QBI

12/11/2025

On December 8, QBI UCSF, the University of Alberta, and Amii hosted “Blueprints of Tomorrow: AI & Human Health” with support from the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco. It was an inspiring collaborative event exploring how AI is shaping the future of biomedical research.

The program featured remarks from leaders across our institutions, a keynote from 2024 Turing Award winner Richard Sutton, and a panel discussion on AI applications in human health.

A highlight of the day was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between UCSF and the University of Alberta, marking the start of a formal partnership.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this gathering such an energizing and memorable moment for cross-border collaboration.

11/26/2025

QBI, the University of Alberta, and Amii are joining forces on December 8, 2025 for a forward-looking event on how AI is transforming human health and biomedical research.

We’re excited to welcome Richard Sutton — 2024 Turing Award winner and a pioneering voice in reinforcement learning — along with experts from across AI and the life sciences.

Together, we’ll explore the breakthroughs shaping the next decade and celebrate a new partnership between our institutions, united in driving innovation at the intersection of AI and health.

If you’re curious about the future of AI and its impact on human health, this is the place to be.

Register to join!

QBI, University of Alberta, and AMII (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) present "Blueprints of Tomorrow: AI & Human Health".

11/24/2025

QBI is pleased to welcome Kevin Lou to our Fellowship Program, where early-career scientists are supported in launching independent research within UCSF’s vibrant, collaborative environment.

In his Q&A, he shares what inspired his journey into chemical biology, why QBI is the right place to pursue his vision, and how quantitative approaches are shaping the future of drug discovery.

Read more about his path: link in bio.

11/10/2025

New findings show that the APOE4 gene, a major risk factor for Alzheimer’s, affects the health of nerve cells by altering lysosomes, the cellular recycling hubs.

In APOE4 neurons, lysosomes are less acidic and less effective, caused by changes to the proteins TMED5 and LGALS3BP. This early cellular change could be critical in disease development.

Tap the link in bio to read the full study led by Einar Krogsaeter & Danielle Swaney and learn more about these cellular pathways.

11/07/2025

What happens when a chromosome breaks and how do cells put it back together? 🧬

Join us for a QBI seminar with Dr. James Haber of Brandeis University, who will share how scientists learned to watch DNA repair in real time and what that reveals about how cells maintain genetic stability.

🗓️ November 14, 2025
📍 UCSF Mission Bay - Mission Hall, Room 1401
🤝 Hosted by Nevan Krogan
✅ Learn more and register: link in bio.

11/06/2025

Join us for a seminar featuring Dr. Rafael Couñago of The University of North Carolina on November 13 at University of California, San Francisco! Learn about his perspective on how open data and AI models are accelerating chemical probe discovery as part of the Target 2035 initiative.

With over 20 years of experience in protein biochemistry and structural biology, Dr. Couñago’s work bridges chemical biology, structural approaches, and computational chemistry to uncover new therapeutic opportunities.

Learn more and register for his talk: link in bio.

11/05/2025

QBI Seminar: From Knowledge-Based Modeling to AI-Guided Discovery

How can AI and structural bioinformatics come together to reveal how genetic variation shapes protein function and ultimately, human health?

Join us Tuesday, November 12 at UCSF Mission Bay for a seminar with Dr. Arun Prasad Pandurangan, Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge, hosted by Andrej Sali.

Dr. Pandurangan develops computational tools that merge structural bioinformatics, molecular modeling, and genomics to understand how genetic variation influences protein structure and function. His research bridges classic structure-guided methods with AI and machine learning.

🔗 Learn more & register: Link in bio!

10/29/2025

Science thrives on collaboration!

Weicheng Li studies how small molecules and other tools can “rewire” cellular processes — part of a collaborative effort to better understand cancer biology through QBI’s Cancer Cell Mapping Initiative.

Watch the full clip on QBI TV to learn more about his work: link in bio.

10/28/2025

How do cells control what enters and exits the nucleus?

A new study unveils the most detailed map yet of the nuclear pore complex (the gateway between a cell’s nucleus and its cytoplasm), solving a decades-old mystery and shedding light on diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and ALS.

This work was a collaborative effort among teams at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, UCSF’s QBI—with Andrej Sali as senior author—The Rockefeller University, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Read the full study in PNAS: link in bio!

10/27/2025

Driven by personal experience, Dr. Verima Pereira is working to understand how liver cancer patients respond to therapy — and how biomarkers can help predict outcomes.

Through QBI’s Cancer Cell Mapping Initiative, she’s using systems biology to connect insights to impact. 🩵

Visit QBI TV to watch the full clip! Link in bio.

10/24/2025

We look forward to welcoming Dr. Andy Kilianski, Program Manager at ARPA-H for a seminar hosted by James Fraser!

Learn about how ARPA-H is investing in bold, transformative research to shape the future of health in the United States.

Register & save a seat: link in bio!

10/20/2025

Every tumor looks different - but cancer often affects the same key pathways 🧬

Hear from Dr. Marcus Kelly (UCSD) on how his work with the Cancer Cell Mapping Initiative is helping scientists make sense of cancer at the systems level.

Visit QBI TV to watch the full clip! Link in bio.