UC San Diego to serve as primary lab in $101M competition<\/p>\n
A UC San Diego institute will be the main laboratory and biorepository for a competition in which research teams compete for $101 million in research funding.<\/p>\n
The XPRIZE Healthspan Competition<\/a> invites teams to explore interventions in humans that restore their muscle, cognitive and immune functions and extend their lifespans.<\/p>\n It originally started in 2023 with a pool of 600 applicants. Now, UCSD\u2019s Stein Institute for Research on Aging will support 10 awardees to conduct coordinated clinical trials around the world with their treatment approaches. Winners will be announced in 2030.<\/p>\n \u201cThe central laboratory is the scientific backbone of this competition,\u201d said UC San Diego School of Medicine associate professor Michael Corley in a press release. \u201cBy providing a single, gold\u2011standard platform for sample collection, multi\u2011omics analysis and data integration, UC\u202fSan\u202fDiego will set the benchmark for how we measure biological aging and will accelerate the translation of breakthrough therapies into clinical practice.\u201d<\/p>\n Previous XPRIZE competitions include an AI-driven drug discovery competition in 2022. The result of that competition was a platform that was since licensed to pharmaceutical companies.<\/p>\n La Jolla chefs to show at San Diego Food + Wine Festival<\/p>\n Chefs from several La Jolla restaurants will participate in the 22nd annual San Diego Food + Wine Festival, which returns Nov. 1-8 at venues across San Diego.<\/p>\n The event is intended to celebrate Southern California and Baja with participating chefs, winemakers, spirits producers, and culinary experts from across the country.<\/p>\n La Jolla will be represented by Brian Reimer (from the upcoming Ikaria restaurant), Kaitlyn Smith (Marisi restaurant), Paulo Mendoza (Lucrezia restaurant) and Raul Casillas (Puesto La Jolla).<\/p>\n Researchers at UC San Diego and their colleagues have identified a key cellular pathway that drives brain degeneration in both a rare childhood disorder and the far more common Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n The study, published in Immunity, reveals how the brain\u2019s immune cells respond to waste buildup and provides a novel roadmap for understanding and treating neurodegenerative conditions.<\/p>\n Children with Sanfilippo syndrome type A experience seizures and dementia among other symptoms, leading to early death.<\/p>\n The condition is caused by a single gene variant that blocks the production of the enzyme sulfamidase. Normally, tiny structures within cells called lysosomes use sulfamidase to break down nutrients into usable energy, destroy harmful invaders like bacteria, and recycle old cell parts for reuse. In the absence of the enzyme, debris accumulates.<\/p>\n The researchers studied a mouse model for this condition, finding that while this waste builds up in many cell types, the brain\u2019s dedicated immune cells are impacted the most. These cells expand as they become clogged with fats and proteins, losing their ability to protect neurons.<\/p>\n The researchers identified a family of proteins, known as MITF\/TFE, that act as master genetic switches. When cells become overburdened and stressed, these switches are flipped from the \u201coff\u201d to the \u201con\u201d position, triggering a massive change in the brain.<\/p>\n The researchers found that the same MITF\/TFE switches are turned on in response to waste accumulation in the cells of human Alzheimer\u2019s patients as well.<\/p>\n By identifying the MITF\/TFE protein family as the primary drivers of this process, the research points to a new target for drug development. By modulating these genetic switches, scientists may one day be able to maintain microglia in a protective state and prevent them from further damaging the brain.<\/p>\n UC San Diego Health, West Health initiative look to accelerate, coordinate healthcare with new program<\/p>\n Rising demand, strained hospital capacities and increasing quantities of patients needing care have placed significant pressure on America\u2019s healthcare system. A new $40 million initiative from UC San Diego and West Health aims to step in and offer much-needed structural support.<\/p>\n The West Health Accelerator at UC San Diego Health, also referred to as Accelator, is a six-year initiative with the mission of building a model of coordinated, reliable care that increases health system standards across the U.S. Work on the Accelerator will be based in San Diego across UCSD Health\u2019s three hospitals and their clinics.<\/p>\n \u201cBy 2030, one in five Americans will be aged 65 or older and this demographic shift will dramatically increase the need for easily accessible personalized health care,\u201d said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla in a press release from UC San Diego Health. \u201cThe Accelerator will help UC San Diego Health meet local and national demand as it opens new locations across the San Diego region.\u201d<\/p>\n According to UCSD health, the Accelerator is considered a continuation of work West Health and UCSD did on the Gary and Mary West Emergency Department at Jacobs Medical Center at UCSD Health in La Jolla, the first accredited senior emergency care unit in California. San Diego County later became the first region in the U.S. to have all of its hospitals receive Geriatric Emergency Department accreditation, the press release went on to say.<\/p>\n Practically speaking, the Accelerator will aid the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Center for Health Innovation at UCSD Health \u2014 a center focused on ethical use of technology to boost healthcare \u2014 with its mission control and coordination hub using advanced technology to track patient care. Its aim is to make sure patients are seen at the right time and in the right setting.<\/p>\n La Jolla native joins touring yacht rock band<\/p>\n Metaphorically speaking, La Jolla native Ian Ward Brininstool (who goes by Ian Ward), is taking his musical career to the high seas.<\/p>\n After a stint on Broadway, auditioning in front of the judges on American Idol and releasing solo albums, Ward is now the lead singer of Yachtley Crew.<\/p>\n Touted as a yacht rock band built around hits of the late \u201970s and early \u201980s, Yachtley Crew performs music from artists like Toto, Christopher Cross, Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, and more. The band recently performed at The Sound in Del Mar.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been playing sold-out shows around the country, including several here in San Diego,\u201d he told the La Jolla Light. \u201cOur live show is high-energy, fun, and very audience-driven, with the musicianship of a concert but the atmosphere of a party. It\u2019s been an incredible year.\u201d<\/p>\n Ward went to Bird Rock Elementary and Muirlands Middle schools in La Jolla and graduated from La Jolla High in 2014.<\/p>\n Coast Walk Trail\u2019s Legacy Wall gets a makeover<\/p>\n The Legacy Wall on Coast Walk Trail is now open for 200 more plaque orders following renovations.<\/p>\n Located next to the Cave Store at 1325 Coast Blvd., the Legacy Wall allows people to honor themselves, their family or their business with a commemorative plaque. Proceeds from the wall go towards nonprofit organization La Jolla Coastal Conservancy\u2019s work on trail repairs, restoration and coastal upkeep.<\/p>\n A 12-by-8 plaque costs $1,500 and a 12-by-4 plaque costs $1,000. For an additional $185, a logo or QR code can be added to a plaque.<\/p>\n![\"Kaitlyn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/sut-l-dine-marisi-chef-smith.jpg\")
Kaitlyn Smith has been appointed as the new executive chef at Marisi restaurant in La Jolla. (Mandie Geller)
\nUCSD researchers discover \u2018switches\u2019 in brains with dementia<\/p>\n![\"La](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ljl-l-ian-ward-american-idol.jpg\")
La Jolla native Ian Ward holding the so-called \u2018golden ticket\u2019 to Hollywood following his American Idol audition. (Provided by Ian Ward)<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ljl-l-nugget-menehune.jpg\")
A young surfer rides a wave during last year\u2019s Menehune Junior Surf Contest in La Jolla. (M. Perreault)<\/p>\n