60 YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS

For over 60 years, the Salk Institute has pursued Jonas Salk’s vision of bold, collaborative science tackling some of the biggest challenges facing humankind. Innovations at Salk have led to new medicines, cutting-edge scientific methods and profound insights into human biology. The Campaign for Discovery builds on Salk’s six decades of scientific discovery to turn dreams into reality and advance Salk’s pursuit of science into the next century.

THE CHALLENGE

To tackle the big problems of our generation, science must change—and Salk is leading the way.

By harnessing intellectual firepower and technological prowess, Salk scientists are finding approaches to address climate change, aging, cancer, neurodegenerative conditions and infectious diseases. Salk will achieve these goals by:

• Understanding biological principles of resilience to help our bodies (and plants) resist disease
• Leveraging data and information theory to inform and guide scientific research
• Advancing Salk’s capabilities with the 21st century Joan and Irwin Jacobs Science and Technology Center

A NEW APPROACH

Salk scientists are investigating—from a holistic perspective and across research boundaries—how cells, organs and systems interact to make us healthy or sick. Collaborative teams of dedicated scientists are spearheading efforts to visualize and make sense of massive data sets that new science is producing. They will decipher these “algorithms in nature” to glean an unprecedented understanding of health and disease.

Computational biology and deep learning is revolutionizing biological research.

This approach:
• Employs computational and mathematic methods to analyze huge biological data sets.
• Frames biological problems as computational problems to provide novel insights.
• Uses machine-learning algorithms for problems ranging from classifying genetic sequences to analyzing imaging data from microscopes.
• Harnesses technology to empower deeper multidisciplinary collaborations at Salk and across the globe.

REIMAGINING THE SALK CAMPUS

Creating new research and collaboration space will help the Institute add to its world-renowned faculty from multiple disciplines and expand interactions between biologists, bioengineers, information theorists and many others as they collaborate on challenging problems.

This $250M state-of-the-art Joan and Irwin Jacobs Science and Technology Center will:
• Adds 100,000 square feet of lab and research space
• Reimagine the Salk Campus for 21^st century science
• Continue Jonas Salk’s vision of flexible and functional design for scientific exploration
• House state-of-the-art labs and research space and four scientific Centers of Excellence