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UCSF professor Yifan Cheng, PhD (center), gestures while examining a Cryo-EM sample along with associate researcher Rob Seed, PhD (left), postdoctoral scholar Mingliang Jin, PhD (bottom right), and professor Stephen Nishimura, PhD (right). Photo by Noah Berger

A Molecular Signal Works its Magic from Inside a Straitjacket

For years, scientists have thought that TGF-Beta, a signaling protein that holds sway over an astonishing array of cellular processes from embryonic development to cancer, could only do its work once it escaped a lasso-like “straitjacket.” But now, using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), a
Radiation oncologist Mack Roach, III MD with an insert of original art published in the May 2023 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics

UCSF Radiation Oncologist Honored for Prostate Cancer Care and Research

Mack Roach, III, MD, FASTRO, has been chosen by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) to receive its 2024 Gold Medal Award. Roach is being recognized with ASTRO’s highest honor for his outstanding contributions to the field of radiation oncology. Dr. Mack Roach is a world-renowned
Three senior citizens shaking hands across a table

Living Your Best Life Means Embracing the Last Years, Too

UC San Francisco is working with nonprofits that serve seniors and patients with serious medical conditions to raise awareness about palliative care and advance care planning. The partnerships are the result of a collaboration between the UCSF Division of Palliative Medicine and the San Francisco
A GTPase (center) tethered to the outside of a cell (bottom), with several drugs in the distance. Credit: Inmywork Studio

Scientists Discover How to Drug Wily Disease-Causing Enzymes

UCSF scientists have discovered how to target a large family of molecular switches called GTPases that are involved in myriad diseases, from Parkinson’s to cancer, and have long been thought to be “undruggable.” Because of their slippery exterior, this class of more than 100 enzymes has remained
Photomicrograph of bone biopsy showing metastasis of prostatic adenocarcinoma within the marrow space.

UCSF Prostate Cancer Program Awarded SPORE Grant by National Cancer Institute

The UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center announced today that the UCSF Prostate Cancer Program is the recipient of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant for prostate cancer. The program will receive about $7 million to develop
lung cancer metastasis

Powerful New Mini Microscope Will Enable Precision Cancer Surgery

Even when cancer surgery goes well, it’s far from guaranteed that all the cancer has been removed. The excised tumor is sent to a pathology lab, which analyzes it under a microscope to estimate how much of the tumor may have been left behind. And what’s left behind could grow back into deadly cancer
closeup of pipette with samples of cancer cells that have been dyed purple

Thirteen Cancer Research Projects Funded in Spring 2024 RAP Cycle

Thirteen investigators and teams were awarded grants in support of cancer research projects in the spring 2024 cycle of the UCSF Resource Allocation Program (RAP). Funded by various agencies across UCSF, the awards span a range of topics from drug discovery to personalized cancer screening to health