Salk Institute scientist Nicola Allen named Pew Scholar

June 11, 2015

Salk Institute scientist Nicola Allen named Pew Scholar

June 11, 2015

LA JOLLA–The Pew Charitable Trusts announced today that Salk Institute scientist Nicola Allen, an assistant professor in the Labor für molekulare Neurobiologie, is one of 22 researchers to be named a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences. Allen joins the ranks of more than 600 outstanding scientists who have been selected as Pew scholars in the 30 years since the program’s inception.

Allen investigates the role of brain cells called astrocytes. Astrocytes are the most abundant cells in the brain and, until recently, were thought to merely provide scaffolding for neurons. Now, however, researchers believe astrocytes actually play critical roles in regulating neuronal function. Allen studies how astrocytes control the formation and function of neuronal connections, and aims to use this knowledge to develop ways to repair damaged connections to improve cognition and memory. Allen is also investigating whether these properties of astrocytes may regulate the brain’s ability to learn new tasks.

Identifying the factors that astrocytes release in the brain is the first step to unraveling astrocytes’ potential therapeutic ability. Allen uses biochemical and molecular techniques to identify astrocyte factors, as well as to analyze the neuronal receptors and signaling pathways that these factors regulate. These findings will help researchers understand how astrocytes control neuronal development and function, and provide new insight into diseases like autism, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Pew biomedical scholars gain entry into a robust community of researchers, including Pew’s Latin American fellows and Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research. All gather yearly to share their findings and spur new lines of inquiry that lead to partnerships and collaborations that can extend for years.

Über das Salk Institute for Biological Studies:
Das Salk Institute for Biological Studies ist eine der weltweit führenden Institutionen für Grundlagenforschung, an der international renommierte Fakultätsmitglieder grundlegende Fragen der Biowissenschaften in einem einzigartigen, kollaborativen und kreativen Umfeld untersuchen. Mit dem Fokus auf Entdeckungen und die Ausbildung zukünftiger Forschergenerationen leisten Salk-Wissenschaftler bahnbrechende Beiträge zu unserem Verständnis von Krebs, Alterung, Alzheimer, Diabetes und Infektionskrankheiten durch die Untersuchung von Neurowissenschaften, Genetik, Zell- und Pflanzenbiologie sowie verwandten Disziplinen.

Faculty achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including Nobel Prizes and memberships in the National Academy of Sciences. Founded in 1960 by polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk, MD, the Institute is an independent nonprofit organization and architectural landmark.

Über Pew Charitable Trusts:
Die Pew Charitable Trusts wird durch die Kraft des Wissens angetrieben, um die schwierigsten Probleme von heute zu lösen. Wir sind eine unabhängige gemeinnützige Organisation – die alleinige Begünstigte von sieben einzelnen Treuhandfonds, die zwischen 1948 und 1979 von zwei Söhnen und zwei Töchtern des Gründers der Sun Oil Company, Joseph N. Pew, und seiner Frau Mary Anderson Pew, eingerichtet wurden.