Research at UC San Diego
School of Medicine

Cells

Where discoveries are delivered

We work within and across departments, in multidisciplinary centers such as the Moores Cancer Center and Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute, and with the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jacobs School of Engineering and many other collaborators to translate new discoveries from our laboratories to our patients.

Top 5

Among public medical schools in the biological sciences (U.S. News & World Report, 2019-20)

Top 5

Among public medical schools for NIH funding, FY20

Top 10

Among public research-intensive medical schools (U.S. News & World Report, 2019-20)

Laser Microscope

Basic Research

To develop new treatments for diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, physician-researchers first need a deep understanding of the molecular and cellular underpinnings of human development and disease. Discoveries made by our basic researchers provide the foundation for advances in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.

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Translational Research

We foster “bench-to-bedside” research — taking the discoveries gained from the basic sciences and applying them to patient care. Our researchers have access to resources and expertise in study design, compound libraries, drug screening, genomics technologies, biorepository services, bioinformatics, regulatory issues and submissions, and many other capabilities needed to accelerate drug development.

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Clinical Research

We conduct hundreds of new clinical trials each year, varying in size from a single researcher looking at a dozen participants to trials that are part of multi-center national studies with several thousand participants. Clinical trials are designed to test the safety and effectiveness of a therapy or new medication when compared to either a placebo or standard treatments.

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Clinical Trials
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Clinical Trials