News

Cancer Patients Lonely and Depressed During COVID

Loneliness and social isolation have been significant problems for the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic, but for cancer patients these issues were particularly acute, likely due to isolation and social distancing, according to a new UC San Francisco study. The study, which is the

Smart Cell Therapies for Solid Cancers Ready to Move Towards Clinical Trials

Immunotherapies that fight cancer have been a life-saving advancement for many patients, but the approach only works on a few types of malignancies, leaving few treatment options for most cancer patients with solid tumors. Now, in two related papers published April 28, 2021, in Science Translational

Three UCSF Faculty Elected to National Academy of Sciences in 2021

Three faculty members from UC San Francisco have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), one of the highest honors accorded to American scientists. Geeta Narlikar, PhD, Arturo Alvarez-Buylla, PhD, and Holly Ingraham, PhD, were welcomed to the academy on April 26. Their election

First of Its Kind Study Links Wildfire Smoke to Skin Disease

Wildfire smoke can trigger a host of respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms, ranging from runny nose and cough to a potentially life-threatening heart attack or stroke. A new study suggests that the dangers posed by wildfire smoke may also extend to the largest organ in the human body, and our

New CRISPR Technology Offers Unrivaled Control of Epigenetic Inheritance

Scientists have figured out how to modify CRISPR’s basic architecture to extend its reach beyond the genome and into what’s known as the epigenome – proteins and small molecules that latch onto DNA and control when and where genes are switched on or off. In a paper published April 9, 2021, in the

Pancreatic Cancer Cells Hijack Muscle Protein to Beef Up Their Metabolism

Cancer starts with mutations in a cell’s DNA, but new UC San Francisco research shows that the endurance of a tumor relies on its ability to rapidly evolve and adapt to challenges brought about by the environment in which it grows. “A major obstacle cancer cells must overcome is their incessant need

Allan Balmain Elected Fellow of the AACR Academy

Allan Balmain, PhD, FRS has been named to the 2021 class of fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy. Dr. Balmain holds the Barbara Bass Bakar Distinguished Professorship in Cancer Genetics at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC). Allan