News & Events
A new model for understanding human brain immune cells and neurological disorders
LA JOLLA—Situated at the intersection of the human immune system and the brain are microglia, specialized brain immune cells that play a crucial role in development and disease. Although the …
Salk Institute launches collaboration with Autobahn Labs to accelerate drug discovery
LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute and Autobahn Labs, an early-stage drug discovery incubator, will work together to identify and advance promising initial scientific discoveries through the preliminary steps of drug discovery …
Salk Institute promotes five faculty members in genetics, structural biology, immunobiology, and neuroscience
LA JOLLA—Five Salk Institute faculty members have been promoted for their notable, innovative contributions to science. These faculty members have demonstrated leadership in their disciplines, pushing the boundaries of basic …
Salk Professor Susan Kaech elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
LA JOLLA—Salk Institute Professor Susan Kaech, director of the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She shares the …
Telomeres, mitochondria, and inflammation oh my! Three hallmarks of aging work together to prevent cancer
Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes from damage. This image shows telomeres (green) and DNA (blue) during DNA repair activities.Click here for a high-resolution image.Credit: Salk InstituteLA JOLLA—As we age, …
Salk scientists develop compound that reverses gut inflammation in mice
LA JOLLA—A drug developed by Salk Institute researchers acts like a master reset switch in the intestines. The compound, called FexD, has previously been found to lower cholesterol, burn fat, …
Trailblazing immunologist joins Salk faculty to study mother-baby immunity during pregnancy and breastfeeding
LA JOLLA—The Salk Institute welcomes Assistant Professor Deepshika Ramanan, an innovative researcher studying how the maternal immune system changes during pregnancy and breastfeeding and affects immunity and inflammation in babies …
Scientists find surprising link between mitochondrial DNA and increased atherosclerosis risk
LA JOLLA— Mitochondria are known as cells’ powerhouses, but mounting evidence suggests they also play a role in inflammation. Scientists from the Salk Institute and UC San Diego published new …
Salk researchers discover how RNA processing goes awry in rare immune disease
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 …
Imaging solves mystery of how large HIV protein functions to form infectious virus
LA JOLLA—Understanding how HIV replicates within cells is key for developing new therapies that could help nearly 40 million people living with HIV globally. Now, a team of scientists from …
Hair-raising research: Salk scientists find surprising link between immune system, hair growth
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 …
Cellular regeneration therapy restores damaged liver tissue faster than ever
Liver cells were partially reprogrammed into younger cells (red) using Yamanaka factors (white). The cell nuclei (blue) and cytoskeletal proteins (green) are also shown.Click here for a high-resolution image.Credit: Salk …
How obesity can rewire the immune system and the response to immunotherapy—and how to change that
LA JOLLA—When mice with atopic dermatitis—a common type of allergic skin inflammation—are treated with drugs that target the immune system, their thickened, itchy skin generally heals quickly. But scientists have …
Salk Professor Janelle Ayres named inaugural recipient of the Salk Institute Legacy Chair
LA JOLLA—Professor Janelle Ayres has been recognized for her contributions and dedication to advancing science through research by being named the inaugural recipient of the Salk Institute Legacy Chair, effective …
The novel coronavirus’ spike protein plays additional key role in illness
LA JOLLA—Scientists have known for a while that SARS-CoV-2’s distinctive “spike” proteins help the virus infect its host by latching on to healthy cells. Now, a major new study shows …
Fast, portable test can diagnose COVID-19 and track variants
LA JOLLA—Clinicians using a new viral screening test can not only diagnose COVID-19 in a matter of minutes with a portable, pocket-sized machine, but can also simultaneously test for other …
Salk’s NOMIS Center receives $9.5 million to shape the future of research into health and immunity
LA JOLLA—As we endure a global viral pandemic, our appreciation for health and immunity has never been greater. Now, thanks to a generous gift from the NOMIS Foundation, Salk’s NOMIS …
Salk Assistant Professor Dmitry Lyumkis receives CAREER award from NSF
LA JOLLA—Assistant Professor Dmitry Lyumkis has received a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The CAREER award supports early career scientists who serve …
Salk scientists discover genetic “dial” to turn immune function up and down to target cancer, autoimmune disease
LA JOLLA—The human immune system is a finely-tuned machine, balancing when to release a cellular army to deal with pathogens, with when to rein in that army, stopping an onslaught …
Giant leap in diagnosing liver disease
LA JOLLA—Chronic liver disease represents a major global public health problem affecting an estimated 844 million people, according to the World Health Organization. It is among the top causes of …
Salk researchers accelerate, expand COVID-19 research
LA JOLLA—As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the globe, the Salk Institute joins in efforts to understand the fundamental science behind the novel coronavirus to pave the way to treatments …
How targeting killer T cells in the lungs could lead to immunity against respiratory viruses
LA JOLLA—A significant site of damage during COVID-19 infection is the lungs. Understanding how the lungs’ immune cells are responding to viral infections could help scientists develop a vaccine.
Now, a …
Imaging study of key viral structure shows how HIV drugs work at atomic level
LA JOLLA—Salk scientists have discovered how a powerful class of HIV drugs binds to a key piece of HIV machinery. By solving, for the first time, three-dimensional structures of this …
New target for autoimmune disease could enable therapies with fewer side effects
LA JOLLA—Your immune system comes ready for battle against bacteria, viruses, fungi and even cancer. But in cases of autoimmune disease, the immune system’s superpowers turn it into a supervillain. …
Salk promotes three leading scientists in the fields of infectious disease, neurobiology and biological networks
LA JOLLA—Three Salk Institute faculty members have been promoted after the latest round of faculty reviews determined they are scientific leaders who have made original, innovative and notable contributions to …
Salk’s Janelle Ayres awarded $1.8 million by NOMIS Foundation for novel research on mechanisms to promote health
LA JOLLA—Associate Professor Janelle Ayres has been awarded $1.8 million over two years by the NOMIS Foundation to study health as an active process in which microbes—including the trillions of …
Salk’s Janelle Ayres receives NIH Pioneer Award for novel approaches to infectious disease
LA JOLLA—Associate Professor Janelle Ayres has been awarded a 2018 NIH Director’s Pioneer Award by the National Institutes of Health for her innovative research into host-pathogen interactions that promote the …
Decoding the structure of an RNA-based CRISPR system
LA JOLLA—Over the past several years, CRISPR-Cas9 has moved beyond the lab bench and into the public zeitgeist. This gene-editing tool holds promise for correcting defects inside individual cells and …
Electron microscopy provides new view of tiny virus with therapeutic potential
LA JOLLA—The imaging method called cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) allows researchers to visualize the shapes of biological molecules with an unprecedented level of detail. Now a team led by researchers from …
Bribing bacteria to play nicely is good for everyone
LA JOLLA—Antibiotic use is driving an epidemic of antibiotic resistance, as more susceptible bacteria are killed but more resilient strains live on and multiply with abandon. But if antibiotics aren’t …
Janelle Ayres receives $1 million from W. M. Keck Foundation for infectious disease research
LA JOLLA—Associate Professor Janelle Ayres is the recipient of a $1 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to study new ways to treat deadly infections including sepsis and …
Salk Institute’s Janelle Ayres wins Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists
LA JOLLA—Salk Associate Professor Janelle Ayres has been named one of three winners of the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, one of the world’s largest unrestricted prizes for early …
Discovery reveals how cells try to control levels of key HIV protein
LA JOLLA—One of the many challenges in treating HIV is that the virus can lie dormant in cells, quietly evading immune detection until it suddenly roars to life without warning …
Janelle Ayres is finalist for Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists
LA JOLLA—Associate Professor Janelle Ayres is one of 31 US finalists selected to compete for the world’s largest unrestricted prizes for early career researchers, the Blavatnik National Awards for Young …
Immune cell policing offers insights into cancer, autoimmune disease
LA JOLLA—Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the traffic cops of the immune system. They instruct other types of immune cells on when to stop and when to go. Learning how …
Tilted microscopy technique better reveals protein structures
LA JOLLA—The conventional way of placing protein samples under an electron microscope during cryo-EM experiments may fall flat when it comes to getting the best picture of a protein’s structure. …
Salk promotes two dynamic scientists who study the microbiome and neurobiology
LA JOLLA—Two Salk Institute faculty members have been promoted based on their innovative and notable contributions to biological research.
Janelle Ayres and Axel Nimmerjahn were each promoted to the rank of …
Feed a cold, starve a fever? Not so fast, according to Salk research
LA JOLLA—The last time you had a stomach bug, you probably didn’t feel much like eating. This loss of appetite is part of your body’s normal response to an illness …
Curb your immune enthusiasm
LA JOLLA—Normally when we think of viruses, from the common cold to HIV, we want to boost people’s immunity to fight them. But for scientists who develop therapeutic viruses (to, …
Salk scientists crack the structure of HIV machinery
LA JOLLA—Salk Institute scientists have solved the atomic structure of a key piece of machinery that allows HIV to integrate into human host DNA and replicate in the body, which …
Helmsley-Salk fellow garners prestigious microscopy award
Dmitry LyumkisClick here for a high-resolution image
Credit: Salk Institute
Helmsley-Salk Fellow Dmitry Lyumkis has been awarded the 2016 George Palade Award by the Microscopy Society of America. The award …
Super-resolution microscopy reveals unprecedented detail of immune cells’ surface
LA JOLLA—When the body is fighting an invading pathogen, white blood cells—including T cells—must respond. Now, Salk Institute researchers have imaged how vital receptors on the surface of T cells …
Genetic switch turned on during fasting helps stop inflammation
LA JOLLA—A molecular pathway that is activated in the brain during fasting helps halt the spread of intestinal bacteria into the bloodstream, according to a new study by a team …
Protein structure illuminates how viruses take over cells
LA JOLLA—Using cutting-edge imaging technology, Salk Institute and Harvard Medical School researchers have determined the structure of a protein complex that lets viruses similar to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) …
‘Superhero’ microbiome bacteria protect against deadly symptoms during infection
LA JOLLA–As concerns over deadly antibiotic-resistant strains of ‘superbug’ bacteria grow, scientists at the Salk Institute are offering a possible solution to the problem: ‘superhero’ bacteria that live in the …
Janelle Ayres receives Young Faculty Award from DARPA
LA JOLLA–Salk Institute scientist Janelle Ayres has received an award of $500,000 over two years from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to further her research on bolstering a …
New insight into how the immune system sounds the alarm
LA JOLLA–T cells are the guardians of our bodies: they constantly search for harmful invaders and diseased cells, ready to swarm and kill off any threats. A better understanding of …
Immune system-in-a-dish offers hope for “bubble boy” disease
LA JOLLA–For infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), something as simple as a common cold or ear infection can be fatal. Born with an incomplete immune system, kids who have …
Cellular scissors chop up HIV virus
LA JOLLA–Imagine a single drug that could prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, treat patients who have already contracted HIV, and even remove all the dormant copies of the virus …
In a healthy gut, microbes wax and wane throughout the day
LA JOLLA–Taking a single snapshot of all the bacteria that live in a mouse’s–or person’s–stomach and intestines can capture the health of the organism’s digestive system and even their risk …
Events
On April 10, 2019, the Salk Institute celebrated the 10th anniversary of the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis. The anniversary symposium, titled “The Power Within – Harnessing Our Immune System for Better Health,” brought together experts in immunology, virology, and infectious diseases and showcased the contributions of scientists who have made a significant impact in the study of infections and contagious diseases. The event, with talks for both scientists and lay audiences, drew members of the community, scientific leaders, philanthropists and others. A keynote presentation by investigative journalist and author of “Pandemic: Tracking Contagions, from Cholera to Ebola and Beyond” Sonia Shah, capped the event.
As part of this celebration, the symposium featured the inaugural Melvin Cohn Lectures and Awards, in memory of one of our founding fellows.
