LA JOLLA—Researchers at the Salk Institute and colleagues have discovered the molecule in the brain responsible for associating good or bad feelings with a memory. Their discovery, published in Naturaleza on July 20, 2022, paves the way for a better understanding of why some people are more likely to retain negative emotions than positive ones—as can occur with anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
LA JOLLA—Researchers at the Salk Institute and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have discovered a new underlying cause of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a rare genetic disease that leads to bleeding and immune deficiencies in babies. Their findings, published in the journal Comunicaciones de la Naturaleza on June 25, 2022, revolve around how cells cut and paste strands of RNA in a process called RNA splicing. The genetic mutations associated with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, they found, disrupt this process which, in turn, prevents numerous immune and anti-inflammatory proteins from being made correctly.
LA JOLLA–Insect-eating plants have fascinated biologists for more than a century, but how plants evolved the ability to capture and consume live prey has largely remained a mystery. Now, Salk scientists, along with collaborators from Washington University in St. Louis, have investigated the molecular basis of plant carnivory and found evidence that it evolved from mechanisms plants use to defend themselves.
LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute has named plant molecular geneticist Mary Lou Guerinot a Nonresident Fellow, a group of eminent scientific advisors that guide the Institute’s leadership. Guerinot holds the Ronald and Deborah Harris Professorship in the Sciences and is a professor of biological sciences at Dartmouth College, where she was the first woman to chair a science department.
LA JOLLA–Research Professor Todd Michael will receive nearly $2 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to sequence the genomes of multiple lineages of the cassava plant, a large starchy root vegetable also known as yuca root consumed in more than 80 countries around the world. A better understanding of cassava genetics will help researchers and plant breeders develop more productive disease- and drought-resistant plants for the future.
LA JOLLA—Comprender cómo el VIH se replica dentro de las células es clave para desarrollar nuevas terapias que podrían ayudar a casi 40 millones de personas que viven con el VIH en todo el mundo. Ahora, un equipo de científicos del Instituto Salk y la Universidad de Rutgers ha determinado por primera vez la estructura molecular del Pol del VIH, una proteína que desempeña un papel clave en las etapas tardías de la replicación del VIH, o el proceso a través del cual el virus se propaga y se disemina por el cuerpo. Es importante destacar que determinar la estructura de la molécula ayuda a responder preguntas de larga data sobre cómo la proteína se descompone para avanzar en el proceso de replicación. El descubrimiento, publicado en Science Advances el 6 de julio de 2022, revela una nueva vulnerabilidad en el virus que podría ser atacada con medicamentos.
LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute has named Gerald Joyce, a professor in the Jack H. Skirball Center for Chemical Biology and Proteomics, to the position of senior vice president and chief science officer.
LA JOLLA—El Profesor Emérito Walter Eckhart, quien se desempeñó como director del Centro de Cáncer designado por el Instituto Nacional del Cáncer del Instituto Salk y jefe del Laboratorio de Biología Molecular y Celular durante más de 30 años, falleció repentinamente el 21 de junio de 2022, en su hogar en La Jolla, California. Tenía 84 años.
LA JOLLA—Salk scientists have uncovered an unexpected molecular target of a common treatment for alopecia, a condition in which a person’s immune system attacks their own hair follicles, causing hair loss. The findings, published in Nature Immunology on June 23, 2022, describe how immune cells called regulatory T cells interact with skin cells using a hormone as a messenger to generate new hair follicles and hair growth.
LA JOLLA—An international team of researchers, including Salk Institute Professor Janelle Ayres, has been selected to receive a $25 million Cancer Grand Challenges award to tackle the challenge of cancer cachexia, a debilitating wasting condition that often leads to a poor quality of life for people in the later stages of their cancer. Cachexia is responsible for up to 30 percent of cancer-related deaths.
LA JOLLA—Profesor Asistente Christina Towers ha sido nombrado 2022 Becario Pew-Stewart para la Investigación del Cáncer como parte de una asociación entre The Pew Charitable Trusts y la Alexander and Margaret Stewart Trust. Towers se encuentra entre los seis científicos de principios de carrera de este año que recibirán cada uno $300.000 durante los próximos cuatro años para apoyar la investigación centrada en una mejor comprensión de las causas, el diagnóstico y el tratamiento del cáncer.
LA JOLLA—Three Salk Institute faculty members have been promoted based on their outstanding scientific contributions. They are leaders who have made original, innovative and notable contributions to neuroscience. Assistant Professors Kenta Asahina y Eiman Azim were promoted to associate professor, and Associate Research Professor Margarita Behrens was promoted to research professor.
LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute announced today the appointment of Bryan Robinson as vice president of external relations. Effective July 8, 2022, he will oversee the Institute’s philanthropic efforts, communications, public programs and events.
LA JOLLA—For the eleventh consecutive time, the Salk Institute has earned the highest ranking—4 out of 4 stars—from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity and nonprofit evaluator. Only two percent of the approximately 10,000 nonprofits evaluated have achieved this recognition 11 consecutive times. The coveted ranking indicates the Salk Institute has demonstrated strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency, outperforming most other charities in the United States with respect to executing best fiscal practices and carrying out its mission in a financially efficient way.
LA JOLLA—Salk Institute Professor Terrence Sejnowski has been awarded the 2022 Gruber Neuroscience Prize by the Gruber Foundation for his “pioneering contributions to computational and theoretical neuroscience.” He shares the $500,000 award with Larry Abbott of Columbia University, Emery Neal Brown of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts General Hospital, and Haim Sompolinsky of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Harvard University.
LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute was proud to host French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton and guests on May 12 for a private fashion show presenting the brand’s Cruise 2023 collection. The show was the first event of its kind to be held at the Institute.
LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute Board of Trustees welcomes its newest member, Carol Gallagher. Chaired by Marna C. Whittington, the Salk Board helps drive the direction of the world-renowned biological research facility founded by polio vaccine pioneer Jonas Salk in 1960.
LA JOLLA – Ya sea que tome decisiones precipitadas o se sienta malhumorado, el hambre puede hacernos pensar y actuar de manera diferente, incluso “hangry”. Pero se sabe poco sobre cómo las señales de hambre en el intestino se comunican con el cerebro para cambiar el comportamiento. Ahora, científicos del Salk utilizan gusanos como modelo para examinar los fundamentos moleculares y ayudar a explicar cómo el hambre hace que un organismo sacrifique la comodidad y tome decisiones arriesgadas para conseguir una comida.
LA JOLLA—Mammals can’t typically regenerate organs as efficiently as other vertebrates, such as fish and lizards. Now, Salk scientists have found a way to partially reset liver cells to more youthful states—allowing them to heal damaged tissue at a faster rate than previously observed. The results, published in Cell Reports on April 26, 2022, reveal that the use of reprogramming molecules can improve cell growth, leading to better liver tissue regeneration in mice.
LA JOLLA—For years, the brain has been thought of as a biological computer that processes information through traditional circuits, whereby data zips straight from one cell to another. While that model is still accurate, a new study led by Salk Professor Thomas Albright and Staff Scientist Sergei Gepshtein shows that there’s also a second, very different way that the brain parses information: through the interactions of waves of neural activity. The findings, published in Science Advances on April 22, 2022, help researchers better understand how the brain processes information.
