Congratulations to graduate group faculty Tamara Alliston, Grace O’Connell, Laura Waller, and Duan Xu, and to BioE PhD alumnae Karen Cheung, now a professor at the University of British Columbia, and Amina Qutub, now a professor at the University of Texas, San Antonio! All are new members of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows.
Peng and Rosenbluth named to 40 Under 40
PhD alumni Lily Peng (2012) and Kate Rosenbluth (2009) have been named to the 2020 Fortune Magazine “40 Under 40”, an annual list of 40 young professionals of exceptional talent and influence in their fields. Peng, now Product Manager at Google Health, aims to bring health care to the masses through the use of artificial intelligence. She has personally designed algorithms including the firm’s diabetes-related eye disease detection program. Rosenbluth, Founder and CEO of Cala Health, has designed an FDA-cleared wrist device that eases hand tremors for the 7 million Americans who suffer from essential tremors.
Time’s Best Inventions of 2020: Pivot Bio PROVEN
PROVEN, the world’s first microbial biofertilizer for cereal crops, has been named one of the 100 Best Inventions of 2020 by Time Magazine. Developed by PivotBio, a BioE spinout company founded by Karsten Temme, PhD 2010, the product replaces synthetic solutions with nitrogen-fixing microbes, which capture nitrogen from the air and convert it into a form that plants can use.
BioE alumni deliver 1st rapid at-home COVID019 test approved by FDA
On Tuesday BioE-founded company Lucira’s product became the first rapid, at-home COVID-19 test authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. The test uses their loop-mediated amplification reaction process to detect whether an individual is shedding the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The company was developing this technology for an at-home influenza test before rapidly pivoting to address COVID-19. Lucira is led by Debkishore Mitra (PhD 2013), who founded the company with John Waldeisen (PhD 2012).
Prof Ed Chang elected to National Academy of Medicine
Congratulations to UCSF Professor Ed Chang, Jeanne Robertson Distinguished Professor and Joan and Sandy Weill Chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Alumnus Hickenbotham is Founding Dean of Optometry at Rocky Mountain UHP
Dr Adam Hickenbotham, PhD 2012, has been named the Founding Dean of the new College of Optometry being developed at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. Hickenbotham also has a doctorate in optometry from UC Berkeley, more than 17 years of clinical experience, and has been instrumental in developing optometry education at the University of Pikeville and Tusculum University.
Vlassakis receives Burroughs Wellcome Fund award
Congratulations to recent BioE PhD Julea Vlassakis, now a postdoctoral scholar in Amy Herr’s lab, one of eight US scholars receiving a 2020 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface. Scholars receive $500,000 over five years to bridge advanced postdoctoral training and the first three years of faculty service. “I am incredibly honored […]
Alumnus Qi developing gene-targeting tech to beat COVID-19
PhD alumnus Stanley Qi, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford, developed a technique called Prophylactic Antiviral CRISPR or PAC-MAN. Working with Lawrence Berkeley Lab, his team has adapted the technique, which uses enzyme Cas13, a virus killer, and a strand of guide RNA, to commands Cas13 to destroy specific nucleotide sequences in the coronavirus’s genome.
Alum Novak designs new nasal swab for COVID-19
Alumnus Richard Novak, now a senior staff engineer at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, helped design and rush to production a more economical nasal swab for COVID-19 testing. Swabs are in short supply and thousands of their new design should be in clinical hands within weeks.
New technique ‘prints’ cells to create diverse biological environments
With the help of photolithography and programmable DNA, researchers have created a new technique that can rapidly print two-dimensional arrays of cells and proteins that mimic a wide variety of cellular environments in the body. The work was led by recent BioE PhD Olivia Scheideler with graduate group faculty Lydia Sohn and David Schaffer, plus BioE PhD Andrew Bremer and current BioE student Roberto Falcón-Banchs, among others.
Alum Schneider shares her COVID-19 story
Alumna Elizabeth Schneider, PhD 2011, shares her experience catching, and surviving, COVID-19.
Kate Rosenbluth featured in “Women Who Lead in Life Sciences”
BioE PhD alumna Kate Hammond Rosenbluth is featured in the San Francisco Business Times series, “Women Who Lead in Life Sciences”. “Cala Health aims to restore functionality to essential tremor patients with wearables” explains her company’s successful launch of a revolutionary therapeutic device.
Novome Biotechnologies Raises $33 Million Series A Financing
BioE startup Novome Biotechnologies, founded by BioE PhDs Will DeLoache, Zachary Russ, and Weston Whitaker, has secured $33 million in a Series A financing. Novome is focused on treating chronic diseases with the first platform for controlled and robust colonization of the human gut with engineered therapeutic bacteria.
Kassianidou’s cell images featured in CellPress
Striking images showing the intricate beauty of actin network formation taken by Dr. Elena Kassianidou when she was a graduate student in Sanjay Kumar’s lab are featured in the micropatterning edition of the Cell Picture Show at CellPress.
Shipman and Qi named to ScienceNews “SN 10: Scientists to Watch”
Graduate group faculty member Seth Shipman and PhD alumnus Stanley Qi have both been named to the annual SN 10: Scientists to Watch by Science News! Shipman is an Assistant Professor at UCSF Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences, recognized for his success developing innovative strategies to manipulate cells for discovery and therapeutic purposes. Stanley Qi, PhD 2012, now Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford, has modified CRISPR/Cas9 to make a powerful suite of tools to manipulate DNA.
Unlocking the biochemical treasure chest within microbes
PhD alumna Yasuo Yoshikuni, a scientist at the Joint Genome Institute, and colleagues have invented a genetic engineering tool, called CRAGE, that could not only make studying secondary metabolites much easier, but also fill significant gaps in our understanding of how microbes interact with their surroundings and evolve.
Lygos named in Next 50 Companies to Disrupt the World
Alumni synthetic biology startup Lygos was recognized by The Biofuels Digest as one of “the 50 Next Companies to Disrupt the World” — bioeconomy companies that are on the journey to commercial scale with an emerging technology.
Congratulations new alumni faculty members
Congratulations to THREE PhD alumni, Joe Leach, MD (2009), Yan Li (2008), and Joseph Vu (2011), all new faculty of the UCSF Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging in 2019.
With AI and other tech, Anat Caspi focuses on helping people with disabilities
Great article in the Seattle Times on PhD alumna Anat Caspi, director of the University of Washington’s Taskar Center for Accessible Technology.
Alumna develops protein cancer atlas to accelerate personalized medicine for leukemia patients
Alumna Amina Qutub, now Associate Professor at the University of Texas, created an online atlas to identify and classify protein signatures present at acute myelogenous leukemia diagnosis.
How Lygos CEO Eric Steen is tackling the petrochemical industry
PhD alumnus Eric Steen is interviewed on BioE startup Lygos’ environmentally friendly process for creating malonic acid, a petrochemical-intensive substance used in everything from food flavorings to auto coatings.
Alumna profile: Laura Croft
Get to know PhD alumna Laura’s work with Booz Allen Hamilton.
Diassess wins HHS BARDA award for home influenza test
Alumni startup Diassess has been selected for an award of up to $21M for further development of a consumer at-home influenza diagnostic, which could have significant impact on controlling the spread of the flu. The company was founded by PhD alumni Debkishore Mitra and John Waldeisen.
Alumna Sode at MIT SOLVE
Watch PhD Alumna Miki Sode, Commercial Innovation Program Manager, Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, discuss how the technologies being designed to make future life in space safe, efficient, and sustainable might be adapted to do the same on Earth.