Aug. 10 - Hope for ALS patients; tracing COVID-19’s origins
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Orientation continues on campus for incoming freshmen and their parents. Photo by Steve Zylius/UCI
UCI ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
Dr. Namita A. Goyal is a nationally recognized expert on ALS stem cell treatment. Photo by UCI Health
Clinical trials offer hope for ALS patients
It’s been more than a decade since UCI Health neurologist Dr. Namita A. Goyal first noticed how young, otherwise healthy people were suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal neurological disorder that gradually robs a person of the ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. Now, Goyal, co-director of the UCI Health ALS & Neuromuscular Center, says there is reason for hope: a dozen ALS clinical trials currently underway at UCI Health.
UC NEWS AND GENERAL NEWS
UC researchers trace the complex origins of COVID-19
It has long been assumed that COVID-19 had a single origin in the Chinese city of Wuhan. But according to new research by UC scientists, the genetic data tells a different story. There were actually two strains of the coronavirus circulating in Wuhan in late 2019. And as researchers delved deeper into COVID-19’s family tree, it became clear that our understanding of how the disease crossed over to humans might be wrong.
Alternate monkeypox vaccine method OK’d to stretch supplies
U.S. health officials have authorized a new monkeypox vaccine injection method: intradermally in adults, meaning between layers of the skin rather than below the skin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hopes that the alternate method, which uses only a fraction of the normal Bavarian Nordic Jynneos vaccine dose but provides the same protection, will increase available doses fivefold.
UCI IN THE NEWS
Note: Some news sites require subscriptions to read articles. The UCI Libraries offer free subscriptions to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Orange County Register and The Washington Post for students, faculty and staff.
White House hosts UCI chancellor for discussion on abortion rights
The Orange County Register, Aug. 9
Cited: Chancellor Howard Gillman
'Inflation Reduction Act' Would Help LA’s Hardest Hit Climate Communities
LAist, Aug. 9
Cited: Michael Méndez, assistant professor of social ecology
Water Week: Access to clean drinking water
NPR — 1A, Aug. 8
Guest: Maura Allaire, assistant professor of urban planning and public policy
#UCICONNECTED
UCI staffer wins OC Fair ‘Best of Show’ baking award
In February, an award-winning baker joined the staff of the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (@UCIbrenICS). Christina Zeek is not only the new purchasing and disbursement coordinator in ICS, but also the 2022 and 2021 “Best of Show” winner of the OC Fair’s Yeast and Quick Breads competition. She has a passion for old-school bread baking, and her panettone bread earned this year’s top prize at the fair.
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