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Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology

1880-1893 medical watercolor image of polycystic kidney
Photo Credit
Teniswood, George Francis, "Polycystic kidney," Barts Health NHS Trust Archives, c1880-1893 CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Watercolor drawing showing two views of a polycystic kidney. One shows the external surface of the kidney, the other when the organ is bisected. Drawing given to the Museum by Dr. Draper Mackinder, MD, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire

A ‘magic bullet’ for polycystic kidney disease in the making

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Swirls of light pink behind a dark purple circle
Photo Credit
iStock / rightdx
Radiographic image of breast cancer tumor cells in the mammary ducts.

Novel membrane gel from UCSB offers new tool for breast cancer research
cell images
Photo Credit
Dorit Hanein
Dorit Hanein’s team and collaborators captured Rac1, a tiny molecular switch, rapidly building and breaking cellular scaffolds, revealing how cells swiftly reshape their skeletons to move and adapt.

Dorit Hanein honored for research revealing the cellular roots of disease
man sneezing in bed

Optogenetic platform illuminates new antiviral strategies
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New NIH grant supports UCSB taste and hydration research
illustration of neurons and chemical signaling

Hormone cycles shape the structure and function of key memory regions in the brain
grad student Kirsten Rollins on stage giving her Grad Slam presentation
Photo Credit
Jeff Liang
Grad Slam champion Kirsten Rollins, April 3, 2025

Promising cancer research earns top honors at 2025 Grad Slam
A fruit fly larva with imagined electric field lines in the background.
Photo Credit
Sakkmesterke vi Adobe Stock
Fruit fly larvae will reorient themselves toward the negative pole of an electric field.

Scientists discover that fruit fly larvae can sense electric fields
Daniela Soto at her lab bench
Photo Credit
Jordan Strauss / AP Images for HHMI
Daniela Soto

UCSB postdoc receives competitive award to investigate the genetic changes that shaped the human mind
Meghan Morrissey behind lab equipment.
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Meghan Morrissey

‘Brave and bold’ new strategies for cancer immunotherapy
A man with glasses sits on a train, gazing out the window with a contemplative expression. A woman leans her head on his shoulder, partially obscured, wearing glasses and a blue sweater. The train interior is softly lit, and other passengers can be seen in the blurred background.
Photo Credit
Courtesy
Film still from the documentary “Walk With Me” about Los Angeles designer Charlie Hess and his journey into early-onset Alzheimer’s.

UCSB research featured in Alzheimer’s documentary at SBIFF
Meghan Morrissey uses a micropipette in her lab.
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
Morrissey’s group is working to harness macrophage immune cells for novel cancer therapies.

Prof. Meghan Morrissey honored by the American Cancer Society for her work on cancer immunotherapy
Yellow silhouettes of a large female and small male mosquito facing away from each other.
Photo Credit
Matt Perko
If a male mosquito can’t hear a female, it’s as though she doesn’t exist.

Deaf male mosquitoes don’t mate
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