Science Can’t Wait: A Discovery Series
Double Your Impact
For the first time, the Del Mar Foundation is partnering with the Salk Institute to offer a Challenge Match through July 31. When you give during the webinar series, your contribution will be matched 1:1, instantly doubling your support for groundbreaking research that directly affects our community and the world.
And if you make a gift of $1,000 or more to an area of greatest need, you will automatically join the Discovery Society, Salk’s donor recognition circle. Members enjoy meaningful connection with Salk scientists, exclusive invitations to events, early access to major faculty news, and more.
Science Can’t Wait: A Discovery Series with the Salk Institute
The Salk Institute and the Del Mar Foundation teamed up for Science Can’t Wait, a three-part webinar series exploring breakthroughs in brain health, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, agricultural solutions, and more. Each session offered exclusive access to Salk scientists whose work is shaping the future of human health and our planet.
Webinar Series Part 1: Salk’s Year of Brain Health
January 28, 2026
In this installment of the Science Can’t Wait: A Discovery Series, Senior Staff Scientist, Emily Mangoogian, PhD, shared how the timing of daily habits—like sleep, eating, and exercise—interacts with our biological rhythms to influence both body and brain health. Dr. Manoogian’s work explores how lifestyle-based interventions, including time-restricted eating and digital health tools, can improve our metabolic health and prevent cognitive decline as we age.
Links and Resources
To continue exploring the research discussed in the webinar, viewers can download and use the myCircadianClock smartphone app (available in your app store) to track current lifestyle patterns and set new health goals. The app is free to use, free of ads, and used exclusively for research—learn more at www.mycircadianclock.org.
If you are located in the San Diego area, you can also learn more about participating in clinical trials by calling (858) 453-4100 x1077 or emailing research@mycircadianclock.org.
Current and upcoming studies:
- SHIFT Study: For nurses or nursing assistants who work night shifts — Sign up »
- TIMET 2.0 Study: For adults with metabolic syndrome
- CHRONO Study: Coming soon for adults ages 50-90 interested in improving or reversing aging
Webinar Series Part 2: Smart Plants in a Changing World
March 11, 2026
In the second installment of the Science Can’t Wait: A Discovery Series, Lucia Strader, PhD, shared how plants sense and respond to their environments, and how these natural survival strategies may help us develop crops that thrive in a changing world. Her research combines genetics, molecular biology, and synthetic biology to better understand plant adaptability and engineer crops that can flourish under environmental stress.
Webinar Series Part 3: Turning the Immune System Against Breast Cancer
May 13, 2026
In the last installment of the Science Can’t Wait: A Discovery Series, Daniel Hollern, PhD, shared how the immune system can be harnessed to find and disable breast cancer cells. His research merges two disciplines—computational biology and cancer immunology—to identify how tumors can be therapeutically eliminated by the immune system. His goal is to uncover how part of the immune system (called B cells) operates. He wants to translate these findings into strategies that use B cells to eradicate tumor cells and provide long-term protection against cancer.