Health

Unraveling Cancer’s Neural Connections: NIH-Funded Study Investigates How Stem Cell Regulation Influences Tissue Renewal, Cancer Development

November 3, 2025

The same cellular renewal that keeps our bodies healthy might also fuel the growth of cancer. A UC Merced biologist has found that the brain could hold the key to stopping it. Professor Néstor Oviedo, a molecular and cell biologist and affiliate of the Health Sciences Research Institute,...

Undergrad Experience: Austin John Escobar

Name: Austin John Escobar Year: Third year Major: Biological Sciences with Human Emphasis; minor in Education Hometowns: Dublin, Calif., and Manila, Philippines What is a memorable...

Graduate Student’s Immune-system Research Attracts NIH Award

Graduate student Betsabel Chicana ’s research into understanding how the immune system works when there’s a problem inside the bones has earned her a prestigious fellowship from the...

The University of California, Merced campus. Photo credit: David Burk

Q&A: Latinx Community Impacted by Food Insecurity During COVID-19

COVID-19 has left the food insecure population especially vulnerable. The pandemic has upset food supply chains and in turn, access to healthy and nutritious food has become even more difficult. A...

Prestigious Academy Recognizes Microbiology Advances by the LiWang Lab

Professor Andy LiWang is now the first from UC Merced to be elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. Colleagues at Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Texas A&M...

Undergrad Experience: Gehad Elhanafy

Name: Gehad Elhanafy Year: Second Major: Bioengineering Hometown: Merced What is a memorable project that you worked on during your time at UC Merced? In the summer of 2018, as an...

Rosa Manzo is heading up an asthma intervention project in the Valley.

Asthma Intervention Project Gets Green Light from Genentech

A new community health project addressing asthma issues in the San Joaquin Valley is underway thanks to a collaboration between UC Merced, UCSF and Camarena Health, supported by a grant from...

UC Merced, in collaboration with Merced County Department of Public Health and UC Health, rolled out its COVID-19 vaccination program Feb. 5.

Campus Health Experts Answer Pressing Questions About COVID-19 Vaccinations

The United States is implementing COVID-19 vaccine programs across the nation bringing hope for brighter days ahead. However, it also brings many questions. UC Merced’s Director of Medical...

Bioengineer’s Infectious-Cells Research Earns an NSF CAREER Award

Bioengineering Professor Arvind Gopinath received a CAREER award for his research that seeks to understand how living biological materials such as bacterial swarms and fungal biofilms colonize...

Prestigious Biennial Grant Program Includes Funding for Ag-labor and Wildfire Research

Two new projects designed and led by UC Merced researchers will address challenges facing many Californians — wildfire recovery and agricultural labor — but will also have global reach...