UCLA life scientist wins NIH ENCODE grant

Xinshu (Grace) Xiao, assistant professor of Integrative Biology and Physiology, is among 15 outstanding scientists nationwide to be awarded a grant from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) to expand the ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE), a comprehensive catalog of functional elements that control the expression of genetic information in a cell. She and her research group will identify genetic differences that alter RNA processing. Her research project aims to understand functions of genetic variants, such as mutations, in our genomes.

Harmless viruses may provide cure for acne

In a new study, Laura Marinelli, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher and Dr. Robert Modlin, professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics and their collaborators found that a specific group of benign viruses that live alongside acne-causing bacteria have the power to stop acne before it starts.

Should I marry him?

UCLA Psychology doctoral candidate Justin Lavner, along with Thomas Bradbury and Benjamin Karney, professors of psychology and co-directors of the Relationship Institute at UCLA, have shown that pre-wedding uncertainty, especially among women, predicts higher divorce rates and less marital satisfaction years later.