UC Science Today

Researchers are looking to develop materials that are lighter and stronger for a variety of applications – including vehicles. Materials scientist Suveen Mathaudhu of the University of California, Riverside studies the underlying mechanisms that will make metallic materials and composites lighter and stronger. Mathaudhu says this quest for different materials has a real world example – the Ford F-150 truck.

"Last year’s Ford model shifted from using a steel frame to an aluminum frame, which saves a lot of mileage and increases the fuel economy of the vehicle by taking over 700 pounds out of the frame of the vehicle. As we continue to do this, our vehicles should become more and more efficient, but we have to design materials that are able to fit into where the heavier materials lie to be able to do this more efficiently."

To do this, researchers can use computational tools, but Mathaudhu says one of the current challenges is to accelerate the design and application of materials.

If you live long enough, chances are you’ll develop cataracts, an age-related eye disease in which the lens of the eye becomes clouded and impairs vision. And it doesn’t just affect humans…

"Most people in the United States, they know cataract as that milky white appearance in their dog’s eye. It’s incredibly prevalent – 100 percent of dogs have vision impairment from cataracts by age 13."

That’s Jason Gestwicki of the University of California, San Francisco. His lab is working on a way to reverse cataracts using eye drops. Having such a topical treatment would not only be a boon to those in developing countries who can’t afford the very successful surgical treatment, but it could also help our nation’s pets.

"There just aren’t very many places in the United States that do the surgeries for companion animals. And there’s a lot of opportunities, a lot of interesting patients – human and animals – who we might be able to help. And that’s what got us really excited to start this project."

Researchers are looking to develop materials that are lighter and stronger for a variety of applications – including vehicles. Materials scientist Suveen Mathaudhu of the University of California, Riverside studies the underlying mechanisms that will make metallic materials and composites lighter and stronger. Mathaudhu says this quest for different materials has a real world example – the Ford F-150 truck.

"Last year’s Ford model shifted from using a steel frame to an aluminum frame, which saves a lot of mileage and increases the fuel economy of the vehicle by taking over 700 pounds out of the frame of the vehicle. As we continue to do this, our vehicles should become more and more efficient, but we have to design materials that are able to fit into where the heavier materials lie to be able to do this more efficiently."

To do this, researchers can use computational tools, but Mathaudhu says one of the current challenges is to accelerate the design and application of materials.

If you live long enough, chances are you’ll develop cataracts, an age-related eye disease in which the lens of the eye becomes clouded and impairs vision. And it doesn’t just affect humans…

"Most people in the United States, they know cataract as that milky white appearance in their dog’s eye. It’s incredibly prevalent – 100 percent of dogs have vision impairment from cataracts by age 13."

That’s Jason Gestwicki of the University of California, San Francisco. His lab is working on a way to reverse cataracts using eye drops. Having such a topical treatment would not only be a boon to those in developing countries who can’t afford the very successful surgical treatment, but it could also help our nation’s pets.

"There just aren’t very many places in the United States that do the surgeries for companion animals. And there’s a lot of opportunities, a lot of interesting patients – human and animals – who we might be able to help. And that’s what got us really excited to start this project."

Researchers are looking to develop materials that are lighter and stronger for a variety of applications – including vehicles. Materials scientist Suveen Mathaudhu of the University of California, Riverside studies the underlying mechanisms that will make metallic materials and composites lighter and stronger. Mathaudhu says this quest for different materials has a real world example – the Ford F-150 truck.

"Last year’s Ford model shifted from using a steel frame to an aluminum frame, which saves a lot of mileage and increases the fuel economy of the vehicle by taking over 700 pounds out of the frame of the vehicle. As we continue to do this, our vehicles should become more and more efficient, but we have to design materials that are able to fit into where the heavier materials lie to be able to do this more efficiently."

To do this, researchers can use computational tools, but Mathaudhu says one of the current challenges is to accelerate the design and application of materials.

If you live long enough, chances are you’ll develop cataracts, an age-related eye disease in which the lens of the eye becomes clouded and impairs vision. And it doesn’t just affect humans…

"Most people in the United States, they know cataract as that milky white appearance in their dog’s eye. It’s incredibly prevalent – 100 percent of dogs have vision impairment from cataracts by age 13."

That’s Jason Gestwicki of the University of California, San Francisco. His lab is working on a way to reverse cataracts using eye drops. Having such a topical treatment would not only be a boon to those in developing countries who can’t afford the very successful surgical treatment, but it could also help our nation’s pets.

"There just aren’t very many places in the United States that do the surgeries for companion animals. And there’s a lot of opportunities, a lot of interesting patients – human and animals – who we might be able to help. And that’s what got us really excited to start this project."

If it weren’t for multi-disciplinary studies and translational research, the development of a potential eye drop that can reverse cataracts may not have happened. University of California, San Francisco researcher Jason Gestwicki explains that his lab was initially interested in coming up with small molecule treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

"They had some features in common with cataracts and frankly, I didn’t know much about the cause of cataract. I didn’t know that cataract involved this protein aggregation."

When the process of validating their technologies did not move fast enough for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease, Gestwicki’s lab tackled the cataract since one of the amyloid proteins involved in its formation is similar to those involved in Alzheimer’s disease.

"I want to emphasize, though, that the process in Alzheimer’s disease is much more complicated than the process in cataract, but I think it gives our team satisfaction and motivation and let’s us know that we’re on the right track and that’s another satisfying thing."

If it weren’t for multi-disciplinary studies and translational research, the development of a potential eye drop that can reverse cataracts may not have happened. University of California, San Francisco researcher Jason Gestwicki explains that his lab was initially interested in coming up with small molecule treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

"They had some features in common with cataracts and frankly, I didn’t know much about the cause of cataract. I didn’t know that cataract involved this protein aggregation."

When the process of validating their technologies did not move fast enough for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease, Gestwicki’s lab tackled the cataract since one of the amyloid proteins involved in its formation is similar to those involved in Alzheimer’s disease.

"I want to emphasize, though, that the process in Alzheimer’s disease is much more complicated than the process in cataract, but I think it gives our team satisfaction and motivation and let’s us know that we’re on the right track and that’s another satisfying thing."

If it weren’t for multi-disciplinary studies and translational research, the development of a potential eye drop that can reverse cataracts may not have happened. University of California, San Francisco researcher Jason Gestwicki explains that his lab was initially interested in coming up with small molecule treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

"They had some features in common with cataracts and frankly, I didn’t know much about the cause of cataract. I didn’t know that cataract involved this protein aggregation."

When the process of validating their technologies did not move fast enough for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease, Gestwicki’s lab tackled the cataract since one of the amyloid proteins involved in its formation is similar to those involved in Alzheimer’s disease.

"I want to emphasize, though, that the process in Alzheimer’s disease is much more complicated than the process in cataract, but I think it gives our team satisfaction and motivation and let’s us know that we’re on the right track and that’s another satisfying thing."

In the midst of an outbreak, where do scientists even begin to study the Zika virus? As part of a NASA-funded study, epidemiologist Chris Barker of the University of California, Davis is working to shed some light on patterns of Zika spread and its vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito. By using models for other mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue, Barker is able to predict how Zika might spread in the United States, if at all.

"The NASA project is right at that interface between real-world field-collected data and models. So what we’re trying to do is actually put viruses, Zika virus in particular, in mosquitoes. Look at how long they take to transmit it at different temperatures and how well our California mosquitoes and different species would transmit it."

For years, Dengue has caused millions of infections outside of the U.S. and like Zika, people who are infected may not show symptoms.

"So I think there will be a lot of research forthcoming. Because Zika wasn’t on anyone’s radar until recently, no one’s really done that work."