Congratulations to DNA Sequencing Facility director Hitomi Asahara, whose provisional patent is now available for licensing from UC Berkeley IPIRA. The provisional patent improves Sanger sequencing elongation speeds during DNA sequencing.
Earlier this year, Asahara received a UC Berkeley SPOT award for improving the efficiency and lowering the costs of operations at the DNA Sequencing Facility.
New research from MCB Assistant Professor Stephan Lammel challenges the long-standing presumption that dopamine exists primarily as a reward in response to pleasurable stimuli. Instead, Lammel's findings indicate that dopamine has a "yin-yang" personality and is released in response to both pleasurable and displeasurable stimuli as a means of changing neural circuits. Those changes then train the brain to either pursue or avoid those stimuli.
This new understanding of the function of dopamine can lead to new approaches in treating certain neurological disorders affected by dopamine, such as Parkinson's and substance addiction.
Congratulations to Hillel Adesnik, Xavier Darzacq, and Polina Lishko on their promotions to MCB Associate Professors!
Hillel Adesnik studies the dynamics of neural circuits underlying information processing in the cerebral cortex. His lab seeks to understand how cortical microcircuits process sensory information to drive behavior.
Xavier Darzacq studies transcription regulation during cellular differentiation. The Tjian-Darzacq group focuses on the role imposed by nuclear architecture on the molecules regulating transcription, and have developed new techniques to study the organization of proteins in the nucleoplasm.
Polina Lishko studies cell biology of mammalian fertilization. Her research on human sperm cell motility may lead to new forms of male contraceptives.
A new study from MCB Associate Professor & HHMI Investigator Andreas Martin reveals how proteasomes convert energy into mechanical motion to break down and recycle proteins. This research on the mechanism of proteasomes could improve treatment of diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and cancer.
It is with great sadness we report the passing of Jack Kirsch, who served as a Professor of MCB and Chemistry from 1964 to 2006 and as a Professor of the Graduate School in retirement. Jack was an esteemed scientist and a pillar of the campus community who will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked with him.
Jack received the UC Berkeley Edward A. Dickson Emeriti Professorship in 2016, a prestigious award that recognizes dedicated Emeriti who have made outstanding and far-reaching contributions to teaching, research, and public service. The award epitomizes the remarkable impact Jack had on the Cal community, from his groundbreaking research career in the field of biochemistry to his passion for teaching a freshman seminar titled "Sampling the Performing Arts at Berkeley."
In this time of loss, we as a community must remember how fortunate we are to have been influenced by Jack's great legacy. We offer our condolences to Jack's family and close friends.
What is your favorite class?
My favorite MCB class has been MCB 150 (Molecular Immunology). The class is structured to help you understand the basis of immunology and then challenges you to apply that knowledge to common diseases that we’ve all heard of. It’s very exciting to read a news article about these diseases we’ve just learned about in class and be able to incorporate our foundational knowledge of immunology with the real world application of medical treatment and vaccines.
University of California, Berkeley
Dept. of Molecular & Cell Biology
142 LSA #3200
Berkeley, CA 94720-3200
Phone: (510) 643–3406
Email: [email protected]
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