08/16/22Sanford Burnham Prebys Peter Adams and Bing Ren awarded $10.6M to create atlas of aging cells The multi-institution initiative will reveal new insights into the aging process and uncover targets to promote health across the life span Read more

08/10/22Salk Institute New target identified for treatment of premature aging disease LA JOLLA—A stretch of DNA that hops around the human genome plays a role in premature aging disorders, scientists at the Salk Institute and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have discovered. In people with early aging, or progeria, RNA encoded by this mobile DNA builds up inside cells. What’s more, the scientists found that blocking this RNA reverses the disease in mice. Read more

08/08/22Salk Institute Discovery advances the potential of gene therapy to restore hearing loss LA JOLLA—Scientists from the Salk Institute and the University of Sheffield co-led a study that shows promise for the development of gene therapies to repair hearing loss. In developed countries, roughly 80 percent of deafness cases that occur before a child learns to speak are due to genetic factors. One of these genetic components leads to the absence of the protein EPS8, which coincides with improper development of sensory hair cells in the inner ear. These cells normally have long hair-like structures, called stereocilia, that transduce sound into electrical signals that can be perceived by the brain. In the absence of EPS8, the stereocilia are too short to function, leading to deafness. Read more

08/04/22Salk Institute Scientists find surprising link between mitochondrial DNA and increased atherosclerosis risk LA JOLLA— Mitochondria are known as cells’ powerhouses, but mounting evidence suggests they also play a role in inflammation. Scientists from the Salk Institute and UC San Diego published new findings in Immunity on August 2, 2022, where they examined human blood cells and discovered a surprising link between mitochondria, inflammation and DNMT3A and TET2—two genes that normally help regulate blood cell growth but, when mutated, are associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis. Read more

08/02/22Sanford Burnham Prebys Timothy Huang awarded $2.8M to study well-known gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease The project aims to uncover a potential cause of Alzheimer’s brain pathology Timothy Huang, Ph.D., has been awarded $2.8 million by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to continue his work on Alzheimer’s disease. The four-year project will use human stem cells transplanted into mice to determine the role of specific Alzheimer’s-related gene mutations in the brain.  Read more

08/01/22Sanford Burnham Prebys Preuss internship inspires young scientists This year's Preuss internship program was hosted by the Institue's NCI-designated Cancer Center. Read more

08/01/22Sanford Burnham Prebys Jianhua Zhao awarded $2.4M to reveal cancer targets through atomic-resolution imaging Assistant Professor Jianhua Zhao, Ph.D., has been awarded a unique and competitive NIH grant to study the molecular machinery of protein recycling and discover new targets for cancer therapies. Read more

07/13/22Salk Institute Salk researchers discover how RNA processing goes awry in rare immune disease LA JOLLA—Researchers at the Salk Institute and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have discovered a new underlying cause of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a rare genetic disease that leads to bleeding and immune deficiencies in babies. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Communications on June 25, 2022, revolve around how cells cut and paste strands of RNA in a process called RNA splicing. The genetic mutations associated with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, they found, disrupt this process which, in turn, prevents numerous immune and anti-inflammatory proteins from being made correctly. Read more

07/06/22Salk Institute Imaging solves mystery of how large HIV protein functions to form infectious virus LA JOLLA—Understanding how HIV replicates within cells is key for developing new therapies that could help nearly 40 million people living with HIV globally. Now, a team of scientists from the Salk Institute and Rutgers University have for the first time determined the molecular structure of HIV Pol, a protein that plays a key role in the late stages of HIV replication, or the process through which the virus propagates itself and spreads through the body. Importantly, determining the molecule’s structure helps answer longstanding questions about how the protein breaks itself apart to advance the replication process. The discovery, published in Science Advances on July 6, 2022, reveals a new vulnerability in the virus that could be targeted with drugs. Read more

07/06/22Sanford Burnham Prebys Heating up cold brain tumors: An emerging approach to medulloblastoma Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, but it doesn’t work on many childhood brain tumors. Researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys are working to change that. Read more

07/01/22Sanford Burnham Prebys Three Sanford Burnham Prebys faculty receive promotions Sanford Burnham Prebys Cancer researchers Ani Deshpande, Brooke Emerling, and Charles Spruck have all been promoted from assistant to associate professor. Read more

07/01/22UCSD Mathematical Model Helps Predict Anal Cancer Risk in Persons with HIV Infection UC San Diego researchers have created a mathematical model to help predict risk of anal cancer in persons with HIV infection and aid patients and doctors regarding screening decisions. Read more

06/27/22Sanford Burnham Prebys Brooke Emerling awarded $2.3 million to demystify breast cancer metabolism The four-year, $2.3 million project could accelerate the development of new therapies for a range of cancers, particularly metastatic breast cancer. It also offers an answer to a longstanding mystery in cancer metabolism.  Read more

06/23/22Salk Institute Hair-raising research: Salk scientists find surprising link between immune system, hair growth LA JOLLA—Salk scientists have uncovered an unexpected molecular target of a common treatment for alopecia, a condition in which a person’s immune system attacks their own hair follicles, causing hair loss. The findings, published in Nature Immunology on June 23, 2022, describe how immune cells called regulatory T cells interact with skin cells using a hormone as a messenger to generate new hair follicles and hair growth. Read more

06/23/22Salk Institute Salk Institute mourns the loss of Professor Emeritus Walter Eckhart LA JOLLA—Professor Emeritus Walter Eckhart, who served as director of the Salk Institute’s National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and head of the Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory for more than 30 years, died suddenly on June 21, 2022, at his home in La Jolla, California. He was 84. Read more

06/16/22Salk Institute Salk Professor Janelle Ayres joins Cancer Grand Challenges team tackling cancer cachexia LA JOLLA—An international team of researchers, including Salk Institute Professor Janelle Ayres, has been selected to receive a $25 million Cancer Grand Challenges award to tackle the challenge of cancer cachexia, a debilitating wasting condition that often leads to a poor quality of life for people in the later stages of their cancer. Cachexia is responsible for up to 30 percent of cancer-related deaths. Read more

06/14/22Salk Institute Salk Institute scientist Christina Towers named a 2022 Pew-Stewart Scholar for Cancer Research LA JOLLA—Assistant Professor Christina Towers has been named a 2022 Pew-Stewart Scholar for Cancer Research as part of a partnership between The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust. Towers is among this year’s six early-career scientists who will each receive $300,000 over the next four years to support research focused on a better understanding of the causes, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Read more

06/06/22UCSD Causes of Liver Cancer are Changing Around the World: Some Up, Some Down UC San Diego researchers report that the causes and death rates of liver cancer are changing around the world. Read more

03/21/22UCSD New Screening Tool IDs 95 Percent of Stage 1 Pancreatic Cancer UC San Diego study finds new screening tool flags 95 percent of stage 1 pancreatic cancers. Read more

03/21/22UCSD Transplant, Cancer Patients Among First to Get Evusheld at UC San Diego Health UC San Diego Health is now administering Evusheld to eligible, immunocompromised patients to protect against the COVID-19 virus. Read more

02/24/22UCSD Alternative Approach Uses Sound Waves to Treat Prostate Cancer UC San Diego Health is the first hospital system in San Diego County to employ high-intensity, focused ultrasound (HIFU) for minimally invasive prostate cancer treatment. Read more

02/17/22UCSD UC San Diego Health: Excellence in Medication Safety, Pharmacy Practice UC San Diego Health has become the first organization recognized as a Certified Center of Excellence in Medication-Use Safety and Pharmacy Practice by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists ... Read more

02/15/22UCSD Pandemic Upends Breast Cancer Diagnoses UC San Diego Health researchers surveyed and compared early- and late-stage breast and colorectal cancer diagnoses in patients in pre-pandemic 2019 and in 2020, the first full year of the COVID-19 pan ... Read more