Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences – UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences

LA Times, May 18, 2025

UC Irvine Scientists Design Bioluminescent RNA as ‘Tiny Guiding Lights’

"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)

UCI News, April 21, 2025

Engineered microglia show promise for treating Alzheimer’s, other brain diseases

"This work opens the door to a completely new class of brain therapies. Instead of using synthetic drugs or viral vectors, we’re enlisting the brain’s immune cells as precision delivery vehicles." (Rob Spitale)

UCI News, February 20, 2025

UC Irvine assistant professor Lauren Albrecht named 2025 Sloan Foundation Research Fellow

"My research explores how cells regulate protein function and degradation through methylation – a process previously overlooked in lysosomal proteolysis. This discovery has the potential to reshape our understanding of cell signaling and protein homeostasis, with implications from genetic heart disease to new therapeutic strategies." (Lauren Albrecht)

Science Friday, January 31, 2025

Scientists Create Glowing ‘RNA Lanterns’ With Bioluminescence

"This developing technology has been used on mice, with the hope that these light-up molecules can help illuminate how viruses replicate or even how memories form in the brain." (Andrej Luptak)

Cosmos, January 11, 2025

Glowing RNA lanterns could help see viruses and the brain

"The first step in saying something’s going to happen in a cell – the cell is going to grow, adapt, change or anything like that – underlying all of that is RNA." (Andrej Luptak)

UCI News, January 9, 2025

UC Irvine scientists design bioluminescent RNA

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)

Science, November 25, 2024

‘Dark proteome’ survey reveals thousands of new human genes

"I am most excited about translating microproteins into therapeutic efforts, hopefully as both biomarkers and drug targets. Once this barrier is crossed, I think interest in the field will expand dramatically." (Thomas Martínez)

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)

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)