Marwa Zafarullah is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Integrative Genetics and Genomics (IGG) graduate program. She earned her bachelor’s in agricultural sciences at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan and her master’s in IGG at UC Davis. She is currently working toward the development of a biomarker for the early diagnosis and progression of the nNeurological disorder called Fragile X -Associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS).
Human activities alter and reduce phenotypic variation in many species, but the long-term consequences (e.g., ability of previous variation to reemerge), and thus the need for conservation action, are unclear.
Imagine you want to write a superhero comic. Obviously you need the superhero, the star of the show. But what else do you need? How about a sidekick, someone who helps the hero out? What about people to save? Maybe an evil villain to fight?
In biology, the relationships between the superheroes and each of these characters (a sidekick, people to save, and a villain) are called “symbioses.”
"Gene-edited farm animals are coming. Will we eat them?" That's the question probed in a new artcicle from The Washington Post that features UC Davis and IGG student Joey Owen.
With funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, BMCDB Graduate Group member Associate Professor Bruce Draper, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, is studying zebrafish (Danio rerio) to learn about the genetics of sexual reproduction in vertebrates. Draper’s research, published in PLOS Genetics with postdoc and Dena Leerberg, ’17 Ph.D., may advance discoveries into the origins of ovarian cancer.
In the United States, around 30 million people live with diabetes. It’s among the top 10 leading causes of death in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With no cure, treatment and control remain the only options for diabetes patients.
Before delving into the world of endocrinology, Assistant Professor Rebecca Calisi Rodríguez wasn’t following the path of a traditional scientist. But a mystery at the Dallas Zoo would introduce her to the world of animal behavior.
Associate Professor Aldrin Gomes, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, studies the underpinnings of heart disease. He’s searching for molecular clues that will help medical professionals better manage heart disease.
