Subscribe“Ubiquitin” is the apt term for a molecule that plays a vital role in every cell in our body. Associate Professor Michael Rape, winner of a 2012 Bakar Fellowship, is now on the trail of a potential drug to interrupt excessive ubiquitin production and prevent uncontrolled cell division, a hallmark of cancer.
Tag: molecular biology
Bakar Fellows Program: Probing the cell's 'everywhere' molecule
April 10, 2013:
Campus poised to join Obama’s BRAIN initiative
April 2, 2013:
President Barack Obama has announced a major national initiative to understand how the brain works and how it goes awry. Neuroscientist John Ngai, chemist Paul Alivisatos and chemical engineer Jay Keasling were on hand at the White House to lend support to the so-called BRAIN initiative, which Ngai termed “our moon project.”
New details on the molecular machinery of cancer
February 15, 2013:
Chemist Jay Groves and colleagues at Berkeley Lab have used cutting-edge tools to reveal the workings of the epidermal growth factor receptor, which is screwed up in numerous cancers. Their picture of how the receptor changes structure when activated could help scientists understand other cancer triggers.
Discovery opens the door to a potential ‘molecular fountain of youth’
January 31, 2013:
UC Berkeley researchers were able to turn back the molecular clock of blood stem cells of old mice by infusing them with a longevity gene. The experiment rejuvenated the aged stem cells’ regenerative potential, providing new hope for the development of targeted treatments for age-related degenerative diseases.
Research News Briefs
January 30, 2013:
Research News Briefs: The star-nosed mole is helping researchers discover touch and pain receptors in humans. / The Keck Foundation is funding a project to insert tiny magnets into cells to make them easy to track with magnetic resonance imaging. / Feelings of awe make people more generous.
New gene found that turns carbs into fat, could be target for future drugs
December 6, 2012:
UC Berkeley researchers have identified a gene that plays a critical role in converting dietary carbohydrates into fat. The gene, called BAF60c, could eventually be important in the development of treatments for such diseases as fatty liver and diabetes.
Carlos Bustamante honored with Vilcek Prize
February 15, 2012:
Carlos Bustamante, a professor of molecular and cell biology and of physics and chemistry, has been awarded the 2012 Vilcek Prize, given annually to individuals born abroad who have made lasting contributions to American society. Born in Peru, Bustamante uses magnetic beads, atomic-force microscopes and laser “tweezers” to explore the inner workings of the cell and DNA.
Pain and itch connected down deep
May 2, 2011:
A new study of itch adds to growing evidence that the chemical signals that make us want to scratch are the same signals that make us wince in pain.
Gates foundation awards $100,000 grants for novel global health research
May 10, 2010:
Two UC Berkeley scientists, Jennifer Doudna and John Ngai, each will receive a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to explore innovative research that could impact global health.
