Researchers at UCSF, funded in part by the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, have generated a modular and effective CRISPRi system for the genetic dissection of non-model bacteria.

UCSF researchers have generated and validated a K14-HPV16 transgenic mouse model, in which transgene expression produces neoplastic progression that fully resembles the gynecological and other epithelial dysplastic lesions induced by high risk HPVs. This model offers an invaluable tool for studying HPV infection and developing new drugs for HPV treatment.

Novel Zebrafish epilepsy models carrying the same genetic mutations found in the human population make excellent tools for high-throughput drug screening, in vivo toxicology studies and basic research purposes. 

Liver cancer is among the most lethal cancers, the third and sixth most frequent cause of cancer death in men and women, respectively.  Amongst the several histologically different primary hepatic malignancies, hepatocellular carinoma (HCC) accounts for 70 to 85% of the cases.  Animal models that mimic features of liver tumor development in human are invaluable research tools for understanding the mechanism of liver carcinogenesis and developing new drugs for treatment of patients with HCC.

UCSF researchers have developed a mouse model to understand and evaluate the role of integrin 8 (itg8) in specific cell types. These mice can be used in the screening and development of therapeutics targeting itg8. by incorporating loxP sites into specific regions of the integrin 8 locus (itg8-floxed mice). The floxed mice are viable, fertile, and show no obvious phenotype. Tissue-specific itg8 gene deletion is accomplished by cross-breeding the itg8-floxed mice with tissue-specific Cre-recombinase expressing mice. This conditional deletion system circumvents the early lethality of the complete genetic knockout of itg8.