UCSD ranked 15th best university in the world The University of California, San Diego is ranked the 15th best university in world and its life sciences program is ranked ninth, according to the 2012 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) that was released Aug. 15 by the Center for World-Class Universities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Other UC San Diego ARWU subject field rankings include natural sciences and mathematics (20th), engineering (12th), clinical medicine and pharmacy (21st), social science (25th), mathematics (25th), chemistry (13th), computer science (14th) and economics (17th). ARWU evaluated more than 1,200 universities, ranking them by several indicators of academic or research performance, including alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, highly cited researchers, papers published in Nature and Science, papers indexed in major citation indices and the per capita academic performance of an institution. ARWU did not rank arts and humanities and psychology/psychiatry. Neurosciences Institute makes a local move The Neurosciences Research Foundation has announced that, in the early fall, its theoretical and experimental research arm, The Neurosciences Institute, will be moving to new headquarters in the village of La Jolla in a setting that will allow continuation of its fundamental research in neurobiology. Other programs of the foundation will continue in two locations, in California and on the east coast. Since 1981, The Neurosciences Institute has been dedicated to understanding the brain for the benefit of humankind. Under the leadership of Nobel Laureate Gerald M. Edelman, the Institute focuses its research on the principles underlying how we perceive and act on the world, how we learn and remember, and how consciousness arises. The institute will continue to emphasize its theoretical work while reorganizing its experimental research program. Weight-management study seeks for patients for trial La Jolla-based XiMED Center for Weight Management announced its unique research study evaluating an investigational medication for weight loss, the Light Study, has begun enrolling patients. The study is sponsored by Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc.  Obesity affects more than 93 million Americans and is predicted to increase to 120 million Americans within the next five years. Medical research suggests that losing just 5 percent of body weight can significantly improve health and quality of life.  The “Take Five to Live Light” campaign, which was launched nationally in June, encourages those suffering from obesity to take five minutes to learn about how losing just 5 percent of their weight can benefit cardiovascular health and to take five minutes to get screened for the Light Study.  Individuals interested in participating in the Light Study can visit www.thelightstudy.com to be screened for trial participation.  Individuals may qualify if they are men age 45 or older or women age 50 or older; need to lose weight; and have heart disease and/or Type 2 diabetes with certain heart risk factors.  Those who qualify and choose to participate will take part in a weight management program called WeightMate™.  Delivered through an Internet-based platform by accredited health and fitness professionals, WeightMate provides a convenient, progressive nutrition and exercise program with goal-setting and tracking tools. Participants in the Light Study may also have the opportunity to receive the investigational medication. There is no guarantee that the study medication will cause weight loss. For more information, contact XiMED Center for Weight Management at (858) 457-4917 or visit www.-XiMEDWeightManagement.com. SRI unveils new findings in healing wounds Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have made a breakthrough in understanding a class of cells that help wounds in skin and other epithelial tissues heal, uncovering a molecular mechanism that pushes the body into wound-repair mode. The findings focus on cells known as gamma delta T cells. The study demonstrates a skin-cell receptor hooks up with a receptor on gamma delta T cells to stimulate wound healing. “This is a major activation pathway for gamma delta T cells, and it may be a key to treating slow-wound-healing conditions, such as we see in diabetes,” said Scripps Research Professor Wendy L. Havran, senior author of the study. “Chronic non-healing wounds among diabetics and the elderly are an increasing clinical problem.” Researchers ID copper’s role in prion disease Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have discovered that copper can facilitate prion disease. Prion disease is familiar to most from its incarnation of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow?disease”). The condition is caused by the abnormal folding of a protein, resulting in progressive neurodegeneration and death. While exactly how the protein malfunctions has been shrouded in mystery, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute now report in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that reducing copper in the body delays the onset of disease. “We’ve known for many years that prion proteins bind copper,” said Scripps Research graduate student Owen Siggs. “But what scientists couldn’t agree on was whether this was a good thing or a bad thing during prion disease. By creating a mutation in mice that lowers the amount of circulating copper by 60 percent, we’ve shown that reducing copper can delay the onset of prion disease.” Research conference showcases young scholars Undergraduate students from San Diego’s major universities presented their research at the 2012 Summer Research Conference at UC San Diego on Aug. 16. About 240 young scholars participated, representing UCSD; CSU, San Marcos; San Diego State University and the University of San Diego, as well as students from institutions across the country.  “The Summer Research Conference really showcases San Diego as the place to be for undergraduate research,” said David Artis, dean of Undergraduate Research Initiatives at UCSD. Michelle Fu, a senior at UCSD majoring in bioengineering, is working on an external artificial pancreas for diabetes patients as part of the Amgen Scholars Program, an intensive 10-week research program at UCSD. For Bryan Sanchez, a fourth-year student at CSU, Northridge, the Summer Research Conference marked the culmination of a 10-week research internship at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The Scripps Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) engages students in earth, ocean and atmospheric research. Under the guidance of faculty mentor Jeff Gee, director of the geosciences research division, Sanchez is studying paleomagnetic sediments of the Salton Sea and Papua New Guinea. UCSD’s numerous programs enable undergraduates to get research training with faculty who are leading experts in their fields. Many of these programs are focused on supporting low-income or underrepresented students, including the CAMP Science Program, the MARC Scholars Program and the McNair Program, among others. To learn more about UC San Diego’s Academic Enrichment Programs, visit aep.ucsd.edu. — Staff and contribution