In The Media

Jan Hirsch Headshot
UCI Health Affairs, January 30, 2025

Leading the Charge in Whole-Person Healthcare

"The Robert A. Mah Molecular Innovation Center initiative has a particular focus on developing natural product inspired molecules which are more easily adapted to medicinal chemistry needed to advance molecules to medicines in areas such as non-opioid pain management, cancer treatment and infectious diseases. " (Jan Hirsch)
UCI News, January 9, 2025

UC Irvine scientists design bioluminescent RNA

"Until now, little was known about how and when RNA does what it does inside cells. It turns out it’s been really quite difficult to know in living cells, and especially in living organisms, when RNA is turned on and where it goes. If you wanted to study the first 30 seconds or the first minute – nobody knows. But we provide a tool. You can now visualize it." (Andrej Luptak)
Rob Spitale Headshot
UCI News, January 8, 2025

UC Irvine-led team discovers potential new therapeutic targets for Huntington’s disease

"By targeting key processes like RNA splicing and modification, we not only advance our understanding of the molecular disruptions behind HD but also open the door to potential new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases more broadly. It was a really important collaboration to bring chemical and genomic tools from my lab and merge them with Leslie’s powerful and robust model systems to nail down this novel mechanism." (Rob Spitale)
Mahtab Jafari In the Media Headshot
New York Times, November 19, 2024

Do You Need to Take Magnesium Supplements?

"Magnesium supplements may interfere with some medications, including certain antibiotics or osteoporosis drugs, and higher doses can be unsafe if your kidneys aren’t functioning properly. It’s good practice to check with your doctor before taking magnesium (or any) supplements." (Mahtab Jafari)
Young Jik Kwon Headshot
Elsevier Connect, November 4, 2024

New editor perspectives: Young Jik Kwon

"I would have remained a researcher immersed in my own research area if I did not have this prestigious opportunity to work for Methods. The interdisciplinary topics that the journal covers also drive me to continue broadening my own personal horizons. The biggest advantage of my role as Editor-in-Chief of the journal is the privilege of working with great people: the former Editor-in-Chief, the Publisher, the Content Development Manager, the Editorial Board members, guest editors, and peer reviewers whom I would have never had a chance to get to know and learn from otherwise." (Young Jik Kwon)
John Chaput In the Media Headshot
Space Daily, October 9, 2024

Irvine group creates enzyme for efficient synthetic genetic material production

"TNA's resilience to enzymatic and chemical degradation positions it as the ideal candidate for developing new treatments such as therapeutic aptamers, a promising drug class that binds to target molecules with high specificity. Engineering enzymes that facilitate the discovery of new approaches could address the limitations of antibodies, such as improved tissue penetration, and potentially have an even greater positive impact on human health." (John Chaput)