News
How a Spike in Cancer Deaths Triggered a Life-Saving Partnership
“Later,” James McCray Jr. told himself, he’d deal with it later. McCray was the long-time pastor of Jones Memorial United Methodist Church, located just blocks away from UCSF Medical Center at Mount Zion. In fact, early in his tenure, McCray partnered with the medical center’s doctors to conduct
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
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
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
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
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
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