The Salk Institute conducts its biological research under the guidance of 59 faculty investigators, employing a scientific staff of more than 850, including visiting scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. http://www.salk.edu http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:17:51 -0800 thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Genetics Society of America(GSA) has honored Joanne Chory, Salk Institute professor and director of the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory and Howard H. and Maryam R. Newman Chair in Plant Biology, as the recipient of the prestigious 2012 Genetics Society of America Medal. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=538 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Salk Institute scientist Ronald Evans has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious 2012 Wolf Prize in Medicine, Israel's highest award for achievements benefiting mankind. According to the Wolf Prize jury, Evans was selected for his discovery of the gene super-family encoding nuclear receptors and elucidating the mechanism of action of this class of receptors. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=537 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a gene that tells cells to develop multiple cilia, tiny hair-like structures that move fluids through the lungs and brain. The finding may help scientists generate new therapies that use stem cells to replace damaged tissues in the lung and other organs. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=536 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—There's a 3-D world in our brains. It's a landscape that mimics the outside world, where the objects we see exist as collections of neural circuits and electrical impulses. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=534 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 5 Jan 2012 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Scientists have discovered a missing link between the body's biological clock and sugar metabolism system, a finding that may help avoid the serious side effects of drugs used for treating asthma, allergies and arthritis. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=532 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A new drug candidate may be the first capable of halting the devastating mental decline of Alzheimer's disease, based on the findings of a study published in PLoS ONE. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=532 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed a way to use patients' own cells to potentially cure sickle cell disease and many other disorders caused by mutations in a gene that helps produce blood hemoglobin. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=531 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—An international team of scientists has created super-strong, high-endurance mice and worms by suppressing a natural muscle-growth inhibitor, suggesting treatments for age-related or genetics-related muscle degeneration are within reach. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=530 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of five faculty members to be recipients of endowed chairs established by philanthropic leaders in support of scientific research. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=529 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—One of the few reliable ways to extend an organism's lifespan, be it a fruit fly or a mouse, is to restrict calorie intake. Now, a new study in fruit flies is helping to explain why such minimal diets are linked to longevity and offering clues to the effects of aging on stem cell behavior. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=528 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 02 Nov 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A new class of anti-inflammatory drugs may one day serve as an alternative to steroid medications and possibly help avoid the serious side effects of steroids, based on research findings at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=527 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) announces the appointment of Inder M. Verma, Ph.D., as editor-in-chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the official NAS journal. He will formally assume the editorship on November 1, and the transition to the new position will occur over several weeks. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=525 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A discovery by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies might explain why some premature infants fail to respond to existing treatments for a deadly respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and offers clues for new ways to treat the breathing disorder. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=524 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The SCImago Institutions Rankings (SIR) World Report has identified the Salk Institute as one of the top five research organizations in the world, based on excellence and high quality of its scientific findings. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=523 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The National Institutes of Health has announced that the Salk Institute will receive $4.5 million to establish a Neuroscience Core Center, a new research center intended to accelerate brain research that lays the foundation for developing new ways to treat congenital brain defects and neurological diseases. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=522 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Ever wondered why you wake up in the morning—even when the alarm clock isn't making jarring noises? Wonder no more. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a new component of the biological clock, a gene responsible for starting the clock from its restful state every morning. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=521 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 29 Sep 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Dr. Fred Gage, a professor in the Salk Institute Laboratory of Genetics and holder of the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases, has been named a 2011 recipient of the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's Transformative Research Projects (T-R01) program. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=520 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered how a hormone turns on a series of molecular switches inside the pancreas that increases production of insulin. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=519 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A strain of genetically enhanced bacteria developed by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies may pave the way for new synthetic drugs and new ways of manufacturing medicines and biofuels, according to a paper published September 18 in Nature Chemical Biology. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=518 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Axel Nimmerjahn, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center and holder of the Richard Allan Barry Developmental Chair in Biophotonics has been awarded a highly selective grant from the Whitehall Foundation. He will receive $223,000.00 over three years to study the contribution of astrocytes to normal brain function. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=517 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A "hidden" code linked to the DNA of plants allows them to develop and pass down new biological traits far more rapidly than previously thought, according to the findings of a groundbreaking study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=516 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Oncologists have long sought a powerful "magic bullet" that can find tumors wherever they hide in the body so that they can be imaged and then destroyed. Until recently scientists accepted the notion that such an agent, an agonist, needed to enter and accumulate in the cancerous cells to act. An international research team has now shown in cancer patients that an investigational agent that sticks onto the surface of tumor cells without triggering internalization, an antagonist, may be safer and even more effective than agonists. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=515 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—More than 230,000 women in United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, of which nearly 10% will have mutations in either BRCA1 or 2 genes. The BRCA1 gene and its protein are known to play a powerful role in preventing breast and ovarian cancer development, but just how it does this has long been a debated, even controversial, topic. Now, in the September 8th issue of Nature, researchers at the Salk Institute may have found an answer—and it suggests the differing prevailing theories up to now were all a little bit right. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=513 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—If you think today's political rhetoric is overheated, imagine what goes on inside a vertebrate embryo. There, two armies whose agendas are poles apart, engage in a battle with consequences much more dire than whether the economy will recover—they are battling for whether you (or frogs or chickens) will have a forebrain. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=512 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Perched high above the Pacific Ocean, under a canopy of stars, the iconic courtyard was transformed into an enchanting concert venue for the 16th annual Symphony at Salk. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=511 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies today announced a generous $1.6 million dollar gift from the estate of Henry and Lottie O'Neal of Anchorage, Alaska. Their substantial donation will help continue the pioneering research conducted at the Salk Institute. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=510 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators has seeded the Salk Institute as the number one research organization for plant biology in the world. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=509 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Our next generation of Scientists have arrived. Salk's high school scholars - students from around San Diego County - gather at the Institute every summer to participate in hands-on laboratory experiences under the mentorship of a Salk scientist. The young scientists will present their findings today during the "Summer Research Presentations" event at 1:00 pm in the Trustees Room at the Salk Institute. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=508 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Science usually progresses in small steps, but on rare occasions, a new combination of research expertise and cutting-edge technology produces a 'great leap forward.' An international team of scientists, whose senior investigators include Salk Institute plant biologist Joseph Ecker, report one such leap in the July 29, 2011 issue of Science. They describe their mapping and early analyses of thousands of protein-to-protein interactions within the cells of Arabidopsis thaliana -a variety of mustard plant that is to plant biology what the lab mouse is to human biology. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=507 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 28 Jul 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Drug developers have long been looking for agents that will target a cell receptor that regulates stress in humans, but no small molecule drugs have successfully gone through clinical studies. Now, a team at the Salk Institute has demonstrated how a novel tool can be used to map the binding sites on this receptor, which they say could speed the design of effective therapies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=506 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed an improved technique for generating large numbers of blood cells from a patient's own cells. The new technique will be immediately useful in further stem cell studies, and when perfected, could be used in stem cell therapies for a wide variety of conditions including cancers and immune ailments. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=505 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Ipsen and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies announced today that they are renewing the Ipsen Life Sciences Program at the Salk Institute. The mission of the partnership is to advance knowledge in the field of proliferative and degenerative diseases through fundamental and applied biology research. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=504 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Researchers at the Salk Institute have been able to genetically incorporate "unnatural" amino acids, such as those emitting green fluorescence, into neural stem cells, which then differentiate into brain neurons with the incandescent "tag" intact. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=503 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA—Tickets are now available online for the 16th annual "Symphony at Salk–a concert under the stars" featuring Tony Award-winning Idina Menzel, who will perform with the San Diego Symphony under the direction of returning guest conductor Thomas Wilkins. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=502 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found clues to the functioning of an important damage response protein in cells. The protein, p53, can cause cells to stop dividing or even to commit suicide when they show signs of DNA damage, and it is responsible for much of the tissue destruction that follows exposure to ionizing radiation or DNA-damaging drugs such as the ones commonly used for cancer therapy. The new finding shows that a short segment on p53 is needed to fine-tune the protein's activity in blood-forming stem cells and their progeny after they incur DNA damage. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=501 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A recent study from scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies suggests that a strawberry a day (or more accurately, 37 of them) could keep not just one doctor away, but an entire fleet of them, including the neurologist, the endocrinologist, and maybe even the oncologist. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=500 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies announced that Dr. Axel Nimmerjahn, Assistant Professor in the Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center and holder of the Richard Allan Barry Developmental Chair, has been named a 2011 Rita Allen Scholar. Nimmerjahn is one of seven scientists out of 28 candidates to be selected this year and only the third Salk faculty member to receive this award. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=499 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Lending credence to the popular notion that good things come in threes, Salk Institute professor Fred "Rusty" Gage, Ph.D. recently was recognized with a trio of honors on two continents: Spain's Cátedra Santiago Grisolía Award 2011, an honorary doctorate in medicine from Lund University in Sweden and appointment as president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=498 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Plant biologist Joseph R. Ecker, Ph.D., professor and director of the Genomic Analysis Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has been selected for a prestigious position as an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF). http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=497 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies announced the appointment of Andy Hoang as the new Director of Media Relations. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=496 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Birds do it, bees do it, and for most things biological, even plants do it. But not necessarily like their animal counterparts. A study led by Salk Institute scientists shows that a plant receptor does one of the most fundamental cellular "its"—the delivery of a hormonal signal from outside the cell to the nucleus—in a radically different way than its animal cousins. Knowing that could aid creation of techniques to speed plant growth and enhance agricultural production. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=495 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The 2011 Cell Cycle meeting will be held at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, starting at 7:00 P.M. on Friday, June 17 and ending on Monday, June 20, 2011. Since 1999 the Salk Institute has held the Cell Cycle Meeting every other year, alternating with Cold Spring Harbor, where the Cell Cycle Meeting was initiated in 1992. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=494 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Tony Award-winning superstar Idina Menzel will step into the spotlight as the featured headliner for the 16th annual "Symphony at Salk-a concert under the stars" to perform with the San Diego Symphony under the direction of acclaimed guest conductor Thomas Wilkins on Aug. 27, 2011. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=493 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 31 May 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is proud to announce that the Salk Educational Outreach program was honored May 25, 2011 by the San Diego Unified School District as a 20-year Partner in Education at a special End-of-Year Partner/Volunteer Awards Ceremony honoring 10, 20, and 25-year partners, Volunteers of the Year, and Partners of the Year. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=492 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 26 May 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Royal Society announced today that Salk Institute molecular biologist Joanne Chory, Ph.D., an expert on how plants regulate their growth, has been named a foreign member of the Royal Society, the world's oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. She is being recognized as "a beacon of scientific excellence and relentless ambassador for plant research in the international community." http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=490 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 24 May 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The seeds sprouting in your spring garden may still be struggling to reach the sun. If so, they are consuming a finite energy pack contained within each seed. Once those resources are depleted, the plant cell nucleus must be ready to switch on a "green" photosynthetic program. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies recently showed a new way that those signals are relayed. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=491 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 24 May 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Today, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies announced the visionary gift of Irwin and Joan Jacobs in the dedication of two endowed chairs to pay permanent tribute to Drs. Dulbecco and Guillemin, two of Salk's Nobel Prize winners as well as former Presidents, for their incredible achievements in science and research, the leadership they have provided over the years, and for the legions of scientists they have mentored and inspired. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=489 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 23 May 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A multi-institutional team headed by Ursula Bellugi, professor and director of the Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has been awarded a $5.5 million Program Project Grant by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to link social behavior to its underlying neurobiological and molecular genetic basis using Williams syndrome as a model. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=488 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 20 May 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—In principle, genetic engineering is simple, but in practice, replacing a faulty gene with a healthy copy is anything but. Using mutated versions of the lamin A gene as an example to demonstrate the versatility of their virus-based approach, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies successfully edited a diseased gene in patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells as well as adult stem cells. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=487 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 19 May 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—By virtue of having survived, all animals-from flies to man-share a common expertise. All can distinguish times of plenty from famine and adjust their metabolism or behavior accordingly. Failure to do so signals either extinction or disease. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=484 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 12 May 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A uniquely collaborative study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies uncovered a novel mechanism that turns up glucose production in the liver when blood sugar levels drop, pointing towards a new class of drugs for the treatment of metabolic disease. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=485 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 12 May 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A uniquely collaborative study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies uncovered a novel mechanism that turns up glucose production in the liver when blood sugar levels drop, pointing towards a new class of drugs for the treatment of metabolic disease. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=482 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 21 Apr 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—April 14-17 was the weekend to be at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. If you care about art you could see an original Chihuly installation 9 feet in diameter suspended from an administration-building ceiling. If history is your passion, England's Magna Carta—widely recognized as one of the most important documents in the history of democracy—was visiting. Finally, if you want to know who is fueling scientists' ability to conduct groundbreaking research on some of the world's most vexing medical dilemmas, you would see the new installation of Salk's donor plaques in the courtyard, honoring those who are providing funding that helps change lives. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=483 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—After undergoing an extensive review process by Salk senior faculty, Non-Resident Fellows, and scientific leaders in their respective fields, Leanne Jones and Satchidananda Panda have been promoted to Associate Professor, and E.J. Chichilnisky, Andrew Dillin, Martin Hetzer, and Jan Karlseder to full Professor, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies announced today. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=481 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—After a century of studying the causes of schizophrenia-the most persistent disabling condition among adults-the cause of the disorder remains unknown. Now induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated from schizophrenic patients have brought researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies a step closer to a fundamental understanding of the biological underpinnings of the disease. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=480 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is pleased to announce that Nobel Laureate and distinguished Salk research professor Renato Dulbecco, has been awarded the President's Medal for Excellence by Indiana University. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=479 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—When cells find themselves in a tight spot, the cell cycle regulator p21 halts the cell cycle, buying cells time to repair the damage, or if all else fails, to initiate programmed cell death. In contrast to other stress-induced genes, which dispense with the regular transcriptional entourage, p21Cip1 still requires SKIP, a transcription elongation factor that also helps with the editing of transcripts, to be expressed, found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=478 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The moment we open our eyes, we perceive the world with apparent ease. But the question of how neurons in the retina encode what we "see" has been a tricky one. A key obstacle to understanding how our brain functions is that its components—neurons—respond in highly nonlinear ways to complex stimuli, making stimulus-response relationships extremely difficult to discern. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=477 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A key question in protein biochemistry is how proteins recognize "correct" interaction partners in a sea of cellular factors. Nowhere is that more critical to know than in the brain, where interactions governing channel protein activity can alter an organism's behavior. A team of biologists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has recently deciphered a molecular code that regulates availability of a brain channel that modulates neuronal excitability, a discovery that might aid efforts to treat drug addiction and mental disorders. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=476 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Many people suffer from a devastating condition known as critical limb ischemia (CLI) that can lead to muscle wasting and even amputation. The disease is linked to the blockage of blood flow to the skeletal muscle and current treatment options include rehabilitative exercise and surgical bypass of blood vessels. New preclinical research suggests there may be a way to restore blood supply in skeletal muscle without traditional intervention. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=475 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies announced the appointment of Stacie Spector as the new Chief Communications Officer. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=474 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The current pace of population aging is without parallel in human history but surprisingly little is known about the human aging process, because lifespans of eight decades or more make it difficult to study. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies replicated premature aging in the lab, allowing them to study ageing-related disease in a dish. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=473 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Substantial evidence suggests that lifespan is increased if an organism restricts its daily calorie intake, a spartan regime that some say works by just making life seem longer. A team of scientists from the Salk Institute of Biological Studies has discovered a molecular switch flipped by hunger that could not only make longevity more appetizing but identify drug targets for patients with aging-related diseases such as type II diabetes or cancer. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=472 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—It has been long known that stress plays a part not just in the graying of hair but in hair loss as well. Over the years, numerous hair-restoration remedies have emerged, ranging from hucksters' "miracle solvents" to legitimate medications such as minoxidil. But even the best of these have shown limited effectiveness. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=471 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies today announced a generous gift from Mr. Conrad Prebys, a Salk Trustee, to establish the Conrad T. Prebys Endowed Chair in Vision Research for Dr. Tom Albright. As part of their senior scientist endowed chair challenge, Joan and Irwin Jacobs will match the donor's gift with an additional $1,000,000 to establish the donor's named chair at $3,000,000. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=470 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies officially opens on February 9, 2011 after quietly hiring two faculty members specializing in biophotonics—the science of using and manipulating light to investigate biological function—and building up its core facility's imaging capacity to rival most if not all academic research institutions of its size in the nation. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=469 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 08 Feb 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Salk Institute professor Terry J. Sejnowski, Ph.D., has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering, an honor considered one of the highest accolades in the engineering world. Dr. Sejnowski, whose work on neural networks helped spark the neural networks revolution in computing in the 1980s, is recognized for his "contributions to artificial and real neural network algorithms and applying signal processing models to neuroscience." http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=468 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert MacWright, Ph.D., Esq. as Executive Director of the Salk Institute Office of Technology Development. His appointment begins February 14, 2011. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=467 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute has been awarded a $2.3 million grant by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for translational research focusing on developing a novel stem cell based therapy for Parkinson's disease. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=466 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Reprogramming adult cells to recapture their youthful "can-do-it-all" attitude appears to leave an indelible mark, found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. When the team, led by Joseph Ecker, PhD., a professor in the Genomic Analysis Laboratory, scoured the epigenomes of so-called induced pluripotent stem cells base by base, they found a consistent pattern of reprogramming errors. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=465 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 02 Feb 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—In analyzing the molecular sensor for the plant growth hormone brassinolide, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies discovered that although plants took an evolutionary path different from their animal cousins, they arrived at similar solutions to a common problem: How to reliably receive and process incoming signals. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=464 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Among stem cell biologists there are few better-known proteins than nestin, whose very presence in an immature cell identifies it as a "stem cell," such as a neural stem cell. As helpful as this is to researchers, until now no one knew which purpose nestin serves in a cell. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=463 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Sun, 30 Jan 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Glioblastoma, the most common and lethal form of brain cancer and the disease that killed Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, resists nearly all treatment efforts, even when attacked simultaneously on several fronts. One explanation can be found in the tumor cells' unexpected flexibility, discovered researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=462 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Mutant presenilin is infamous for its role in the most aggressive form of Alzheimer's disease-early-onset familial Alzheimer's-which can strike people as early as their 30s. In their latest study, researchers at the Salk Institute uncovered presenilin's productive side: It helps embryonic motor neurons navigate the maze of chemical cues that pull, push and hem them in on their way to their proper targets. Without it, budding motor neurons misread their guidance signals and get stuck in the spinal cord. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=461 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Salk researcher Edward M. Callaway, a professor in the Systems Neurobiology Laboratories has been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow for his "distinguished research on the organization and function of neocortical circuits." http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=460 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—In making your pro-longevity resolutions, like drinking more red wine and maintaining a vibrant social network, here's one you likely forgot: dialing down your mitochondria. It turns out that slowing the engines of these tiny cellular factories could extend your life-an observation relevant not only to aging research but to our understanding of how cells communicate with each another. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=458 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A collaborative paper by John A.T. Young, Ph.D., Nomis Foundation professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Sumit Chanda, Ph.D., associate professor at Sanford-Burnham Institute, has been identified by Science Watch as the most-cited paper in the category of Molecular Biology & Genetics and is currently featured as a Fast-Moving Front paper on their website. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=459 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered how AMPK, a metabolic master switch that springs into gear when cells run low on energy, revs up a cellular recycling program to free up essential molecular building blocks in times of need. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=457 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—In addition to fast food, desk jobs, and inertia, there is one more thing to blame for unwanted pounds-our genome, which has apparently not caught up with the fact that we no longer live in the Stone Age. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=454 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A synthetic derivative of the curry spice turmeric, made by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, dramatically improves the behavioral and molecular deficits seen in animal models of ischemic stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Two new studies suggest that the novel compound may have clinical promise for these conditions, which currently lack good therapies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=456 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A close collaboration between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Institute for Advanced Study found that the tumor suppressor p53, long thought of as the "Guardian of the Genome," may do more than thwart cancer-causing mutations. It may also prevent established cancer cells from sliding toward a more aggressive, stem-like state by serving as a "Guardian against Genome Reprogramming." http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=455 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 13 Dec 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Board of Trustees of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies unanimously voted to elect Dr. Benjamin H. Lewis and Ms. Faye H. Russell as new members during its November 19 meeting in La Jolla. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=453 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Board of Trustees of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies unanimously voted to elect Dr. Benjamin H. Lewis and Ms. Faye H. Russell as new members during its November 19 meeting in La Jolla. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=451 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies today announced the establishment of the Renato Dulbecco Chair in Genomics and the Roger Guillemin Chair in Neuroscience based on an endowment of $6 million from Irwin Jacobs, chairman of the Salk's Board of Trustees, and his wife Joan Klein Jacobs. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=452 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA–With few exceptions, jumping genes-restless bits of DNA that can move freely about the genome-are forced to stay put. In patients with Rett syndrome, however, a mutation in the MeCP2 gene mobilizes so-called L1 retrotransposons in brain cells, reshuffling their genomes and possibly contributing to the symptoms of the disease when they find their way into active genes, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=449 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA–Fisetin, a naturally occurring compound found in strawberries and other fruits and vegetables, slows the onset of motor problems and delays death in three models of Huntington's disease, according to researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The study, published in the online edition of Human Molecular Genetics, sets the stage for further investigations into fisetin's neuroprotective properties in Huntington's and other neurodegenerative conditions. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=450 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 15 Nov 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A collaborative effort between researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego, successfully used human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from patients with Rett syndrome to replicate autism in the lab and study the molecular pathogenesis of the disease. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=448 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 11 Nov 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies revealed that stem cells can sense a decrease in available nutrients and respond by retaining only a small pool of active stem cells for tissue maintenance. When, or if, favorable conditions return, stem cell numbers multiply to accommodate increased demands on the tissue. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=447 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Columbia University Medical Center have been awarded a $15 million grant by The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, establishing a collaborative program to fast-track the use of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to gain new insight into disease mechanisms and screen for novel therapeutic drugs. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=446 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Scientists are closer to solving one of the many mysteries of multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases, thanks to a recent study conducted at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The research revealed a previously unknown connection between two ion channels, which, when misaligned, can cause the many bizarre symptoms that characterize the condition. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=445 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 25 Oct 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—For the second time in its 50-year history, the Salk Institute will award its Research Excellence and Public Service Medals. Gene expression pioneer Robert G. Roeder of The Rockefeller University will be awarded the Salk Institute Medal for Research Excellence. Irwin M. Jacobs, the renowned engineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist, will be awarded the Salk Institute Medal for Public Service. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=441 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Like cats, human cells have a finite number of lives-once they divide a certain number of times (thankfully, more than nine) they change shape, slow their pace, and eventually stop dividing, a phenomenon called "cellular senescence". http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=440 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Sun, 03 Oct 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Biologists have found that a key protein that regulates the biological clocks of mammals also regulates glucose production in the liver and that altering the levels of this protein can improve the health of diabetic mice. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=437 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Sun, 19 Sep 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A novel mechanism used by adenovirus to sidestep the cell's suicide program, could go a long way to explain how tumor suppressor genes are silenced in tumor cells and pave the way for a new type of targeted cancer therapy, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the Aug. 26, 2010 issue of Nature. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=436 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 25 Aug 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A multi-institutional team headed by John Young, Ph.D., a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and Sumit Chanda, Ph.D., an associate professor at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, has been awarded a $21 million Program Project Grant to dissect the early innate immune response to HIV infection using a systems biology approach. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=434 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—People with Williams syndrome—known for their indiscriminate friendliness and ease with strangers—process spoken language differently from people with autism spectrum disorders—characterized by social withdrawal and isolation—found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=435 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:55:52 -0800 Salk Institute Non-Resident Fellows Dr. Robert H. Wurtz, an NIH distinguished investigator, and Dr. Gerald R. Fink, a professor of genetics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have been awarded the 2010 Prize of The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation for their pioneering work in cognitive neuroscience and yeast genetics, respectively. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=433 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Frederick B. Rentschler, 70, a corporate leader and longtime Salk Trustee who served as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board, and briefly as Salk Chief Executive Officer, died July 6 in Scottsdale, AZ. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=432 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—One of the most pivotal steps in evolution-the transition from unicellular to multicellular organisms-may not have required as much retooling as commonly believed, found a globe-spanning collaboration of scientists led by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the US Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=431 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Multi-award-winning entertainer to share the stage with the San Diego Symphony and Maestro Thomas Wilkins at annual fundraiser for the Salk Institute Aug. 28 http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=430 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Stem cells in the brain remain dormant until called upon to divide and make more neurons. However, little has been known about the molecular guards that keep them quiet. Now scientists from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified the signal that prevents stem cells from proliferating, protecting the brain against too much cell division and ensuring a pool of neural stem cells that lasts a lifetime. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=428 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A $6.5 million gift received today from the Swiss-based Nomis Foundation caps a strong fundraising season for the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, which raised more than $31 million from foundations and private philanthropists in the 2009-2010 fiscal year. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=427 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—For a plant, light is life. It drives everything from photosynthesis to growth and reproduction. Yet the chain of molecular events that enables light signals to control gene activity and ultimately a plant's architecture had remained in the dark. Now a team of researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Duke University have identified the courier that gives the signal to revamp the plant's gene expression pattern after photoreceptors have been activated by light. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=426 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Nuclear pores are the primary gatekeepers mediating communication between a cell's nucleus and its cytoplasm. Recently these large multiprotein transport channels have also been shown to play an essential role in developmental gene regulation. Despite the critical role in nuclear function, however, nuclear pore complexes remain somewhat shadowy figures, with many details about their formation shrouded in mystery. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=425 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Tickets go on sale July 7 for the Salk Institute's outdoor fundraiser featuring the multi-award-winning star with the San Diego Symphony and Maestro Thomas Wilkins http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=424 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 25 May 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Dr. Ye Zheng, an assistant professor in the Nomis Laboratories for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has been named a 2010 Rita Allen Scholar, the Rita Allen Foundation announced today. He will receive $500,000 over a five-year period to study how regulatory T cells prevent the immune system from attacking the body's own tissue and causing autoimmune disease. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=422 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 20 May 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Board of Trustees of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies unanimously voted to elect four new members with records of extraordinary entrepreneurial success and expertise in business, innovation, real estate and philanthropy. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=423 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 18 May 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Salk scientist Fred H. Gage, a professor in the Laboratory for Genetics and the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases, has been elected to the American Philosophical Society (APS). Founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin and modeled after the Royal Society of London, the APS was the first organization in America to promote scientific endeavors and knowledge. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=421 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 27 Apr 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Salk Institute professor Terrence J. Sejnowski, Ph.D., whose work on neural networks helped spark the neural networks revolution in computing in the 1980s, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences. The Academy made the announcement today during its 147th annual meeting in Washington, DC. Election to the Academy recognizes distinguished and continuing achievements in original research, and is considered one of the highest honors accorded a U.S. scientist. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=420 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 27 Apr 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—With few exceptions, all known forms of life on our planet rely on the same genetic code to specify the amino acid composition of proteins. Although different hypotheses abound, just how individual amino acids were assigned to specific three-letter combinations or codons during the evolution of the genetic code is still subject to speculation. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=418 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 15 Apr 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—With few exceptions, all known forms of life on our planet rely on the same genetic code to specify the amino acid composition of proteins. Although different hypotheses abound, just how individual amino acids were assigned to specific three-letter combinations or codons during the evolution of the genetic code is still subject to speculation. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=417 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 12 Apr 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A new consortium of four research teams from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego has been selected by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, based in the United Kingdom, to receive a $4 million grant over five years to study neuronal circuits underlying higher brain function. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=415 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A new consortium of four research teams from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego has been selected by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, based in the United Kingdom, to receive a $4 million grant over five years to study neuronal circuits underlying higher brain function. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=412 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 24 Mar 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A new consortium of four research teams from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego has been selected by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, based in the United Kingdom, to receive a $4 million grant over five years to study neuronal circuits underlying higher brain function. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=413 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 22 Mar 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The bold iconic laboratory buildings of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies will receive a dramatic jolt of colorful artwork April 22-27 when the Institute kicks off its 50th anniversary celebration with Chihuly at the Salk – an outdoor installation by artist Dale Chihuly. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=411 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies today announced the appointment of Professor Tony Hunter, Ph.D., as the inaugural holder of the Frederick W. and Joanna J. Mitchell Chair, created in memory of their daughter Marian Mitchell through a $2 million gift by the estate of Frederick W. Mitchell. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=410 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The first order of business for any fledgling plant embryo is to determine which end grows the shoot and which end puts down roots. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute expose the turf wars between two groups of antagonistic genetic master switches that set up a plant's polar axis with a root on one end and a shoot on the other. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=409 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 28 Feb 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—How do you study—and try to cure in the laboratory—an infection that only humans can get? A team led by Salk Institute researchers does it by generating a mouse with an almost completely human liver. This "humanized" mouse is susceptible to human liver infections and responds to human drug treatments, providing a new way to test novel therapies for debilitating human liver diseases and other diseases with liver involvement such as malaria. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=408 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Nuclear pore complexes are best known as the communication channels that regulate the passage of all molecules to and from a cell's nucleus. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, however, have shown that some of the pores' constituent proteins, called nucleoporins, pull double duty as transcription factors regulating the activity of genes active during early development. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=406 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) makes cameo appearances throughout the body, but its leading role is as the opening act in the stress response, jump-starting the process along the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that CRF also plays a part in the pancreas, where it increases insulin secretion and promotes the division of the insulin-producing beta cells. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=405 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A viral infection is like an uninvited, tenacious houseguest in the cell, using a range of tricks to prevent its eviction. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified one of the key proteins allowing herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA to fly under the radar of their hosts' involuntary hospitality. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=404 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—We all have at one time or another experienced the typical signs of an infection: the fever, the listlessness, the lack of appetite. They are orchestrated by the brain in response to circulating cytokines, the signaling molecules of the immune system. But just how cytokines' reach extends beyond the almost impenetrable blood-brain barrier has been the topic of much dispute. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=403 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Like a spotlight that illuminates an otherwise dark scene, attention brings to mind specific details of our environment while shutting others out. A new study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies shows that the superior colliculus, a brain structure that primarily had been known for its role in the control of eye and head movements, is crucial for moving the mind's spotlight. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=402 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—In order to preserve our DNA, cells have developed an intricate system for monitoring and repairing DNA damage. Yet precisely how the initial damage signal is converted into a repair response remains unclear. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have now solved a crucial piece of the complex puzzle. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=401 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 24 Dec 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Aging is the single greatest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. In their latest study, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies found that simply slowing the aging process in mice prone to develop Alzheimer's disease prevented their brains from turning into a neuronal wasteland. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=397 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies has received a $4.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to build a state-of-the-art data center that will dramatically increase its research computing power for the next decade. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=396 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute has named two highly accomplished, world-renowned scientists from the stem cell and genomics research fields to join its faculty as Non-Resident Fellows. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=395 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—When you eat may be just as vital to your health as what you eat, found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Their experiments in mice revealed that the daily waxing and waning of thousands of genes in the liver—the body's metabolic clearinghouse—is mostly controlled by food intake and not by the body's circadian clock as conventional wisdom had it. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=394 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Board of Trustees of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies unanimously voted to elect three new members during its November 13 meeting in La Jolla. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=393 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies has recruited three assistant professors who exemplify the next generation of leading international scientists hired to forge new research territory and to build on existing investigative areas at the Institute. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=392 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA—Using a gene therapy delivery system developed in the laboratory of Inder Verma at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, an international team of researchers successfully treated two children with adrenoleukodystrophy or ALD, in which the fatty insulation of nerve cells degenerates. The genetic disorder leads to progressive brain damage and results in death within two to five years after diagnosis. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=391 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The search for the holy grail of regenerative medicine—the ability to "grow back" a perfect body part when one is lost to injury or disease—has been under way for years, yet the steps involved in this seemingly magic process are still poorly understood. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=390 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute has been awarded a $10.8 million grant by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for translational research focusing on developing a novel stem-cell based therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – or Lou Gehrig's Disease. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=389 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Dr. Clodagh O'Shea, an assistant professor in the Molecular Cell and Biology Laboratory, has been selected by The Sontag Foundation to receive the 2009 Distinguished Scientist Award. She will receive $600,000 over a four-year period to develop new viral therapies to treat invariably fatal glioblastomas and other brain tumors. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=387 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Dr. Fred H. Gage, a professor in the Laboratory for Genetics at the Salk Institute and the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases, is one of only three Americans elected an Associate Member to the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2009. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=388 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Our body's activity levels fall and rise to the beat of our internal drums-the 24-hour cycles that govern fundamental physiological functions, from sleeping and feeding patterns to the energy available to our cells. Whereas the master clock in the brain is set by light, the pacemakers in peripheral organs are set by food availability. The underlying molecular mechanism was unknown. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=386 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Although the human genome sequence faithfully lists (almost) every single DNA base of the roughly 3 billion bases that make up a human genome, it doesn't tell biologists much about how its function is regulated. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute provide the first detailed map of the human epigenome, the layer of genetic control beyond the regulation inherent in the sequence of the genes themselves. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=383 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The cerebral cortex, the largest and most complex component of the brain, is unique to mammals and alone has evolved human specializations. Although at first all stem cells in charge of building the cerebral cortex—the outermost layer of neurons commonly referred to as gray matter—are created equal, soon they irrevocably commit to forming specific cortical regions. But how the stem cells' destiny is determined has remained an open question. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=384 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Dr. Martin Hetzer, Hearst Endowment associate professor in the Salk Institute's Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, has received a 2009 Senior Scholar Award in Aging from the Ellison Medical Foundation. He will receive $150,000 a year for four years to study the mechanisms at work in nuclear pore complexes, channels that mediate molecular traffic between the nucleus and cytoplasm of cells. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=382 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Ph.D., a professor at the University of California in San Francisco and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies since 2001, will receive this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology for "the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase," the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden announced today. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=381 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Umbilical cord blood cells can successfully be reprogrammed to function like embryonic stem cells, setting the basis for the creation of a comprehensive bank of tissue-matched, cord blood-derived induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for off-the-shelf applications, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Center for Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona, Spain. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=380 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA-The brain never sits idle. Whether we are awake or asleep, watch TV or close our eyes, waves of spontaneous nerve signals wash through our brains. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies studying visual attention have discovered a novel mechanism that explains how incoming sensory signals make themselves heard amidst the constant background rumblings so they can be reliably processed and passed on. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=378 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies today officially launched PolioToday.org — a resource for polio survivors intended to raise awareness of the crippling post-polio syndrome (PPS), a serious neuromuscular condition that can strike an estimated 40-50 percent of people decades after they were first infected with the poliovirus. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=379 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 23 Aug 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA-Cell cycle checkpoints act like molecular tripwires for damaged cells, forcing them to pause and take stock. Leave the tripwire in place for too long, though, and cancer cells will press on regardless, making them resistant to the lethal effects of certain types of chemotherapy, according to researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=377 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 1 Sep 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA-Cell cycle checkpoints act like molecular tripwires for damaged cells, forcing them to pause and take stock. Leave the tripwire in place for too long, though, and cancer cells will press on regardless, making them resistant to the lethal effects of certain types of chemotherapy, according to researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=376 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—For close to a decade, pharmaceutical researchers have been in hot pursuit of compounds to activate a key nicotine receptor that plays a role in cognitive processes. Triggering it, they hope, might prevent or even reverse the devastation wrought by Alzheimer's disease. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=374 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A collaborative study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies uncovered that the tumor suppressor p53, which made its name as "guardian of the genome," not only stops cells that could become cancerous in their tracks but also controls somatic cell reprogramming. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=373 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Rather than sticking to a single DNA script, human brain cells harbor astonishing genomic variability, according to scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The findings, to be published in the Aug. 5, 2009, advance online edition of Nature, could help explain brain development and individuality, as well as lead to a better understanding of neurological disease. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=372 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Of all the qualities that distinguish humans from other species, how we learn is one of the most significant. In the July 17, 2009 issue of the journal Science, researchers who are at the forefront of neuroscience, psychology, education, and machine learning have synthesized a new science of learning that is already reshaping how we think about learning and creating opportunities to re-imagine the classroom for the 21st century. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=370 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Just like a conductor cueing musicians in an orchestra, Fgf10, a member of the fibroblast growth factor (Ffg) family of morphogens, lets brain stem cells know that the moment to get to work has arrived, ensuring that they hit their first developmental milestone on time, report scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the July 16, 2009, edition of the journal Neuron. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=371 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:55:52 -0800 SAN DIEGO, CA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies today announced the establishment of the Irwin M. Jacobs Presidential Chair based on an endowment from Qualcomm and Qualcomm's employees. The Presidential Chair commemorates Qualcomm founder Dr. Irwin Jacobs' recent decision to step down as chairman of Qualcomm's Board of Directors and recognizes his ongoing dedicated leadership of the Salk Institute's Board of Trustees. Dr. Jacobs continues to serve as a member of Qualcomm's Board of Directors and in that capacity continues to provide his vision and guidance. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=369 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A $3.8 million grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health places the Salk Institute among one of seven NEI-designated centers focused exclusively on the basic research of vision, and is the first basic science facility created by the NEI in nearly a decade. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=368 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Although the fact that we generate new brain cells throughout life is no longer disputed, their purpose has been the topic of much debate. Now, an international collaboration of researchers made a big leap forward in understanding what all these newborn neurons might actually do. Their study, published in the July 10, 2009, issue of the journal Science, illustrates how these young cells improve our ability to navigate our environment. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=367 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—A tightly controlled system of checks and balances ensures that a powerful tumor suppressor called p53 keeps a tight lid on unchecked cell growth but doesn't wreak havoc in healthy cells. In their latest study, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies suggest just how finely tuned the system is and how little it takes to tip the balance. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=366 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 06 Jul 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute for Biological Studies garnered the top discovery spot in the latest international ranking in the category "Neuroscience and Behavior" by Science Watch, a scientific organization that measures the citation impact of research published worldwide. Citations are an important measure of the value and influence of scientists' work and reflect the impact made by that work on scientific understanding. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=365 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA—Alcohol's inebriating effects are familiar to everyone. But the molecular details of alcohol's impact on brain activity remain a mystery. A new study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies brings us closer to understanding how alcohol alters the way brain cells work. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=364 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA-Experiment after experiment confirms that a diet on the brink of starvation expands lifespan in mice and many other species. But the molecular mechanism that links nutrition and survival is still poorly understood. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a pivotal role for two enzymes that work together to determine the health benefits of diet restriction. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=363 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA—Obesity is probably the most important factor in the development of insulin resistance, but science's understanding of the chain of events is still spotty. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have filled in the gap and identified the missing link between the two. Their findings, to be published in the June 21, 2009 advance online edition of the journal Nature, explain how obesity sets the stage for diabetes and why thin people can become insulin-resistant. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=362 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Sun, 21 Jun 2009 10:55:52 -0800 LA JOLLA, CA-People who suffer from Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, a rare inherited cancer syndrome, develop gastrointestinal polyps and are predisposed to colon cancer and other tumor types. Carefully tracing the cellular chain-of-command that links nutrient intake to cell growth (and which is interrupted in Peutz-Jeghers syndrome), allowed researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies to exploit the tumors' weak spot. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=361 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA --A study led by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has catapulted the field of regenerative medicine significantly forward, proving in principle that a human genetic disease can be cured using a combination of gene therapy and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology. The study, published in the May 31, 2009 early online edition of Nature, is a major milestone on the path from the laboratory to the clinic. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=360 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Sun, 01 Jun 2009 9:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA --Salk Professor Inder M. Verma, Ph.D., one of the world's leading authorities on the development and use of engineered viruses for gene therapy, has been named the 2009 recipient of the American Society of Gene Therapy's Outstanding Achievement Award. The award recognizes an ASGT member who has conducted groundbreaking research or achieved a lifetime of significant scientific contributions to the field of gene therapy. Verma is only the second scientist honored with the society's Outstanding Achievement Award, which debuted in 2008. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=359 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 29 May 2009 9:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA --More than three years ago, while serving as president-elect and then president of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Salk scientist Geoff Wahl had an epiphany: cancer research needed a grassroots American fundraising movement reminiscent of the polio-inspired March of Dimes. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=358 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 27 May 2009 9:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA -- Dr. Tatyana Sharpee, an assistant professor in the Laboratory for Computational Biology, has been named a 2009 McKnight Scholar. She will receive a grant of $225,000 over a three-year period to study "Discrete representation of visual shapes in the brain." http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=357 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 15 May 2009 9:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA -- Our genome is a patchwork of neighborhoods that couldn't be more different: Some areas are hustling and bustling with gene activity, while others are sparsely populated and in perpetual lock-down. Breaking down just a few of the molecular fences that separate them blurs the lines and leads to the inactivation of at least two tumor suppressor genes, according to researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=356 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 14 May 2009 9:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA -- The Salk Institute for Biological Studies has been awarded a $6.6 million grant – the largest single award in the latest competition -- by the California Institute Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for research aimed at translating basic science into clinical cures. The funds are part of $67.7 million Early Translational Grants CIRM provided to 15 research organizations on Wednesday. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=355 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 30 Apr 2009 9:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA -- Salk researcher Marc R. Montminy, M.D., Ph.D., a professor in the Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology, has been elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the nation's most prestigious honorary society for scientists. The Academy made the announcement today during its 146th annual meeting in Washington, DC. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=354 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 9:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA -- The Salk Institute has received a $5.5 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to launch the Salk Center for Nutritional Genomics. The new Center will employ a molecular approach to nutrition and its impact on the role of metabolism on the immune system, cancer, diabetes and lifespan, thereby increasing the understanding of how nutrients affect health. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=353 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 9:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA—New research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies casts the role of a neuronal growth factor receptor—long suspected to facilitate the toxic effects of beta amyloid in Alzheimer's disease—in a new light, suggesting the molecule actually protects the neuron in the periphery from beta amyloid-induced damage. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=352 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 21 Apr 2009 9:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA—About 1.25 million neurons in the retina -- each of which views the world only through a small jagged window called a receptive field -- collectively form the seamless picture we rely on to navigate our environment. Receptive fields fit together like pieces of a puzzle, preventing "blind spots" and excessive overlap that could blur our perception of the world, according to researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=351 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 07 Apr 2009 9:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA—The Salk Institute today announced that it has signed a strategic alliance agreement with sanofi-aventis, establishing a joint program that supports cutting-edge research and promotes an exchange of discoveries focused on scientific advances and therapeutic applications. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=350 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 9:55:52 -0800 La Jolla, CA—Salk Institute scientist Reuben J. Shaw, Ph.D., has been selected a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Scientist, the HHMI announced today. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=349 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 26 Mar 2009 9:55:52 -0800 The visual system has limited capacity and cannot process everything that falls onto the retina. Instead, the brain relies on attention to bring salient details into focus and filter out background clutter. Two recent studies by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, one study employing computational modeling techniques and the other experimental techniques, have helped to unravel the mechanisms underlying attention. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=348 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:55:52 -0800 A receptor for glutamate, the most prominent neurotransmitter in the brain, plays a key role in the process of "unlearning," report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Their findings, published in the current issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, could eventually help scientists develop new drug therapies to treat a variety of disorders, including phobias and anxiety disorders, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=347 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:55:52 -0800 A newly identified molecular pathway that directs stem cells to produce glial cells yields insights into the neurobiology of Down's syndrome and a number of central nervous system disorders characterized by too many glial cells, according to a recent study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=346 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:55:52 -0800 A molecular switch found in the fat tissue of obese mice is a critical factor in the development of insulin resistance, report scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Previously found to increase glucose production by the liver during fasting, the culprit—a protein known as CREB—is also activated in fat tissue of obese mice where it promotes insulin resistance. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=345 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Tue, 03 Mar 2009 9:55:52 -0800 Ever since insects developed a taste for vegetation, plants have faced the same dilemma: use limited resources to out-compete their neighbors for light to grow, or, invest directly in defense against hungry insects. Now, an international team of scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the Institute of Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agronomía (IFEVA) has discovered how plants weigh the tradeoffs and redirect their energies accordingly. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=344 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 27 Feb 2009 10:55:52 -0800 The Salk Institute today named principal investigator Inder M. Verma the first incumbent of the Irwin Mark Jacobs Chair in Exemplary Life Sciences. Established to honor its namesake's exceptional leadership in business and philanthropy, the honor is given to an internationally renowned senior Salk scientist who has made extraordinary discoveries in basic biomedical research and has contributed to the direction and vitality of the Institute. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=343 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Thu, 25 Feb 2009 10:55:52 -0800 Our eyes are in constant motion. Even when we attempt to stare straight at a stationary target, our eyes jump and jiggle imperceptibly. Although these unconscious flicks, also known as microsaccades, had long been considered mere "motor noise," researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies found that they are instead actively controlled by the same brain region that instructs our eyes to scan the lines in a newspaper or follow a moving object. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=341 54D5408C-44BB-468C-89DB-C24F461BC1A9 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:55:52 -0800 Fruit flies and humans share most of their genes, including 70 percent of all known human disease genes. Taking advantage of this remarkable evolutionary conservation, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies transformed the fruit fly into a laboratory model for an innovative study of gliomas, the most common malignant brain tumors. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=342 49738F7B-4A75-41CE-891D-FAF6E97232E3 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:55:04 -0800 Best known for its effects on fruit ripening and flower fading, the gaseous plant hormone ethylene shortens the shelf life of many fruits and plants by putting their physiology on fast-forward. In recent years, scientists learned a lot about the different components that transmit ethylene signals inside cells. But a central regulator of ethylene responses, a protein known as EIN2, resisted all their efforts. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=340 0119B929-10D7-4DF1-B2F2-51E5EAE57DB8 Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:44:50 -0800 La Jolla, CA–Unraveling the genetics of social behavior and cognitive abilities, researchers at the University of Utah and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have traced the role of two genes,GTF2I and GTF2IRD, in a rare genetic disorder known as Williams Syndrome. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=339 79B2B720-2C2D-48E2-9E00-DC9E0D6EB525 Mon, 9 Feb 2009 17:42:50 -0800 How are neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's initiated, and why is age the major risk factor? A recent study of a protein called MOCA (Modifier of Cell Adhesion), carried out at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, provides new clues to the answers of these fundamental questions. http://sitetest.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=337 77C05D2E-EAC6-420D-BC7C-5178189FA38F Mon, 2 Feb 2009 16:02:14 -0800 "Remember when...?" is how many a wistful trip down memory lane begins. But just how the brain keeps tabs on what happened and when is still a matter of speculation. A computational model developed by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies now suggests that newborn brain cells—generated by the thousands each day—add a time-related code, which is unique to memories formed around the same time. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=336 9E1344F1-F74E-41E5-87F3-B9F5C227F2CE Wed, 28 Jan 2009 09:42:40 -0800 Like guards controlling access to a gated community, nuclear pore complexes are communication channels that regulate the passage of proteins and RNA to and from a cells nucleus. Recent studies by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies offer new insights about the pores' lifespan and how their longevity affects their function. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=335 4CC4A558-5FE1-4AE0-B88B-A60F114FF13A Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:41:17 -0800 The Salk Institute today received a $5 million gift from the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, becoming the third institution (with Harvard University and MIT) to receive major Glenn funding for studying the molecular basis of aging. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=334 81594680-EC9B-428C-9522-EF57AC7758A5 Thu, 8 Jan 2009 11:18:58 -0800 La Jolla, CA - Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed a versatile mouse model of glioblastoma—the most common and deadly brain cancer in humans—that closely resembles the development and progression of human brain tumors that arise naturally. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=332 14C887E0-6BEB-4092-AB80-18D4BC520BFD Mon, 5 Jan 2009 11:19:24 -0800 Salk researcher Geoffrey M. Wahl, a professor in the Gene Expression Laboratory, has been awarded the distinction of AAAS Fellow, an honor bestowed upon members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science by their peers. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=331 1DD8726D-3E66-4B58-B05B-AC80DCF5B74F Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:19:39 -0800 La Jolla, CA - Long thought of as mere bystanders, astrocytes are crucial for the survival and well-being of motor neurons, which control voluntary muscle movements. In fact, defective astrocytes can lay waste to motor neurons and are the main suspects in the muscle-wasting disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=330 E31D08F0-F336-40DE-8239-41FC35BC2CEE Wed, 3 Dec 2008 11:20:00 -0800 La Jolla, CA - New work at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies reveals how a genetic switch, known as FoxJ1, helps developing embryos tell their left from their right. While at first glance the right and left sides of our bodies are identical to each other, this symmetry is only skin-deep. Below the surface, some of our internal organs are shifted sideways—heart and stomach to the left, liver and appendix to the right. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=329 C17EDFBA-A3B4-48DB-A7EB-96977D3BED64 Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:35:27 -0800 La Jolla, CA - A previously unknown regulatory step during human immunodeficiency (HIV) replication provides a potentially valuable new target for HIV/AIDS therapy, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=328 0ADDA975-0C26-45E4-9212-2207A5699EDD Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:35:28 -0800