Human Health

Using advanced techniques to study the brain and body at their most fundamental levels, from the neural circuits that control emotion to the individual T cells that respond to viruses and other pathogens, Caltech researchers uncover the principles and rules that explain how and why life works.

Across the Institute, more than 100 faculty members from all six academic divisions and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, are leading investigations with the potential to improve human health. By focusing funding resources across the translational arc, from basic discovery to clinical collaboration and the introduction of new treatments, Caltech creates opportunities to impact human health in myriad ways, including novel approaches funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to combine spatial genomics and deep learning to attack cancer cells. Other labs use funding from the the NIH, the National Science Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the Army Research Office, and other government agencies to design smart bandages and wearable sensors and develop low-cost medical diagnostic devices for use in developing countries. The Institute is committed to creating solutions to some of society's most difficult health problems.