Dr. Eva Lee is a co-investigator on a $2 million NIH Grand Opportunity grant
The National Institutes of Health has awarded UC Irvine's Center for Complex Biological Systems $2 million over two years under its Grand Opportunity grant program for a multidisciplinary study of feedback control in cancer cell lineages in solid tumors. Principal investigators are Arthur Lander and John Lowengrub (pictured). Co-investigators Eva Lee, Natalia Komarova, Max Welling and Dominik Wodarz also will work on the study. The researchers come from various academic backgrounds, including developmental & cell biology, math, biological chemistry, computer science, and ecology & evolutionary biology.
read more >>
Douglas C. Wallace elected to Institute of Medicine
Douglas C. Wallace, a pioneering UC Irvine genetics researcher whose achievements in mitochondrial medicine are leading to new treatments for chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes, has been elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine.
read more >>
Zeng wins grant to study form of muscular dystrophy
Weihua Zeng, a postgraduate researcher in biological chemistry at UC Irvine, has received a Helen and David Younger Fellowship Grant of $35,500 to study facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), a form of the hereditary disease marked by progressive weakness and atrophy of facial, shoulder and upper-arm musculature. Zeng will use the grant, awarded by the FSH Society, to study the changes in the genomes of FSHD patients and to understand how these alterations affect the development of the disease. He hopes to identify the molecular mechanism of FSHD and possibly develop treatments to improve the physical functioning of patients. Zeng works in the laboratory of biological chemistry associate professor Kyoko Yokomori.
Dr. Wen-Hwa Lee to give the keynote address at the 24th Joint Annual
Conference of Biomedical Science in Taiwan
read more >>
Renowned molecular biologist Masayasu Nomura has devoted his life to
probing the mysteries of ribosomes and cell growth
Nomura, the Grace Bell Professor of Biological Chemistry, turned 81 in spring 2008. He could retire, secure in the knowledge that he has made important contributions to science, but he's still pursuing his life's work: probing the mysteries of ribosomes and cell growth.
read more >>UCI stem cell researcher awarded $1.4 million to study Huntington's disease
Second award goes to study for treatment of retinitis pigmentosa
Irvine, Calif., June 30, 2008
Leslie M. Thompson, psychiatry and human behavior professor with joint appointments in neurobiology and behavior and biological chemistry, was awarded nearly $1.4 million to develop new stem cell lines for use in treating Huntington's disease.
read more >>Gov't Examines Link between Autism and Vaccines
"Parents have observed a time association between when their child got vaccinated and when they had a worsening of their clinical state," said Dr. Douglas Wallace, director of the Center for Molecular and Mitochondrial Medicine and Genetics at the University of California-Irvine.
read more >>UCI awarded $27.2 million for new stem cell building
Facility will serve as regional research hub for speeding development of stem cell therapies
Irvine, Calif., May 7, 2008
UC Irvine was awarded $27.2 million today from the state to build a new stem cell research facility that will unify and strengthen the campus’s fast-growing stem cell biology program and serve as a hub for research in Southern California.
read more >>Fruehauf Named "Top Oncologist" by Research Group
Dr. John P. Fruehauf, associate professor of clinical medicine, Department of Medicine, was recently named a 'Top Oncologist' by the Consumers Research Council of America. Fruehauf's selection to the council's 2007 Guide to America's Top Oncologists was based on several factors, including his extensive training, experience and board certification in his specialty.
New stem cell technique improves genetic alterationEfficiency of method could lead to better disease study and future stem cell cures.
IRVINE, Calif., March 7, 2008
UC Irvine researchers have discovered a dramatically improved method for genetically manipulating human embryonic stem cells, making it easier for scientists to study and potentially treat thousands of disorders ranging from Huntington's disease to muscular dystrophy and diabetes.
read more >>Mitochondrial DNA mutations can cause degenerative heart and muscle disease
UCI study provides insights into age-related diseases and proof that mitochondrial DNA is central to health
Irvine, Calif., February 14, 2008
A single change in the DNA of mitochondria – the cellular power plants that generate energy in all human cells – has been found to cause degenerative heart and muscle disease, according to University of California, Irvine researchers.
read more >>UC Irvine's stem cell facility proposal ranks high in first round of funding evaluations
Second stage of CIRM funding process will look at community support
Irvine, Calif., January 18, 2008
UC Irvine’s proposal to build a state-of-the art stem cell institute on campus cleared its first hurdle this week, placing third among 12 state institutions in the running for Major Facilities Grants administered by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
read more >>
GALL AND SANDMEYER ELECTED AAAS FELLOWS
Christine Gall, professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology; Suzanne B. Sandmeyer, professor of Biological Chemistry; and five UC Irvine colleagues were elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for their contributions to research. Gall was recognized for her contributions to our understanding of the molecular basis for neuroplastic changes in the brain, including those regulated by growth factors. Sandmeyer was honored for her research in molecular genetics, particularly for discovering the yeast retrotransposon, Ty3, and explaining the mechanism by which it selects target sites. More: AAAS Press Release
BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY RECEIVES TRAINING GRANT
The Department of Biological Chemistry received a five-year, $1.1 million training grant from the National Institutes of Health for “Translational Research in Cancer Genomics Medicine." The project, led by Dr. Wen-Hwa Lee, chair of the Department of Biological Chemistry will also include faculty from the Departments of Medicine, Pharmacology, Chemistry, Developmental and Cell Biology, and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.
UC Irvine program that melds life sciences and computers awarded $5.6 million grant
Interdisciplinary training ground is one of 18 nationwide
Irvine, Calif., August 16, 2007
The UC Irvine Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics (IGB) has been awarded $5.6 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health to continue training students to apply advanced computer and information technologies in the biological and medical sciences.
UC Irvine discovery part of growing pharma effort to create new class of drugs
FAAH inhibitor could lead to better treatments for pain, anxiety and
obesity
Irvine, Calif., June 28, 2007
Daniele Piomelli and his Italian colleagues developed a chemical called URB597 with a vision that it could be the basis of drugs to treat pain, anxiety and obesity. Their vision is coming one step closer to reality.
Recipients of 2007 Excellence in Teaching Awards
This Spring, a select group of faculty members were honored for teaching excellence. The Department of Biological Chemistry is proud of its two honorees:
UCI Biological Chemistry Department
Other News
-
Meyskens Named Associate Vice Chancellor
Dr. Frank L. Meyskens has been named associate vice chancellor for the College of Health Sciences effective immediately. Meyskens has been a faculty member with the School of Medicine for more than 18 years and previously held the position of senior associate dean in the College of Health Sciences. He was also recently named the Daniel G. Aldrich Jr. Endowed Chair for his achievements in cancer prevention, research and medical education.
