Biological Sciences

This interview originally appeared in the MCB Spring 2025 Transcript newsletter.

Since joining MCB’s faculty in 2023, Assistant Professor Bronwyn Lucas has had a productive two years:...

In a medical first, doctors raced to create a bespoke CRISPR gene therapy for a boy born with a deadly genetic disease and delivered it to him a mere six and a half months after birth.

The CRISPR treatment was administered safely, and the infant is now growing well and thriving, his doctors say. They hope that the treatment will make a liver transplant, which is usually required for survival, unnecessary for him.

The boy inherited two mutated genes that prevented him from breaking down the proteins in his food, which leads to a build-up of ammonia that destroys the liver and...

Jessica Patrick, one of three Harris Fellows in 2024, is a senior at UC Berkeley studying cognitive science and molecular and cell biology (MCB). Created by the estate of Professor Emeritus of Molecular and Cell Biology Morgan Harris, the Harris Research Discovery Program provides opportunities for MCB undergraduate students to develop robust research skills. Three of the students in the program were selected to be Harris...

Earlier this year, the United States experienced its largest tuberculosis outbreak in modern history. For a disease that had largely dropped off Americans’ radar, it was a disturbing reminder of how quickly epidemics can explode into the public consciousness. However, the 153 infections in Kansas were a drop in the bucket compared to the 10.8 million people who contracted the disease globally in 2023.

Tuberculosis is...