First appointment in new Salk Fellows Program

July 1, 2014

First appointment in new Salk Fellows Program

July 1, 2014

LA JOLLA—The Salk has launched a new initiative called the 萨尔克研究员计划. The program brings scientists from broad disciplines to the Institute to trigger innovation and perpetuate the collaborative spirit of the Salk.

“Interdisciplinary interactions among the Fellows and faculty will continue to add to our environment of excellence and create future intellectual leaders in the biological sciences,” says Salk professor 英德·维尔马, who is, along with professors 弗雷德·H·盖奇 和 罗纳德·M·埃文斯, currently leading this program.

Most fellows will come directly from a PhD or MD program and have expertise in a wide range of innovative technologies. Their work will have a combination of novelty, originality and risk, factors that often lower the chances of obtaining support through traditional channels. Salk Fellows will be independent group leaders and will be appointed for an initial period of three years, which may be followed by a two-year extension.

Salk’s first Fellow in this new program, Dmitry Lyumkis, joined the Salk on July 1 from The Scripps Research Institute and has made groundbreaking innovations in biological imaging. He uses single-particle cryo-electron microscopy—a cutting-edge technology that enables the visualization of large proteins and protein complexes under near-native conditions—to build three-dimensional models of the imaged objects. The resulting 3D models, which can now be resolved at near-atomic resolution with select specimens, facilitate a better understanding of protein function and sometimes reveal long sought-after clues in structural biology.

This technique offers multiple advantages over x-ray crystallography, which has been the principal technique for studying protein structure, says Lyumkis. In particular, cryo-electron microscopy is not dependent upon crystallization, requires less sample material to image, and can resolve structures in heterogeneous samples. Last year, the technology unlocked a major clue to an elusive protein on the AIDS virus, helping to pave the way for a potential HIV vaccine.

“At the Salk, I plan to bring this technology to address interesting biological problems related to 癌症 and HIV,” says Lyumkis. “I am excited to push this technology further in order to address questions that have fundamental relevance in human disease.”

Learn more about the new Salk Fellows Program.

关于索尔克生物研究所：
索尔克生物学研究所是世界顶尖的基础研究机构之一，其国际知名的教职员工在一个独特的、合作和富有创造力的环境中，探索生命科学的基本问题。索尔克科学家致力于科学发现和培养下一代研究人员，通过对神经科学、遗传学、细胞和植物生物学以及相关学科的研究，在癌症、衰老、阿尔茨海默病、糖尿病和传染病等领域取得了开创性的贡献，加深了我们对这些疾病的理解。.

学院取得了许多成就，获得了包括诺贝尔奖和美国国家科学院院士在内的无数荣誉。该研究所由脊髓灰质炎疫苗先驱 Jonas Salk 博士于 1960 年创立，是一家独立的非营利组织和建筑地标。.