News & Events
Rebalancing the Gut: How AI Solved a 25-Year Crohn's Disease Mystery
October 27, 2025
UC San Diego researchers have settled a decades-long debate surrounding the role of the first Crohn’s disease gene to be associated with a heightened risk for developing the auto-immune condition.
Full UCSD Press Release Article
Christopher K. Glass Appointed Director of Center for Epigenomics
October 16, 2025
The University of California San Diego School of Medicine is pleased to announce the appointment of Distinguished Professor Christopher K. Glass, M.D., Ph.D., as the new director of the Center for Epigenomics (C4E), a multidisciplinary hub advancing transformative research into the chemical modifications of DNA and chromatin, as well as their roles in human health and disease.
Full School of Medicine Press Release Article
UC San Diego Researchers Shortlisted for International Cancer Competition
September 29, 2025
Two researchers from the University of California San Diego are among the finalists in the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative, a joint effort between Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute. The international competition will award the winning teams up to £20 million to complete their projects. CMM's Ludmil Alexandrov is part of one team selected for the shortlist of Cancer Grand Challenges. Alexandrov leads a team investigating the origins of cancer.
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Small Nuclear RNA Base Editing a Safer Alternative to CRISPR, UC San Diego Researchers Find
September 18, 2025
UC San Diego researchers have unveiled a promising new alternative to CRISPR: small nuclear RNA (snRNA) base editing. Unlike bacterial-based systems, this human-derived approach makes precise, temporary edits to RNA — swapping specific “letters” in the genetic code — and has shown fewer unintended changes than current tools. In tests including a cystic fibrosis model, it outperformed existing methods on gene rescue with less risk of off‑target or immune damage. The study opens the door for safer therapies for genetic, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and immune diseases.
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Five Years Through the Lens of Discovery: UC San Diego Library Celebrates Art of Science Anniverisary
September 16, 2025
Charting the Developing Human Heart
Artist: Quan Zhu, faculty, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Center for Epigenomics
Contributor: Jackie Eschbach, Alex Monell, Colin Kern, and Bogdan Bintu
Category: 2025 Judges' Award Winner, Honorable Mention
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Interdisciplinary Teams Win Three Data Storage Awards from Western Digital
September 5, 2025
Western Digital, a leading data storage company, challenged researchers to propose innovative ideas that leverage the power of data storage for the benefit of society.
The Peak Award recipients at UC San Diego partnered across disciplines and departments including bioengineering and the Center for Epigenomics; structural engineering and the Qualcomm Institute; and computer science and the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC).
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Researchers Decipher Gene's Critical Function That Prevents Disease
September 2, 2025
UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences researchers in the labs of Professors Karen Oegema and Arshad Desai began understanding how TRIM37, when operating normally, plays a key role in preventing conditions that lead to Mulibrey nanism. They linked TRIM37 to spindles, which separate chromosomes during cell division, and centrosomes, the spherical organizing structures at each end of spindles.
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Molecular Stress in Old Neurons Increases Suspectibility to Neurdegenerative Diseases, Study Finds
June 2, 2025
The risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) continues to rise. But the molecular mechanisms behind the deterioration of brain cells have remained elusive.
Now, a new study by University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers has found that old neurons have unique defects resulting from molecular stress that make them especially vulnerable to neurodegeneration.
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AI Enables Rapid Identification of Targeted Cancer Therapy
May 30, 2025
Ludmil Alexandrov, Ph.D. finds that precision treatments for breat and ovarian cancers can start faster with AI-read biopsies.
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Childhood Exposure to Bacterial Toxin May Be Triggering Colorectal Cancer Epidemic Among the Young
April 23, 2025
Ludmil Alexandrov, Ph.D., challenges traditional ideas of colorectal cancer development. new study, published on April 23 in Nature, analyzed 981 colorectal cancer genomes from patients with both early- and late-onset disease across 11 countries with varying colorectal cancer risk levels. The findings show that colibactin leaves behind specific patterns of DNA mutations that were 3.3 times more common in early-onset cases (specifically in adults under 40) than in those diagnosed after the age of 70. These mutation patterns were also particularly prevalent in countries with high incidence of early-onset cases.
“These mutation patterns are a kind of historical record in the genome, and they point to early-life exposure to colibactin as a driving force behind early-onset disease,” said study senior author Ludmil Alexandrov, professor in the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at UC San Diego, who is also a member of UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and Deputy Director of Sanford Stem Cell Fitness and Space Medicine Center.
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Tiny Molecules, Big Science: How RNA Research Could Transform Medicine, If We Let It
April 15, 2025
Gene Yeo, Ph.D., professor of cellular and molecular medicine at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, studies some of the smallest molecules in biology, but their impact on human health is massive.
His research centers on RNAs, or ribonucleic acids, chemical messengers that are at the crux of everything that happens within living cells. While many people are familiar with DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which provides the instructions for the development, growth, and function of organisms, RNAs are what turn these instructions into biological reality.
“When the underlying machinery is not functioning in our cells, the problems that result are huge,” said Yeo. “But this also means we have a lot of opportunities to leverage RNAs to treat diseases and support human health.”
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Behind Every Breakthrough: Meet us at Phase 0: Inside the HUMANOID™ Center at UC San Diego
April 10, 2025
Pradipta Ghosh, M.D. is at the helm of the HUMANOID™ Center for Excellence at the University of California San Diego, which is pioneering the use of patient-derived-organoids — miniature, three-dimensional models of human organs grown from a patient’s cells. Many scientists utilize organoids that are grown from donor cells, such as from skin or blood, that have been reprogrammed to grow into a certain type of tissue, such as brain tissue. However, HUMANOID™ takes a different approach entirely.
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Tariq Rana, Ph.D. Appointed Chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
March 12, 2025
Tariq Rana, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and chief of the Division of Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics, has been appointed chair of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.
“Dr. Rana’s exceptional research contributions combined with his leadership experience will be an invaluable asset to the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and the School of Medicine. In addition to his outstanding track record as an investigator, mentor and program builder, his proven ability to build external partnerships and diversify portfolios will enhance the department's reputation and foster new collaborations,” said Barbara Jung, M.D., associate vice chancellor and dean of UC San Diego School of Medicine. “During these unpredictable times, Dr. Rana stands ready to provide the leadership we need to navigate the challenges and opportunities ahead with confidence. I look forward to working with him as he builds upon the department’s outstanding reputation and continues to drive innovation and excellence in all that we do."
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CMM Seminar Series
CMM hosts the weekly CMM Seminar Series in collaboration with UC San Diego Division of Biological Sciences.