December 2010

Reflection: 30 years of top NIH funding for UCSF School of Pharmacy

Table of contents Introduction Budget significance Reasons for past success A decade of funding for bioinformatics New drug discovery directions attract support Research stalwarts draw funding for decades New directions in translational research attract support Expansion of the School’s research agenda brings support New roads to continued funding leadership Clinical department focuses on research Getting that initial grant Great science is the goal

Logic gates allow bacteria to work like computers

Logic gates, similar to those that form the basis of silicon computing, can now be inserted into bacteria via genetic engineering, making it possible to manipulate bacteria to perform complicated tasks. This finding will ultimately enable cells to be programmed with more intricate functions, allowing cells to produce pharmaceuticals, materials, and industrial chemicals. The technique also has potential for application in agriculture.