News
Ryan Grant, RN, a clinical nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Nursery, checks on his 15-day-old patient at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, San Francisco. Photo by Susan Merrell

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Earn Strongest US News Rankings

UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals achieved its strongest showing to date in the 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals list, tying as the best among children’s hospitals in Northern California. All specialties assessed were nationally recognized for the ninth consecutive year
Low Grade Glioma

FDA Approves PET Imaging Agent for Brain Cancer Based on UCSF Data

UC San Francisco study data was instrumental in today’s approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a PET imaging agent that helps physicians evaluate gliomas, a form of brain cancer. The approval of floretyrosine F 18 (18F-FET) was supported by prospective clinical trial data generated at
Fluorescent microscopy image of a fibrotic breast tumor, with DNA damage highlighted in pink

This is How Dense Breast Tissue May Lead to Cancer

Breast cancer often grows in tissue that is unusually dense. That’s why clinicians flag women with this kind of breast tissue for follow-up after a mammogram. A UC San Francisco study has uncovered a mechanism that could help explain how this dense environment promotes breast cancer. Dense tissue
Dr. Andrew Ko in clinic; image of two Daraxonrasib pills

New Drug With UCSF Roots Has Revolutionized Pancreatic Cancer Care

UC San Francisco researchers took on one of science’s lost causes. Today, their work has finally ushered in hope for pancreatic cancer — one of medicine’s most devastating diseases. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved daraxonrasib, the first drug shown to substantially extend
A pharmacy technician wearing blue latex glove and a surgical mask prepares a dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Why Novel Cancer Vaccine Tested at UCSF Marks New Treatment Era

A personalized mRNA vaccine tested at UC San Francisco has become the first to successfully prevent the return and spread of cancer in late-stage clinical trials. The results could signal a new era of vaccines to treat a range of cancers, says UCSF Professor of Medicine Adil Daud, MD, who led the
Gloved hands use a pipette to transfer liquid into a multiwell laboratory plate.

This Is How To Treat Cancer With Teacher Cells and Tumor Pieces

The immune system possesses legions of T cells that, if they were primed, could hunt down and destroy tumors. Now, a UC San Francisco team has invented a way to do this by combining immune cells that are grown in the lab with samples from a patient’s tumor. Like giving a scent to a hound dog, it
Peder Larson, PhD, works with advanced imaging technology at UCSF.

From Digital Health to Drug Discovery: Cancer Projects Funded in RAP Spring 2026 Cycle

Nine investigators and teams were awarded grants in support of cancer research projects in the spring 2026 cycle of the UCSF Resource Allocation Program (RAP). Funded by various agencies across UCSF, the awards span a range of topics from digital health and drug discovery to imaging, survivorship