Molecular and Cell Biology

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,...

TUSCEB scholars showcased their research projects at a recent symposium.

Stem Cell Engineering and Biology Program Hosts First Symposium

In April, the Training Undergraduates in Stem Cell Engineering and Biology (TUSCEB) program marked a significant milestone toward its mission of fostering excellence in stem cell engineering and...

USDA UC Merced FARMERS fellows mentor El Capitan High School students pose for a group photo during recent event

USDA UC Merced FARMERS Program Teams Up with Local FFA

In an exciting initiative to foster community collaboration and academic mentorship, the USDA UC Merced's FARMERS Facilitating Agriculture-Related Mentoring for Emerging Research Scholars...

Ph.D. candidate Ambarish Varadan will compete in the UC Grad Slam finale livestreamed starting at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 3.

Campus Grad Slam Winner Examines ‘Gut Viruses: Friends or Foes?’

Earlier this month, Ambarish Varadan competed in UC Merced’s Grad Slam finals and seized the title of Campus Champion. This was the second time the Quantitative and Systems Biology (QSB) Ph....

Researchers Find Unexpected Cellular Residence for Protein Vital in Neurodevelopment

In Professor Xuecai Ge ’s lab, where UC Merced researchers study how cells talk to each other to develop and differentiate, a recent surprise discovery is lending insight as to how erroneous...

SICB Awarded Funding for Major Cultural Change Initiative

The National Science Foundation recently awarded nearly $500,000 to the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) to help develop an internal culture that fosters inclusion, diversity...

UC Merced's Experimental Smart Farm is shown.

Grants Fund Wide Variety of Climate Change Research Projects

UC Merced researchers will tackle climate changes in multiple ways through more than $4 million in grants recently awarded from within the university. The Office of Research and Economic...

Ten finalists will compete in Grad Slam on April 10 on campus.

Cheer on Campus’s 10 Grad Slam Finalists April 10

Ten graduate UC Merced students will take the stage on April 10 to compete in the Graduate Division’s Grad Slam finals. Grad Slam is an annual University of California competition that aims...

Professor Stephanie Woo, left, and graduate student Leesa Strasser are trying to unlock the mechanics of endodermal cells.

Award Supports Study of Fish Embryos to Understand Process that Affects Birth Defects

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has given Professor Stephanie Woo the CAREER award to help her delve into congenital birth defects by looking at the embryonic cells of zebrafish. Woo is...

Nishiguchi Joins California Academy of Sciences, Recognized for Contributions to Microbiology

Molecular and Cellular Biology Professor Michele “Nish” Nishiguchi has been inducted as a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and was recently named president-elect for the...