Salk Institute Professor Vicki Lundblad elected to National Academy of Sciences

April 29, 2015

Salk Institute Professor Vicki Lundblad elected to National Academy of Sciences

April 29, 2015

LA JOLLA—The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently announced that Salk Institute Professor 维姬·伦德布拉德 is one of 84 new members to be elected to the NAS. The election is considered one of the highest honors accorded a U.S. scientist. Lundblad’s recognition brings the number of Salk faculty elected to the NAS to 14.

Lundblad, the Becky and Ralph S. O’Connor Chair and professor in the 分子与细胞生物学实验室, seeks to understand how the ends of chromosomes determine how many times a cell can divide. Her early work showed that these chromosome termini, called telomeres, act as a cellular time-keeper, by losing DNA sequence with each cell division. Fortunately, there is a way around this countdown: an enzyme called telomerase rebuilds these eroding telomeres and allows cells to divide indefinitely. Lundblad’s group pioneered the discovery of the key subunits that make up this telomerase enzyme, using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae—the same yeast used to make wine and bread—as their experimental system. This simple single-celled organism has also allowed Lundblad and her colleagues to subsequently uncover numerous insights about what dictates when and where telomerase acts inside the cell.

Lundblad’s work also laid the groundwork for comparable studies in human cells. Normal human cells have very low levels of telomerase, which limits their cell division potential. Since lungs, skin, liver and other organs must be replenished by newly divided cells, the resulting eventual block to cell division due to eroding telomeres contributes to the aging process. In contrast, greatly elevated levels of telomerase drives the unregulated cell growth exhibited by cancer cells. Recent work by Lundblad’s group has uncovered a novel mechanism that may “fine-tune” telomerase, to keep it at levels that ensure healthy cell division but are not sufficient for the rampant cell growth that characterizes cancer.

关于索尔克生物研究所：
索尔克生物学研究所是世界上首屈一指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、协作和创新的环境中，深入探索生命科学的基本问题。索尔克科学家既注重科学发现，也注重培养下一代研究人员，通过研究神经科学、遗传学、细胞生物学、植物生物学及相关学科，为我们理解癌症、衰老、阿尔茨海默病、糖尿病和传染病做出了开创性的贡献。.

教职员工的成就获得了无数荣誉，包括诺贝尔奖和美国国家科学院院士资格。该研究所由脊髓灰质炎疫苗先驱 Jonas Salk 医生于 1960 年创立，是一家独立的非营利组织和建筑地标。.