News

Kroetz discusses pharmacogenomics on KQED Quest radio

Fri Oct 16, 2009

UCSF researcher Deanna Kroetz, PhD, discusses the impact of genetic differences on how an individual responds to drugs in a KQED Quest radio interview that aired September 14, 2009. Fellow members of the interview panel were UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, and UCSF breast cancer surgeon...

Study identifies lack of information about HER2 testing practices

Fri Oct 16, 2009

Breast cancer patients might not be getting full advantage from a genetic screening test for the protein known as HER2 to help determine if the use of trastuzumab (marketed as Herceptin) is the best course of treatment for them. For patients whose breast cancer cells produce excessive amounts of HER2, trastuzumab can be highly effective. These...

UCSF researchers join consortium to target cancer in new ways

Thu Oct 15, 2009

Scientists from the UCSF School of Pharmacy's Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry have been selected to lead a new federal initiative aimed at developing new classes of drugs to target cancer.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), "To advance the NCI's mission of bringing novel therapies to patients, and to fully exploit...

comparisons of petri dishes in mask, in vivo, and in silico states

Voigt Lab programs bacteria to perform increasingly complicated tasks

Wed Oct 14, 2009

UCSF School of Pharmacy researchers and colleagues have successfully created a mathematical model that genetically programs bacteria and causes the bacteria to "trace" images projected onto them in a petri dish. The bacteria sense and display the area of the projection where light meets dark by producing a visible black pigment. The result is...

Bero serves on IOM committee that reports on conflict of interest

Wed Sep 30, 2009

UCSF School of Pharmacy researcher Lisa Bero, PhD, served with UCSF School of Medicine colleagues Bernard Lo, MD, and Deborah Grady, MD, MPH, on an Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee that in spring 2009 published its findings on conflict of interest in medical research, education, and...

Assemi named assistant dean of accreditation and quality improvement

Fri Sep 18, 2009

Mitra Assemi, PharmD, UCSF School of Pharmacy associate professor of clinical pharmacy, has been named the School's assistant dean of accreditation and quality, effective September 1, 2009.

"Mitra has the perfect qualifications for this pivotal position. She understands the complexities of the PharmD program and its...

Kishi named associate dean of student and curricular affairs

Tue Sep 8, 2009

Donald Kishi, PharmD, UCSF School of Pharmacy health sciences clinical professor of pharmacy, has been named the School's associate dean of student and curricular affairs by Dean Mary Anne Koda-Kimble, PharmD. The appointment was effective September 1, 2009.

As associate dean, Kishi is responsible for...

Two circuits found responsible for a cell’s ability to adapt

Thu Sep 3, 2009

UCSF researchers have identified the two key circuits, compared to hundreds as previously thought, that control a cell's ability to adapt to changes in its environment. These circuits are key to a cell's ability to reset itself after responding to a stimulus. Since disruption of the circuitry can lead to diseases such as diabetes and autoimmune...

The interface of monomer A (gray) and the α-helix 5 of monomer B (blue).

New drug targeted for Kaposi’s sarcoma

Tue Aug 18, 2009

A team of scientists from UCSF and colleagues have identified a new potential drug target for the herpes virus that causes Kaposi’s sarcoma. Their research reopens the possibility of using a class of drugs called protease inhibitors, against diseases ranging from cancer to Alzheimer's Disease. This research was published online in Nature...