Recent News
January 7, 2025
Nicole Steinmetz Awarded $2.6 Million NIH Grant for Cardiovascular Disease Research
Researchers led by chemical and nano engineering professor Nicole Steinmetz are developing vaccines for cardiovascular diseases that lead to stroke and heart attack. The project is supported by a $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Full Story
September 18, 2024
Nanoengineers receive $5M in funding to use plant viruses to fight cancer and save crops
Congratulations to UC San Diego chemical and nano engineering professor Nicole Steinmetz and her lab for bringing in over $5 million in new research funding this year to continue their work developing nanoparticles to fight cancer and save crops! These nanoparticles are engineered from a surprising ally: plant viruses. Full Story
June 12, 2024
Swimming Microrobots Deliver Cancer-fighting Drugs to Metastatic Lung Tumors in Mice
Engineers have developed microscopic robots, known as microrobots, capable of swimming through the lungs to deliver cancer-fighting medication directly to metastatic tumors. This approach has shown promise in mice, where it inhibited the growth and spread of tumors that had metastasized to the lungs, thereby boosting survival rates compared to control treatments. Full Story
May 13, 2024
Plant Virus Treatment Shows Promise in Fighting Metastatic Cancers in Mice
An experimental treatment made from a plant virus is effective at protecting against a broad range of metastatic cancers in mice, shows a new study from the University of California San Diego. The treatment, composed of nanoparticles fashioned from the cowpea mosaic virus—a virus that infects black-eyed pea plants—showed remarkable success in improving survival rates and suppressing the growth of metastatic tumors across various cancer models, including colon, ovarian, melanoma and breast cancer. Full Story
October 30, 2023
'Plug and Play' Nanoparticles Could Make It Easier To Tackle Various Biological Targets
UC San Diego engineers have developed modular nanoparticles that can be easily customized to target different biological entities such as tumors, viruses or toxins. The surface of the nanoparticles is engineered to host any biological molecules of choice, making it possible to tailor the nanoparticles for a wide array of applications, ranging from targeted drug delivery to neutralizing biological agents. Full Story
October 18, 2023
Nanoparticle Vaccine Could Curb Cancer Metastasis to Lungs by Targeting a Protein
UC San Diego engineers have developed an experimental vaccine that could prevent the spread of metastatic cancers to the lungs. Its success lies in targeting a protein known to play a central role in cancer growth and spread, rather than targeting the primary tumor itself. Full Story
September 21, 2023
Nanoparticles Made From Plant Viruses Could Be Farmers' New Ally in Pest Control
UC San Diego engineers have devised a new solution to control a major agricultural menace, root-damaging nematodes. Using plant viruses, the researchers created nanoparticles that can deliver pesticide molecules to previously inaccessible depths in the soil. This "precision farming" approach could potentially minimize environmental toxicity and cut costs for farmers. Full Story
April 4, 2023
Biodegradable Polymer System Offers New Hope for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis
A team led by engineers at the University of California San Diego has developed a biodegradable polymer system to treat rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, by working in concert with the power of the human immune system. Full Story
February 22, 2023
A New Technique Creates Greater Fidelity in Bioprinting Functional Human Tissues
A team of researchers at UC San Diego has made significant advances in solving some of the most vexing challenges in bioprinting 3D-engineered tissues while meeting the key requirements of high cell density, high cell viability and fine fabrication resolution. The research led by nanoengineers at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering was published in the February 22, 2023 issue of Science Advances. Full Story
October 17, 2022
Nanoengineers receive $4.3M from NIH to continue studies using plant viruses to treat cancer
Researchers led by Nicole Steinmetz, professor of nanoengineering at the University of California San Diego, have received $4.3 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to advance their research using plant viruses to develop cancer immunotherapies. Full Story