Researchers talk new diagnostic methods at global tech conference

Four UC Berkeley engineering professors took part in the World Economic Forum’s ninth Annual Meeting of the New Champions, a global conference on innovation, science and technology held last week in Dalian, China. The four were among 1,500 leaders from business, government, research institutions and media organizations from 90 countries who came together to discuss new ways to boost economic growth in the wake of the global financial crisis.

The four Berkeley professors — Daniel Fletcher, professor of bioengineering; Amy Herr, professor of bioengineering; Lydia Sohn, professor of mechanical engineering; and Ana Claudia Arias, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences — led a discussion on how breakthroughs in medical diagnostic technologies, like blood tests that can detect tumors before symptoms show, are transforming healthcare.

For more information about Daniel Fletcher’s work, visit the Fletcher Lab website and read this Berkeley News article: “To revert breast cancer cells, give them a squeeze.”

To learn more about Amy Herr and her work, visit the Herr Lab website and read this article on the Bakar Fellows Program website: “Beyond Genomics — Mining the Proteome”

To learn more about Lydia Sohn and her work, visit the Sohn Lab and read this profile on the Bakar Fellows Program website: “Pinning Down Malevolent Cancer Cells”

To read more about Ana Maria Arias, read this profile on the Bakar Fellows Program website: “Welcome to the World of Wearable Electronics”