Patty Guerra

Left ventricular devices, or LVADs, are life saving for patients with advanced heart failure, a condition that affects more than 6 million Americans each year.

A UC Merced researcher has earned an American Heart Association Career Development Award to fund his work on improving how these mechanical pumps interact with the heart and body. It's the first time a faculty member from UC Merced has received one of these awards.

Inflammation can be a good thing.

When the human body is exposed to injury or infection, inflammation - which can result in redness, heat, swelling and pain as white blood cells fight threats - is the first line of defense. Inflammation helps fight bacteria, viruses and other pathogens and repair damaged tissue.

However, inflammation can become chronic, leading to life-threatening diseases, such as autoimmune and autoinflammatory disorders. Scientists do not fully understand how inflammation becomes unstable.

State Sen. Anna Caballero recently honored UC Merced bioengineering Professor Sushma Shrinivasan among the “Women Who Inspire” in 2026 for District 14.

According to the senator’s office, Shrinivasan was honored for her continued contributions to education and for serving as an inspiration to girls aspiring to careers in STEM.

Three professors are joining UC Merced’s Agricultural Experiment Station this fall, bringing more expertise and resources to the 3-year-old research center.

A team of UC Merced researchers has shown that tiny artificial cells can accurately keep time, mimicking the daily rhythms found in living organisms. Their findings shed light on how biological clocks stay on schedule despite the inherent molecular noise inside cells.

A multimillion-dollar grant from the National Institutes of Health will fund research at UC Merced that could help cancer patients and others live longer, healthier lives.

The $3.5 million, five-year grant will fund bioengineering Professor Joel Spencer's lab, which is investigating the thymus, a key organ in the human immune system.

A diverse group of students participated in a stem cell training pilot program at UC Merced this summer.

It was the second summer for the Training Undergrads in Stem Cell Engineering and Biology (TUSCEB) program, funded through the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). It's a collaborative effort between the schools of Natural Sciences and Engineering led by professors Kara McCloskey and Jennifer Manilay and serviced through the university's Health Sciences Research Institute (HSRI).

Inflammation is the process by which the human immune system responds to injury and stimulates tissue repair and healing. But it can become a chronic condition, leading to health concerns such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and arthritis.

Bioengineering Professor Eva de Alba has been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to study a potential process to reduce inflammation. The $405,375 grant will fund de Alba's project through 2025. David Gravano, Technical Director of UC Merced Stem Cell Instrumentation Foundry, is a collaborator on the project.

Professor Roberto Andresen Eguiluz has received a CAREER award for his research into the underlying cause of arthritis.

He is the 33rd researcher from UC Merced to earn a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).