Health + Medicine
Rapid advances in health-related nanoscience are creating a new frontier for precision medicine. Lensless microscopy, on-chip diagnostic sensors and screening devices, nanoparticle drug delivery methods, targeted antibiotics and cancer drugs, and high-throughput drug discovery are at the forefront of translating interdisciplinary research into individualized treatments. Diverse teams of CNSI nanoscientists are pursuing answers to the most serious and perplexing medical questions in illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and autism; and bacterial behaviors and functions that have come into recent focus with the explosion of knowledge on the importance of the human body’s unseen bacterial universe – the microbiome. CNSI’s collaborative atmosphere encourages medical researchers to engage with engineers, chemists, and physicists to address complex problems by leveraging pooled talent and resources. The proximity of CNSI to UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research encourages powerful collaborations among world-class scientists.
Nanomedicines for Cancer
CNSI scientists are developing new techniques to utilize nanotechnology for targeted deliver of therapeutic drugs tuned to specifically target cancer sites in the body. For example, Andre Nel and colleagues’s work in pancreatic cancer has led to the development and preclinical testing of a smart nanocarrier, the “silicasome”, which is capable of delivering optimal amounts of chemotherapeutic agents directly to tumors with decreased side effects and increased efficacy. The approach is remarkably clever and powerful, and it has attracted significant attention in the field as well as the interest of investors. This has led to the recent launch of our newest startup company, Westwood Biosciences Inc., which is focused on bringing silicasome technology to the clinic as rapidly as possible, and on expanding its applications to numerous other types of cancer.
Precision Antibiotics
Research in the development of precision antiobiotics, led by CNSI Director Jeff F. Miller, has resulted in the creation of a “programmable” nanoparticle-based platform for rapidly producing precision antibiotics that can kill bacterial pathogens that are resistant to current drugs. Last August, the US had its first case of a bacterial infection that was resistant to every available antibiotic. This is a global trend that is increasing unabated, and both big and small pharma are failing to innovate. Our technology is the product of an integrated approach involving CNSI electron imaging and nanoengineering capabilities, and it represents a paradigm shift in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases.
Stem Cell Nanomedicine
The goal of our newest CNSI initiative, conducted in partnership with the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Center, is to create nanotechnologies and nanomaterials for manipulating stem cell development and guiding tissue regeneration. Using a modest amount of seed money we have launched a multidisciplinary team to work on a new scaffold designed to accelerate healing after acute cardiac injury, in a manner that minimizes scarring and regenerates healthy heart tissue. This is one of several efforts we hope to launch that leverages synergy between stem cell medicine and nanosciences to deliver minimally invasive therapies for currently intractable diseases.
Recent Health + Medicine News
September 15, 2023 | UCLA Researchers Discover How to Control Direction and Wavelength of Emitted Heat
Materials scientists at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have introduced a simple yet versatile technique to manage the direction at which a material emits thermal radiation while simultaneously fine-tuning its infrared wavelength to optimize performance....
September 14, 2023 | Prineha Narang elected as new Caltech Trustee
Professor Prineha Narang, a pioneer in quantum matter research at UCLA, has been elected as a Young Alumni Trustee of her alma mater, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Narang joined the UCLA faculty in July 2022 leading an interdisciplinary group with...
September 7, 2023 | Research brief: Bat teeth illuminate the diversification of mammalian tooth classes
In this paper, UCLA researchers used bats teeth to investigate the evolution of developmental rules governing the evolution of organs. This model system can be applied to other organs that develop like teeth, such as hair, nails, feathers, or scales that all develop...
August 29, 2023 | CNSI Technology Center vouchers awarded
The CNSI’s Technology Center voucher program has awarded 30 vouchers in its inaugural round. The program aims to foster scientific discovery and collaboration to stimulate new, exploratory research initiatives. Awardees can use vouchers to cover the cost of Technology...
Linux Systems Administrator – CNSI at UCLA
The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA produces life‐changing scientific, economic and social impact in
California and across the world. The CNSI environment fosters interdisciplinary teams that collaborate on high‐impact
research, leveraging the Institute’s leading‐edge facilities and expert services to address grand challenges of our time.
August 27, 2023 | Universal transformations of spatially varying polarization fields
Polarization describes the orientation of oscillations in a light wave, and it plays an essential role in various optical applications — from enhancing visibility in sunglasses and camera lenses to facilitating advanced optical communication and imaging systems....
August 23, 2023 | UCLA receives $1 million NSF grant to develop quantum sensors
A team of UCLA researchers has received a four-year, $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s Quantum Sensing Challenges for Transformational Advances in Quantum Systems program. The funds will support research on new sensor technologies that can...
August 23, 2023 | University of California awards more than $80 million in state-funded grants to spur climate action
As part of a historic partnership between the University of California and the state of California, the University announced it is awarding over $80 million in climate action grants. The grants will spur implementation of solutions that directly address state climate...
Synthetic Chemist Postdoctoral Fellow – UCLA Materials Science and Engineering
A postdoctoral fellow or research associate position is available to synthesize oxide and fluoride nanoparticles and polymer nanocomposites. Recent PhD or experienced MS in chemistry, chemical engineering, or materials science, with 3+ years of solution-based chemical synthesis is required. Hands-on skills in synthesis, purification, nanoparticles, and polymer formulation are essential. Knowledge in photophysics (luminescence, Förster energy transfer, decay time, etc.) and scintillators are strong plus.