UCI researchers find epigenetic tie to neuropsychiatric disorders

Dysfunction in dopamine signaling profoundly changes the activity level of about 2,000 genes in the brain’s prefrontal cortex and may be an underlying cause of certain complex neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, according to UC Irvine scientists.

Study: Immune protein actually aids enemy bacteria

In a new study, UC Irvine microbiologist Manuela Raffatellu has found that our immune response can sometimes make us vulnerable to the very bacteria it’s supposed to protect us from.

Breath analysis reliably indicates presence, level of infection, UCI study finds

Breath analysis may prove to be an accurate, noninvasive way to quickly determine the severity of bacterial and other infections, according to a UC Irvine study appearing online today in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

Probiotic bacterium lessens severity of salmonella infections by hoarding iron

Irvine, Calif., July 17, 2013 — UC Irvine microbiologists have learned how a probiotic bacterium used to treat irritable bowel syndrome can soothe gut bacterial infections caused by salmonella, paving the way for potential relief from foodborne illnesses that affect millions of people annually. Manuela Raffatellu, assistant professor of microbiology & molecular genetics, and colleagues at […]

Circadian rhythms control body’s response to intestinal infections, UCI-led study finds

Circadian rhythms can boost the body’s ability to fight intestinal bacterial infections, UC Irvine researchers have found.

Bert Semler

Going viral

UCI microbiologist Bert Semler seeks to stop certain viruses from replicating, changing the way we fight the common cold and other illnesses

UCI team finds new target for treating wide spectrum of cancers

UC Irvine biologists, chemists and computer scientists have identified an elusive pocket on the surface of the p53 protein that can be targeted by cancer-fighting drugs. The finding heralds a new treatment approach, as mutant forms of this protein are implicated in nearly 40 percent of diagnosed cases of cancer, which kills more than half a million Americans each year.

13 from UCI named American Association for the Advancement of Science fellows

Twelve UC Irvine researchers and one administrator have been made fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society.

UCI microbiologists find new approach to fighting viral illnesses

By discovering how certain viruses use their host cells to replicate, UC Irvine microbiologists have identified a new approach to the development of universal treatments for viral illnesses such as meningitis, encephalitis, hepatitis and possibly the common cold.

UCI researchers create mosquitoes incapable of transmitting malaria

UC Irvine vector biologist Anthony James and colleagues have produced a model of the Anopheles stephensi mosquito – a major source of malaria in India and the Middle East – that impairs the development of the malaria parasite.