Research priorities of the CNSI at UCLA build upon the work of our Members, over 150 leading faculty representing nearly 35 Departments. CNSI provides a unique collaborative atmosphere that leverages pooled talent and resources to address the most serious and perplexing questions of our time. The Institute facilitates powerful collaborations among world-class scientists in fields ranging from applied mathematics and engineering to the natural and biomedical sciences. By leveraging the Institute’s central location in the heart of UCLA’s Court of Sciences and proximity 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, CNSI supports problem-based, team science initiatives in targeted areas.
Research priorities of the CNSI at UCLA build upon the work of our Members, over 150 leading faculty representing nearly 35 Departments. CNSI provides a unique collaborative atmosphere that leverages pooled talent and resources to address the most serious and perplexing questions of our time. The Institute facilitates powerful collaborations among world-class scientists in fields ranging from applied mathematics and engineering to the natural and biomedical sciences. By leveraging the Institute’s central location in the heart of UCLA’s Court of Sciences and proximity 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, CNSI supports problem-based, team science initiatives in targeted areas:
Research Facilitation
The CNSI Grants Facilitation Team works to catalyze interactions between new and existing teams of researchers to develop collaborative proposals that cross disciplines and support the key research mission of the Institute. Our team offers organizational assistance including meeting scheduling, budget construction, editing, and writing assistance to meet submission deadlines with polished proposals in compliance with government, university, and sponsor regulations and requirements.
Research News
March 13, 2023 | Mussels-Inspired Injectable Bioglue Offers Robust Sealing of Surgical Wounds
A UCLA-led research team has created a new, biodegradable hydrogel adhesive that is three-times stronger than comparable bioglues. Injected from a syringe, the bioglue’s honey-like viscosity coupled with its fast-sealing action could improve precision in closing...
January 4, 2023 | Tiny implantable device designed by UCLA scientists helps kill cancer
Now, an interdisciplinary UCLA research team reports encouraging results in laboratory studies testing a tiny implantable device they call a SymphNode, which is designed to keep regulatory T cells in check only in the area around a tumor while summoning and strengthening tumor-fighting cells. The device was shown to drive tumors into remission, eliminate metastasis, prevent the growth of new tumors and result in longer survival in mice.
December 14, 2022 | UCLA-led research could lead to more durable solar cells
An international research collaboration led by UCLA has developed a way to use perovskite in solar cells while protecting it from the conditions that cause it to deteriorate. In a study published in Nature Materials, the scientists added small quantities of ions — electrically charged atoms — of a metal called neodymium directly to perovskite.
December 8, 2022 | 3D-printed decoder, AI-enabled image compression could enable higher-res displays
A UCLA team has developed a technology for projecting high-resolution computer-generated images using one-sixteenth the number of pixels contained in their source images. The system compresses images based on an artificial intelligence algorithm, and then decodes them using an optical decoder — a thin, translucent sheet of plastic produced using a 3D printer — that is designed to interact with light in a specific way as part of the same algorithm.
December 7, 2022 | Wearable sensor could guide precision drug dosing
Now, a UCLA-led research team has developed a wearable patch that uses inexpensive microneedles to analyze the fluid between cells less than a millimeter underneath the skin and continuously record concentrations of medicine in the body. The technology could be a step toward improving doctors’ ability to administer precise medication doses.
December 1, 2022 | One-of-a-kind electron microscope available for users of UCLA facility
A new state-of-the-art tool for microED method is now available at the BioPolymers, Automated Cellular Infrastructure, Flow, and Integrated Chemistry Materials Innovation Platform (BioPACIFIC MIP) at UCLA, a National Science Foundation–funded user facility supporting...
October 31, 2022 | Electrons, Cameras, Action!
The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA has changed or added five cameras connected to its suite of six transmission electron microscopes. Taken together, the upgrades will dramatically reduce noise in imaging while increasing efficiency and offering options to meet the distinct needs of different types of investigations. These instruments are available to users from UCLA and beyond at the EICN.
August 16, 2022 | Bruin biophysicist’s research pushes forward development of cultured meat
Now an associate professor of integrative biology and physiology and the holder of UCLA’s Marcie H. Rothman Presidential Chair in Food Studies, CNSI member Amy Rowat has spiced up both her pedagogy and her research with her gastronomic interests. She is founding...
May 19, 2022 | Scientists devise method to prevent deadly hospital infections without antibiotics
A hospital or medical clinic might be the last place you’d expect to pick up a nasty infection, but approximately 1.7 million Americans do each year, resulting in nearly 100,000 deaths from infection-related complications and roughly $30 billion in direct medical...
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