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QBI Quantitative Bioscience Institute (QBI) - QBI is the institute which transforms our understanding of biology and disease through quantitative research.

lnk.bio/qbi_ucsf The Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) fosters collaborations across the biomedical and the physical sciences, seeking quantitative methods to address pressing problems in biology and biomedicine. Motivated by problems of human disease, QBI is committed to investigating fundamental biological mechanisms, because ultimately solutions to many diseases will be revealed by new discoveries in the basic sciences.

Looking back at a special event this month! 🐙🪸From octopus brains and diving seals to coral bleaching and toxin-resistan...
10/23/2026

Looking back at a special event this month! 🐙🪸

From octopus brains and diving seals to coral bleaching and toxin-resistant frogs, QBI’s Molecular Mechanisms of Aquatic Organisms symposium explored fascinating questions about the biology of aquatic life.

The symposium brought together researchers studying a diverse range of organisms to share discoveries and approaches to understanding the molecular and cellular biology of aquatic life ... a reflection of the diverse scientific questions explored at QBI symposia!

The day also featured original artwork from the QBI Science Art Club’s Aquatic Organisms collection, bringing a creative perspective to the subject.

A special shoutout to organizers Immy Ashley, Mehdi Bouhaddou, Nevan Krogan, Jack Moen, and the events team for putting the symposium together.

Join QBI UCSF, Institut Pasteur and Gladstone Institutes on Oct 27 for the next Infectious Insights Series webinar, feat...
10/15/2026

Join QBI UCSF, Institut Pasteur and Gladstone Institutes on Oct 27 for the next Infectious Insights Series webinar, featuring three talks on bacterial immunity, pathogen interactions with human cells, and computational approaches to protein structure and design!

Featuring:
• Ernest Mordret, Institut Pasteur
• Anjan Venkatesh, UCSF
• Max Bonomi, Institut Pasteur

Moderated by Andy Kilianski, QBI UCSF.

This event is open to all and we look forward to having you tune in! Learn more by visiting the link in our bio.

🦑 How much diversity can RNA editing create inside a cell?In squid cells, the answer is thousands of proteins with new v...
10/15/2026

🦑 How much diversity can RNA editing create inside a cell?

In squid cells, the answer is thousands of proteins with new variations and functions.

In a new study published in Cell, UCSF researchers led by postdoctoral researcher Jack Moen, with corresponding author Danielle Swaney and collaborators at the Marine Biological Laboratory, identified nearly 8,000 RNA editing events across more than 2,000 recoded proteins.

Using an AI-assisted search model, the team found that these edits can change protein stability, activity, and solubility, as well as where proteins go and which molecules they interact with inside cells.

The findings reveal a remarkable source of protein diversity and open new questions about how squids use RNA editing in their biology.

Read the full story and publication at the link in our bio.

Back in Berlin. Seven years later. 🇩🇪🔬What started as a symposium between QBI at UCSF and Freie Universität Berlin in 20...
09/30/2026

Back in Berlin. Seven years later. 🇩🇪🔬

What started as a symposium between QBI at UCSF and Freie Universität Berlin in 2019 has grown into a lasting transatlantic connection, with joint research, scientific exchange, a second symposium in San Francisco, and new opportunities to bring researchers together.

This month, we returned to Berlin for our third joint symposium!

Researchers from UCSF and across Germany spent the day sharing research, exchanging ideas, and exploring connections across neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disease, from brain development and synaptic biology to structural biology, proteomics, and systems biology.

And, of course, the science was only part of it. The conversations between talks, the panel discussion, and the connections made throughout the day are what make these gatherings so valuable.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make it happen! And a special shoutout to Francesco Cannizzaro and Celine Perier for all the extra work behind the scenes. 🙌

Here’s to keeping the conversation going.

📸 Swipe through some moments from the symposium, then head to the link in our bio for the full recap and photo album.

What if a drug could engage two binding sites on the same protein?A new study from UCSF, published in Nature, introduces...
09/24/2026

What if a drug could engage two binding sites on the same protein?

A new study from UCSF, published in Nature, introduces a framework for designing “bitopic” kinase inhibitors, molecules designed to engage two sites on a protein rather than one.

Led by co-first authors Jack W. Stevenson and Kevin Lou, the researchers applied this approach to ABL1 and developed PonatiLink-2, a bitopic inhibitor that showed activity against several drug-resistant forms of BCR::ABL1 in preclinical models. They also tested the approach with EGFR, suggesting the strategy could extend beyond ABL1.

“This study gives us a general blueprint for designing small molecules that can recognize two binding sites that are naturally positioned near one another,” says Kevin Lou, a QBI Fellow and co-first author.

Learn more about the research at the link in our bio.

Join us at UCSF Mission Bay for a seminar with Forest White, Professor of Biological Engineering at MIT and member of th...
09/17/2026

Join us at UCSF Mission Bay for a seminar with Forest White, Professor of Biological Engineering at MIT and member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, hosted by Jim Wells.

Dr. White will explore how quantitative approaches to signaling networks and MHC peptide presentation can reveal the molecular mechanisms driving cancer progression and treatment response, with research spanning glioblastoma, melanoma, triple negative breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer.

September 23, 2026
2:00 PM
Genentech Hall, Room N114 | UCSF Mission Bay

Come join us! Learn more: link in bio

🌊 Something exciting is coming to UCSF this October.QBI is bringing together researchers from around the world for Molec...
09/11/2026

🌊 Something exciting is coming to UCSF this October.

QBI is bringing together researchers from around the world for Molecular Mechanisms of Aquatic Organisms, a symposium exploring the molecular and cellular processes that shape life in aquatic environments.

And we want to hear what you’re working on!

✨ Call for abstracts is now open for oral and poster presentations. If your research explores aquatic life, molecular mechanisms, or the tools and technologies that help us understand these systems, submit your work by September 29 (more details are listed on our website).

Registration is also open. Come share your science, discover new ideas, and connect with researchers from across the field.

Learn more + submit an abstract + register → Link in bio

We’re kicking off the QBI Science Art Club on September 22 with an inaugural Art Social inspired by the fascinating worl...
09/03/2026

We’re kicking off the QBI Science Art Club on September 22 with an inaugural Art Social inspired by the fascinating world of aquatic organisms. 🐠🪼🐙

Come spend an evening at UCSF Mission Bay creating art, exploring aquatic life, and connecting with scientists, artists, and curious creatives from across the community. No art or science experience is needed—just bring your curiosity and creativity.

We’ll provide the paints, canvas, snacks, and drinks. You bring the imagination. ✨

And the best part? Artwork created during the event will be exhibited at the Molecular Mechanisms of Aquatic Organisms Symposium on October 6!

Learn more details by clicking the link in our bio.

We know hundreds of genes can be linked to autism. But knowing which genes are involved is only part of the story.The bi...
08/27/2026

We know hundreds of genes can be linked to autism. But knowing which genes are involved is only part of the story.

The bigger question is: what happens inside the cell when those genes are altered?

Today in Science, researchers at UCSF’s Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI) and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences reveal the largest molecular map of autism to date—a highly collaborative effort involving more than 70 researchers.

By mapping more than 1,800 protein interactions across 100 autism risk genes, the team found that many different mutations converge on shared protein networks. They then traced the effects of 54 patient-derived mutations to see how they alter those networks.

The result is a detailed view of the molecular machinery affected by autism-associated mutations and a potential path toward therapies that target shared molecular mechanisms. More than a decade of collaborative work went into building this map!

Learn more about the study: link in bio.

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