Tucked away in the corner of UC Irvine is a 100,000-square-foot structure against a grassy hill.
For those working inside the campus' relatively new addition, the mission is simple: Discover new technologies that help people who suffer from debilitating diseases.
Dr. Weian Zhao is one of the latest academic superstars the university has added to its roster. He was recently recognized in MIT's Technology Review list of 35 innovators younger than 35 who are making profound and lasting societal contributions.
While working as a post-doctoral research fellow at Harvard University, Zhao, 32, discovered how to make cells visible inside a living body.
By attaching dye to a strand of DNA and connecting that strand to a cell, scientists can watch the cell inside the body and see how it reacts to other cells, medicine and cancer.