UCSF

09/25/2025

Fifty years ago, a child diagnosed with cancer had little chance of survival. Today, more than 85 percent survive, thanks to decades of research and clinical trials, including many led at UCSF.

Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis visited UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals to proclaim September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and to recognize the research that has changed the future for kids and families.

From new cell therapies for leukemia to promising clinical trials, UCSF scientists are moving discoveries out of the lab and into care.

09/25/2025

What do 100,000 grandmas have to do with cancer? Atreya Dey, PhD, winner of UCSF’s 2025 Postdoc Slam, used his grandmother’s knitting to explain how condensin untangles DNA, a process that when disrupted can lead to cancer or Down syndrome. Check out all the full presentations: https://tiny.ucsf.edu/UfBAsK

09/25/2025

Let's talk toxic. UCSF scientists are working nationwide to create safer chemotherapy guidelines for all children. The result? Kids receive less chemo + skip radiation (yep, less toxic) and more parents watch their child beat cancer.

Now, nearly 90% of kids remain cancer-free three years later, like Astrid. At her 6-year checkup, Astrid's family and medical team celebrated: No sign of cancer, which means more softball, piano, dance, and memories.

This is the power of government funded research — research that puts American innovation and the health and safety of children nationwide first. https://tiny.ucsf.edu/SavingLivesWithScience

09/25/2025

Anti-seizure meds don’t work for 1 in 3 epilepsy patients. UCSF experts are closing the gap with surgery and breakthrough devices that can change lives.

Vikram Rao, director of the UCSF Epilepsy Center, discusses why a third of seizure patients don’t respond to medication and the promising new surgical and technological treatments available.

09/23/2025

In just three minutes, UCSF postdocs made groundbreaking science accessible, inspiring, and unforgettable. https://tiny.ucsf.edu/IWJUva

Produced by UCSF’s Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs, the competition filled a packed house with rapid-fire talks, trivia, and a showcase of postdoc creativity.

Congratulations to all of our finalists and especially to our winners:

Atreya Dey, PhD — "Theory of 100,000 Grandmas" (1st Place, $4,000)

Jarin Tusnim, PhD — "How Astrocytic GPR56 Can Protect the Alzheimer’s Brain" (2nd Place, $2,000)

Rabab Rangwala, CCC-SLP — "Where There’s a Swallow, There’s a Synchrony" (3rd Place, $1,000 + People’s Choice, $750)

And applause for all the finalists who brought their science to the stage:
Sangeeta Niranjan, PhD · Da Zhang, PhD, MSc · Weicheng Li, PhD · Logan Leak, PhD · Lea Lortal, PhD · Jack Moen, PhD · Ritwik Vatsyayan, PhD

09/23/2025

The MYC gene fuels 70% of cancers and has resisted drugs for decades. With NIH support, UCSF scientists found a way to stop cells from making too much MYC. This could slow even the deadliest tumors. https://tiny.ucsf.edu/SavingLivesWithScience

09/19/2025

From classrooms to clinics, the next chapter starts here. Congrats to the UCSF School of Medicine on receiving their white coats. https://tiny.ucsf.edu/1WxBMh

09/18/2025

Can $151M from NIH rewrite the future of Alzheimer’s? UCSF and Harvard are leading the first trial combining therapies against amyloid and tau. Protect progress at tiny.ucsf.edu/SavingLivesWithScience.

09/17/2025

Our second annual Touch-a-Truck family event at UCSF’s Parnassus Campus was a huge success! Our community came together for a day of fun with live music, balloon animals, face painting, and hardhat decorating and to check out the trucks helping shape the bright future of our central campus in the heart of San Francisco.

09/16/2025

When Gabby suffered a stroke at age 12, her family worried for her future.

At UCSF, she received an innovative treatment. Thanks to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, that treatment became the basis for a clinical trial at 25 centers from South Carolina and Iowa to California. Today, Gabby is back at school and playing in the band.

“Investing in research to improve the lives of children is central to our mission here at UCSF, and NIH funding is the vital backbone that makes this care possible,” said Raphael Hirsch, MD, chair of UCSF’s Department of Pediatrics.

https://tiny.ucsf.edu/SavingLivesWithScience

and

A UCSF pediatric neurologist is leading a first-of-its kind clinical trial that could change the lives of children with a rare disease that causes strokes.

09/16/2025

A smile can change everything. For UCSF School of Dentistry student Belle Lao-Ngo, dentistry is about more than teeth. Inspired by her grandmother’s struggles with dental care, Belle partnered with the Chinatown YMCA to bring oral health workshops directly to families in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

09/11/2025

Working with scientists nationwide, UCSF helped slash national stroke deaths by more than 85% over the past 55 years, supported by NIH funding. Today, stroke survivors like Gary Seifer are back on their feet faster than ever. That’s the power of long-term research. https://tiny.ucsf.edu/SavingLivesWithScience

A patient with a history of atrial fibrillation makes a full recovery after a stroke, thanks to an embolectomy and UCSF's comprehensive care.