A novel method for selectively targeting and modulating brain border-associated myeloid cells for the treatment of neurological disorders.

An engineered polymerase enabling the synthesis of threose nucleic acid (TNA) for advanced therapeutic applications.

Advances in biological research have been greatly influenced by the development of organoids, a specialized form of 3D cell culture. Created from pluripotent stem cells, organoids are effective in vitro models in replicating the structure and progression of brain development, providing an exceptional tool for studying the complexities of biology. Among these, cortical organoids, comprising in part of neurons, have been instrumental in providing early insights into brain formation, function, and pathology. Functional characteristics of cortical organoids, such as cellular morphology and electrophysiology, provide physiological insight into cellular states and are crucial for understanding the roles of cell types within their specific niches. And while progress has been made studying engineered neuronal systems, decoding the functional properties of neuronal networks and their role in producing behaviors depends in part on recognizing neuronal cell types, their general locations within the brain, and how they connect.

X-radiation (X-ray) imaging is one of the most common imaging techniques in medicine. Presently, thin-film transistor flat panel detectors are the gold standard for X-ray detection; however, these detectors average across the absorbed X-ray spectrum and thus suffer from poor material decomposition and lesion differentiation. Modern efforts to address this focus on three methods of energy differentiation: dual-shot, photon counting, and dual-layer detectors. Dual-shot detection utilizes a single detector to image a patient with two shots of X-rays at low and high energies. While this has been shown to effectively differentiate between soft and hard tissues, (e.g., chest radiography) this results in a higher dose level to the patient and motion artifacts from slight movement between images. Photon counting detectors offer an alternative to multiple shots, providing high spatial resolution, low dose, and multiple energy binning with photon weighting. However, these detectors also require more complex circuit design for fast readout, have limited material options with great enough yield and detective quantum efficiency at low to mid energy ranges, and are limited in detective area. Dual-layer detectors that stack two detector layers to each process low and high energy X-rays remove motion artifacts by utilizing a single shot of polyenergetic X-rays. These most commonly employ two indirect detectors separated by a Cu filtering layer, which photon-starves the second higher energy detector. Unfortunately, this also requires a higher X-ray intensity, resulting in a higher dose level to the patient.

Advances in biological research have been greatly influenced by the development of organoids, a specialized form of 3D cell culture. Created from pluripotent stem cells, organoids are effective in vitro models in replicating the structure and progression of organ development, providing an exceptional tool for studying the complexities of biology. Among these, cerebral cortex organoids (hereafter "organoid") have become particularly instrumental in providing valuable insights into brain formation, function, and pathology. Modern methods of interfacing with organoids involve any combination of encoding information, decoding information, or perturbing the underlying dynamics through various timescales of plasticity. Our knowledge of biological learning rules has not yet translated to reliable methods for consistently training neural tissue in goal-directed ways. In vivo training methods commonly exploit principles of reinforcement learning and Hebbian learning to modify biological networks. However, in vitro training has not seen comparable success, and often cannot utilize the underlying, multi-regional circuits enabling dopaminergic learning. Successfully harnessing in vitro learning methods and systems could uniquely reveal fundamental mesoscale processing and learning principles. This may have profound implications, from developing targeted stimulation protocols for therapeutic interventions to creating energy-efficient bio-electronic systems.

Advances in biological research have been greatly influenced by the development of organoids, a specialized form of 3D cell culture. Created from pluripotent stem cells, organoids are effective in vitro models in replicating the structure and progression of organ development, providing an exceptional tool for studying the complexities of biology. Among these, cerebral cortex organoids (hereafter “organoid”) have become particularly instrumental in providing valuable insights into brain formation, function, and pathology. Despite their potential, organoid experiments present several challenges. Organoids require a rigorous, months-long developmental process, demanding substantial resources and meticulous care to yield valuable data on aspects of biology such as neural unit electrophysiology, cytoarchitecture, and transcriptional regulation. Traditionally the data has been difficult to collect on a more frequent and consistent basis, which limits the breadth and depth of modern organoid biology. Generating and measuring organoids depend on media manipulations, imaging, and electrophysiological measurements. Historically these are labor- and skill-intensive processes which can increase risks associated with known human error and contamination.

In PET imaging, patient motion, such as respiratory and cardiac motion, are a major source of blurring and motion artifacts. Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a technology designed to enhance PET imaging resolution without the need for external devices by effectively mitigating these artifacts

A groundbreaking method for the efficient isolation and preservation of high-purity small extracellular vesicles (sEVs - exosomes) from biofluids using a novel EXO-PEG-TR reagent.

BMSO represents a groundbreaking advancement in crosslinking mass spectrometry (XL-MS), enabling comprehensive mapping of protein-protein interactions.

A breakthrough imaging technique that provides high-resolution visualization of optically transparent materials at a low cost.

A novel suite of trioxane-based, MS-cleavable cross-linking reagents enhancing protein-protein interaction studies.

An AI-powered platform for the generation of automated electronic patient anatomy education models, providing surgeons with clinically relevant patient anatomy data.

An innovative algorithm linking electroencephalogram (EEG) neural data with cognitive model parameters to predict brain signals from behavioral data.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have identified DNA methylation biomarkers in placenta, as well as maternal and newborn blood, allowing early autism diagnosis and risk assessment.

Researchers at UC Irvine have identified genetic polymorphisms associated with disease progression and responsiveness to treatment with Tetracosapentaenoic acid (24:5 n-3) for age-related eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. These variations found in the ELOVL2 gene are associated with AMD progression and the varying responses individuals have to AMD treatments, including preventative measures. Additionally, these genetic variations have applications in human identification.

This technology introduces a novel method for dynamically tuning the optical properties of living cells by expressing cephalopod proteins.

This technology offers a groundbreaking approach to mimic human placental development and study pregnancy-related complications in vitro.

This technology offers a groundbreaking approach to map biomolecules in 3D space with subcellular resolution, revolutionizing our understanding of tissue organization and disease propagation.

An innovative microscope integrating HSI, FLIM, and SHG for advanced optical metabolic imaging.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a technology that offers a sophisticated solution for collecting and measuring gas emissions from surfaces, particularly skin, with high sensitivity and specificity.

A revolutionary laser-based micro-biopsy tool designed for minimally invasive, precise tissue sampling and real-time histological analysis.

In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, the detection of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals is achieved using radiofrequency, or RF, coils. RF coils are often equivalently called “resonance coils” due to their circuitry being engineered for resonance at a single frequency being received, for low-noise voltage gain and performance. However, such coils are therefore limited to a small bandwidth around the center frequency, restricting MRI systems from imaging more than one type of nucleus at a time (typically just hydrogen-1, or H1), at one magnetic field strength.To overcome the inherent restriction without sacrificing performance, UC Berkeley researchers have developed an MRI coil that can perform low-noise voltage gain at arbitrary relevant frequencies. These frequencies can be programmably chosen and can include magnetic resonance signals from any of various nuclei (e.g., 1H, 13C, 23Na, 31P, etc.), at any magnetic field strength (e.g., 50 mT, 1.5T, 3T, etc.). The multi-frequency resonance can be performed in a single system. The invention has further advantages in terms of resilience due to its decoupled response relative to other coils and system elements.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed a device to monitor the heart using radiofrequency signals to improve the detection and diagnosis of various cardiovascular conditions. The device can integrate with existing mobile products, which is particularly helpful for older adults and those with limited access to adequate medical facilities.

Optimizing the editing efficiency of CRISPR-mediated enzymes is still needed.  This is especially true in therapeutic use cases, when it would be ideal to attain high rates of editing via a low, transient dose of the enzyme in the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) format used for multiple ex vivo clinical trials. Because many CRISPR enzymes are of bacterial origin, fusion to NLS motifs can greatly enhance editing efficiency. However, CRISPR protein yields can decrease – sometimes dramatically – if the construct bears toomany NLSs. UC Berkeley researchers have developed CRISPR proteins with enhanced editing efficiencies by introducing multiple nuclear localization signal (NLS) fused at rationally selected sites within the backbone of CRISPR-Cas9. These Cas9 variants showed they can improve editing efficiency in T cells compared to constructs with terminally-fused NLS sequences and can be produced with high purity and yield.  

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have developed new synthesis methods for the rapid and highly pure production of glycosphingolipids. The prototyped process can produce pure glycosphingolipids that can be used within basic disease research and drug and diagnostic development.