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Digital Bat Twins – NeuroAI generates testable hypotheses about higher-level cognitive function
Researchers in Michael Yartsev’s lab, led by postdocs Adam Lowet and Krishna Kasuba, built a digital twin of the bat hippocampus – an AI model trained on large-scale neural activity during natural flight. The model generated new, testable hypotheses about hippocampal organization that were confirmed by real-world data.
Read MoreNATIVE-ID Seeks to Prevent Neurodegenerative Diseases by Learning the Language of Disordered Proteins
ARPA-H’s BIOGAMI program aims to transform our understanding of protein dysfunction in the earliest stages of neurodegenerative disease by developing new approaches to detect and characterize protein misfolding. BioE PhD alumnus Nicolas Fawzi leads the Brown University team on this multicampus effort, led at Berkeley by the Innovative Genomics Institute.
Read MoreFrom bat flight to the most complex human movements
Examining large-scale neural activity from the motor cortex of freely flying Egyptian fruit bats helps Michael Yartsev’s lab understand how the brain supports very complex behaviors, like buttoning a shirt or playing piano.
Read MoreSolving a longstanding problem in drug delivery
Lipid nanoparticles are great delivery vehicles for mRNA treatments, but their positive charge triggers high levels of inflammation. Now researchers led by Professor Niren Murthy have engineered a new lipid nanoparticle that can switch its charge from positive to negative and may avoid triggering inflammation while still able to deliver mRNA and other nucleic acids.
Read MoreIn Memoriam: Prof. David Rempel
It is with great sadness that we recognize the passing of Dr. David Rempel, MD, MPH, CPE. A versatile expert in occupational health and long-time member of the Bioengineering Graduate Program, he was a Professor Emeritus of Medicine at UCSF and Bioengineering Berkeley. He will be missed.
Read MoreHow One Simple Change Can Make Lipid Nanoparticles Safer for Gene Editing and Other Applications
In a new paper out in Nature Nanotechnology, researchers in Niren Murthy’s lab show that there is a simple way to remove the toxicity of lipid nanoparticles while maintaining their ability to effectively deliver therapies to specific cells in the body.
Read MoreWe’re hiring an Assistant Professor
Berkeley Bioengineering is recruiting an Assistant Professor in the area of Cell Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.
Read MoreOverton wins SCP Best Poster
Congratulations to PhD student Maya Overton of Herr Lab, winner of Best Poster at the Single Cell Proteomics Conference (SCP2026)!
Read MoreAris and Lowet receive Jane Coffin Childs Fellowships
Congratulations to two postdoctoral scholars in BioE lab who have been named 2026 Jane Coffin Childs Fellows! The charitable fund supports brilliant postdoctoral fellows conducting fundamental research on cancer and human disease. Kevin Aris, PhD, works in Aaron Streets’ lab on tools to measure DNA supercoiling in living cells, to build a genome-wide map of DNA shape. Adam Lowet, PhD. works with Michael Yartsev to explore the computational and biological mechanisms underlying social decision-making in the Egyptian fruit bat.
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