News

Stebbins, Cocohoba leading specialty drug study with Walgreens

Tue May 24, 2016

So-called specialty drugs can represent lifesaving advances in the treatment of serious complex conditions, such as cancers, hepatitis C, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease. They can turn once routinely lethal diseases such as HIV and cystic fibrosis into manageable chronic conditions. They can address rare...

Burchard Lab study finds most asthma research may not apply to African American children

Thu May 12, 2016

Results from the largest single study of the genetic and environmental causes of asthma in African American children suggest that only a tiny fraction of known genetic risk factors for the disease apply to this population.

The research, published online on May 3, 2016, in advance of print publication in the June 2016 issue of the...

Health care spending drops quickly with reduced smoking

Tue May 10, 2016

A new study lead-authored by UCSF School of Pharmacy faculty member James Lightwood, PhD, has found that reducing smoking cuts health care spending, not just in the long- or immediate-term, but the very next year.

For example, the analysis found that a 10 percent decline in smoking in the United States would be followed by an expected $...

UCSF School of Pharmacy celebrates Commencement 2016

Fri May 6, 2016

The UCSF School of Pharmacy held its 2016 commencement on May 5 at Louise Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, conferring the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree on each of the 115 members of the graduating class.

Dean B. Joseph Guglielmo, PharmD, addressed a gathering that included hundreds of graduates’ friends and family members,...

Research: Elusive drug targets; cell demolition enzymes; useful pharmacogenomics info

Thu May 5, 2016

Predicting difficult-to-detect drug binding sites

Most drugs are comprised of small molecules that pass through cell membranes and are designed to bind to much larger protein molecules at exposed concave pockets. But in many disease-associated proteins, these binding sites are difficult to detect. Concave pockets may form only in the immediate...

2016 Awards Dinner honors student achievements

Tue May 3, 2016

The annual UCSF School of Pharmacy Student Awards and Recognition Dinner, hosted by Dean B. Joseph Guglielmo, PharmD, and sponsored by Ralph’s Inc., was held on Friday, April 29, 2016, at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus.

The event honored dozens of students whose excellence and leadership were recognized with scholarships and awards at the...

Research: pediatric meningitis dosing; cancer drug resistance; gene-testing economics

Fri Apr 29, 2016

Computer models provide optimal dosing for pediatric TB meningitis

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is an inflammation of membranes lining the brain and spine (central nervous system, CNS) due to infection with TB bacteria. TBM is especially devastating in young children, in whom it is most common, carrying a high risk of death or severe...

Chemicals used to turn skin cells into heart and brain cells

Thu Apr 28, 2016

In a major breakthrough, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes, led by UCSF School of Pharmacy faculty member Sheng Ding, PhD, have transformed skin cells into heart and brain cells using combinations of chemicals.

All previous work on cellular reprogramming required adding external genes to the cells, making this accomplishment an...

Pharmacy Alumni Weekend report

Wed Apr 27, 2016

Some 250 UCSF School of Pharmacy graduates reconnected with classmates, rekindled friendships, and learned about the latest work across schools and the Graduate Division during Alumni Weekend 2016, held April 8 and 9, and headquartered at the Fairmont San Francisco Hotel.

Gibson receives standing ovation...