biochemistry

Chemistry Ph.D. Student Bao Vue smiles at the camera

The Language of Chemistry

  • by Greg Watry
  • January 17, 2023
There’s no word in Bao Vue’s native language for “chemistry.” The science subject is not easily expressed in Hmong vocabulary. In fact, the same can be said for the concept of “science” itself. But when Vue was 9 years old, she and her family fled their home for safety. Today, she's a chemistry doctoral candidate in UC Davis Professor of Chemistry Jacquelyn Gervay-Hague’s lab, which is focused on developing sustainable methods to produce antiviral and anticancer agents from natural products.
David Olson, assistant professor of chemistry, in his lab, speaking with Alaysia Madison, a chemistry student visiting from Xavier University.

$2.7M Awarded to UC Davis To Find New Addiction Treatments Related to Psychedelics

  • by Becky Oskin
  • May 22, 2022
Evidence from human and animal testing suggests the brain-altering effects of psychedelics could be repurposed for treating addiction. Now, researchers at University of California, Davis, and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus plan to screen hundreds of compounds to discover new, non-hallucinogenic treatments for substance use disorders.
Professor Marie Heffern in a chemistry lab wearing a blue lab coat.

Marie Heffern Wins NSF Career Award

  • by Becky Oskin
  • July 23, 2021

Marie Heffern, assistant professor of chemistry, was awarded a prestigious CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) this month. The NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program funds junior faculty who perform outstanding research, are excellent educators and include outreach in their work. Heffern is the third faculty member in the UC Davis Department of Chemistry to receive a CAREER award in 2021.

PsychLight Sensor image

PsychLight Sensor to Enable Discovery of New Psychiatric Drugs

  • by Becky Oskin
  • April 28, 2021
A genetically encoded fluorescent sensor to detect hallucinogenic compounds has been developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis. Named psychLight, the sensor could be used in discovering new treatments for mental illness, in neuroscience research and to detect drugs of abuse.
Red cabbage

A New Natural Blue for Food Coloring

  • by Becky Oskin
  • April 07, 2021
A natural brilliant blue coloring has been discovered by an international team of researchers including chemists at the University of California, Davis.
CMB oil image

Synthetic Version of CBD Treats Seizures in Rats

  • by Becky Oskin
  • May 28, 2019
A synthetic, non-intoxicating analogue of cannabidiol (CBD) is effective in treating seizures in rats, according to research by chemists at the University of California, Davis. The synthetic CBD alternative is easier to purify than a plant extract, eliminates the need to use agricultural land for hemp cultivation, and could avoid legal complications with cannabis-related products.
Subscribe to biochemistry Content