to health problems
A new report by the Institute of Medicine has found that military service in the Persian Gulf War is a cause of post-traumatic stress disorder in some veterans.
NEJM paper shows preventative benefit of antibiotic for liver disease
An international study published in the March 25 <em>New England Journal of Medicine</em> showed what researchers call a clinical breakthrough in one of the greatest unmet needs for patients with advanced liver disease.
Space station experiment will probe failure of immune system in space
In April 2010, personnel aboard the International Space Station plan to carry out an experiment designed by a San Francisco VA Medical Center researcher that will investigate why the immune system’s T cells stop working in the absence of gravity. The experiment has implications for understanding the body’s ability to mount an immune response on earth, as well.
Novel Parkinson's treatment strategy involves cell transplantation
UCSF scientists have used a novel cell-based strategy to treat motor symptoms in rats with a disease designed to mimic Parkinson’s disease. The strategy suggests a promising approach, the scientists say, for treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases and disorders, including epilepsy.
New period of brain "plasticity" created with transplanted embryonic cells
UCSF scientists report that they were able to prompt a new period of “plasticity,” or capacity for change, in the neural circuitry of the visual cortex of juvenile mice.
US Launches Novel Clinical Trial to Rapidly Screen Promising Drugs for Breast Cancer Patients
Taking an innovative path toward personalized medicine, scientists for the first time will be able to eliminate – at an early point in a clinical trial — experimental drugs that show poor efficacy, dramatically shortening the time it takes to get the right medication to the right patient with breast cancer.
UCSF Lecture on Sugar & Obesity Goes Viral as Experts Confront Health Crisis
People are paying close attention to pediatric endocrinologist Robert Lustig’s message that the obesity epidemic can be blamed on a marked increase in the consumption of a type of sugar called fructose.
Pancreatic cancer study reveals mechanism initiating disease, in mice
UCSF scientists have discovered how a mutated gene known as Kras is able to hijack mouse cells damaged by acute pancreatitis, putting them on the path to becoming pancreatic cancer cells.
New study examines progress in meeting international health goals
A new study co-authored by a UCSF resident physician and published this week examines why low-income countries are making poor progress in meeting international health goals. Study researcher Sanjay Basu, MD, PhD, of the Department of Medicine at UCSF and Division of General Internal Medicine at San Francisco General Hospital, said findings highlight the importance of looking at the entire health experience of a family, rather than just one or a few diseases.
Stress-affected brain region is smaller in veterans with PTSD
A specific region of the hippocampus, a brain structure that is essential to memory, is significantly smaller in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder than in those without the condition, according to a study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and UCSF.