Hundreds of riders made their way through Mission Bay for Bike to Wherever Day! Free coffee, music, swag, and good energy at the energizer station. Thanks to CLS Transportation, Community Government Relations, the SF Bike Coalition, and Bikes! at UCSF for helping bring the community together. 🚲
UCSF received the green light to build the Bakar Ear & Hearing Institute at Mission Bay, set to open in 2030. Hearing loss is a common condition that affects 37 million American adults. This new center will bring together research and patient care in one building. Scientists and doctors will work side-by-side to develop new therapies, including gene therapy. The facility will be fully accessible. It will use visual cues and special technology to help patients navigate the building without the need to hear sounds for check-ins or directions. All services, including hearing care, balance disorders, imaging, rehabilitation, and clinical trials, will be in one place. No more navigating multiple sites. Construction starts in late 2026. We are excited to create a better future for hearing health.
If you had one lecture left to give… what would you say?
UCSF’s Last Lecture is a chance for faculty to share the lessons that have stayed with them, beyond the classroom.
This year, Jennifer Cocohoba, PharmD, MAS, reflected on time, the pressure to move quickly, and what actually matters in the end. Her message was simple. Slow down. The moments that stay with you are the ones built on trust and connection.
🎉 Amazing news: We've received a $2.5 million donation to support #sicklecelldisease care and research at our hospitals! This generous gift from Dr. Ted W. Love and Joyce Y. Love will support young people transitioning to adult care and sickle cell research, as well as our new #Oakland hospital building.
“This generous investment will strengthen our legacy of exceptional care in Oakland," children's hospital president Dr. Nicholas Holmes says. "By expanding access, supporting care transitions and enabling groundbreaking research, we can help more patients live healthier, fuller lives.”
❤️ More on the donation in our bio link.
A few years ago, Cronutt started having severe seizures caused by domoic acid — a toxin produced during red tides, a type of harmful algal bloom. Some toxins like this build up in the food chain and can be deadly to sea life and humans.
Cronutt received an experimental treatment developed at UCSF with NIH funding. The treatment worked, and now Cronutt is back to living his life.
With climate change, harmful algal blooms are becoming more common.
UCSF researchers are working to better understand these toxins and partnering with Indigenous communities most affected to help keep people safe.
And, thanks to federal funding, UCSF scientists are pioneering research that could, one day, provide an antidote for some of the worst forms of these toxins. #EarthDay
Exercise may support brain health in an unexpected way.
Researchers at UCSF found that working out activates a protein in the liver that helps repair the brain’s protective barrier, reducing inflammation and improving memory with age.
Welcome to protein #LoveIsland, but this couple is a problem.
When certain proteins pair up, they can get stuck sending nonstop grow and divide messages to cells — exactly what happens during cancer, particularly breast cancer. Brandon Courteau breaks down how these protein “relationships” work, why treatments can stop working over time, and a newly discovered HER3 pairing that could lead to new ways to treat breast cancer.
He took the top spot at UCSF’s #GradSlam, where graduate students turn complex research into 3-minute talks for a live audience.
You only need three minutes to explain the best ideas.
At the 2026 UCSF #GradSlam, our UCSF PhD students turned their complex research into clear, engaging, 3-minute presentations for a live audience — making complicated science easier to follow.
Congratulations to everyone who stepped on stage and accepted the challenge.
Special recognition goes to this year’s top finishers:
Brandon Courteau — First Place for “Protein Love Island: How Recoupling HER3 Could Reveal New Possibilities for Breast Cancer Therapeutics.”
Christine Boutros — Second Place for “The Fungus Among Us: Fishing for Answers.”
Nadja Michelle Maldonado Luna— Third Place for “The Hidden Side of Bone Strength.”
Jacqueline Williams — People’s Choice Award for “Decoding the Body's Login System: The Missing Signal in MS.”
Some discoveries grow beyond the lab.
Over 240 companies have been founded by UCSF faculty, raising nearly $12 billion in venture capital — creating jobs and benefiting the economy. Around 55 were launched in the past five years alone, supported by NIH funding.
These ventures work on everything from helping people with COPD breathe easier to new treatments for autoimmune diseases to testing for thousands of infections in just 48 hours.
This is how research turns into real care.
Why do our bodies heal more slowly as we age?
UCSF scientists found that repair cells undergo changes in how their genes are expressed as we age. By restoring more youthful patterns of gene activation, researchers were able to revive key repair functions and improve tissue health.
This discovery points to new ways to treat age-related disease by helping cells perform at their best again.
