UCSC scientists have made important contributions in many areas of health-related research, and many are leaders in their fields. The campus has been especially effective at fostering creative, interdisciplinary approaches to fundamental human health problems. Medical challenges addressed by UCSC researchers include:
. Cancer (e.g., breast cancer, leukemia)
. Neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's, Parkinson's)
. Infectious diseases (e.g., AIDS, SARS, malaria, cholera)
. Spinal cord injuries
. Blindness (retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration)
. Muscular dystrophy
. Environmental toxins
Medical advances depend on discoveries in areas such as genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology, toxicology, and engineering. In these areas, UCSC has built strong programs and established an impressive record of accomplishments.
An artificial retina to restore sight to the blind, now in clinical trials, was developed by UCSC electrical engineers and their collaborators.
An optical glucose sensor created in a UCSC biochemistry lab is being used to develop a system for continuous monitoring of blood-sugar levels in diabetics and hospitalized patients.
Groundbreaking research by UCSC scientists has revealed the structure of the molecular machines that make proteins, a discovery now being used to develop new antibiotics to fight drug-resistant infections.
In a recent survey of published research in molecular biology and genetics, two UCSC scientists ranked among the top ten authors with the most high-impact papers in this area.
Human Genome Project
UCSC researchers played a crucial role in the international Human Genome Project, assembling the finished human genome sequence and making it publicly available to researchers worldwide through the UCSC Genome Browser. This web-based browser is now a valuable tool used by biomedical researchers throughout the world. UCSC researchers in a variety of disciplines are deeply involved in efforts to use the information encoded in the human genome sequence to transform the practice of medicine and our understanding of biology.
Environmental health hazards
UCSC environmental toxicologists are among the world's leading investigators of trace metals (such as lead and mercury) and their impacts on people and the environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the California State Water Resources Control Board, and the California Attorney General's Office all work with UCSC toxicologists to set regulations and investigate possible health hazards.
Basic research
Understanding the basic biological processes involved in human diseases is an essential step in developing new ways to prevent and treat them. Often, biologists can study these fundamental processes in the test tube using stem cells or other cell cultures or in simple organisms, such as yeast, worms, and fruit flies. Other studies require the use of animals more closely related to humans, such as mice and rats. Fruit flies don't have mammary glands, for example, so mice are often used for research on breast cancer.
The use of animals in research, at UCSC and elsewhere, is strictly regulated to ensure that the studies are justified and the animals are treated humanely. Oversight of animal research at UCSC involves multiple mechanisms, including regulations and policies at the federal, state, university-wide, and campus levels, as well as regular inspections of research facilities.
Major funding
Much of the funding for health-related research comes from the National Institutes of Health, which provides more than $15 million annually in grants to UCSC researchers.
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), meanwhile, has provided $16.5 million to fund the campus's growing stem cell research program.
Other funding sources include:
. American Cancer Society
. March of Dimes
. Howard Hughes Medical Institute
. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
. Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences
. Searle Scholars Program
UCSC's ability attract major funding from prestigious, highly-competitive, peer-reviewed grant programs is a testament to the quality of its health sciences faculty and their ongoing research programs.
Teaching and training
UCSC has created a comprehensive and innovative health sciences major to prepare students for careers in medicine. Established in 2003 and administered by the Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, the health sciences program is the campus's fastest growing major and among its most popular.
Enrollment has grown to 640 students in four years.
Designed with California's health care needs in mind, the program requires students to become proficient in Spanish and to do an internship in a community health care setting. The health sciences major complements the health-related research programs at UCSC. These successful programs benefit students, the state of California, and the world at large.
