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Phillip Messersmith

Class of 1941 WWII Memorial Professor and Chair

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flying bat Photo by Yuval Barkai @bats.tlv

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.

An Egyptian fruit bat extends its hand-like wing toward a researcher’s gloved hand.

From 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.

artist's impression of a lipid nanoparticle engineered to switch between a positive and negative charge.

Solving 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.

head and shoulders photo of Rempel, laughing

In 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.

figure from the publication, drawings of an SNP with no cytokine release vs a traditional LNP with cytokine release

How 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.

Herr Lab and partners receive grant to study biology in time and space

Our researchers have received a new grant from the Biohub non-profit research organization, looking to advance the field of Spatiotemporal omics – the ability to sample biomolecules at different locations and times to watch disease processes unfold. Amy Herr and her UCSF partners Jennifer Rosenbluth and Amrita Basu will be studying integrated organoid systems for immunotherapy toxicity.

Yartsev named Guggenheim Fellow

Professor Michael Yartsev has been named to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation’s 101st Class of Fellows for his trailblazing work in neuroscience and neuroengineering. One of the country’s most prestigious awards, fellowships are given to innovators in a wide range of disciplines with a monetary stipend allowing them to pursue independent work at the highest level under “the freest possible conditions.”

stock rendering of T. cells under a microscope

Growing immune cells with more targeted cancer-fighting abilities

Recent research from Professor Derfogail Delcassian’s lab explores how the stiffness of swollen lymph nodes increases the strength, but decreases the precision, of cancer-killing immune cells.

How Do Stickers Stick?

Professor Phil Messersmith explained all about adhesives on the family science podcast, Brains On!

Herr wins Weill Neurohub Investigator Award

A research project on “the protein code of brain aging: from molecules to mechanisms,” by Professor Amy Herr has been selected for a Weill Neurohub Investigator Award. The Investigators program funds top faculty to form cross-campus, interdisciplinary teams to explore, create, and test bold new concepts and technologies.

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