Salk microflora researcher Janelle Ayres named Searle Scholar

April 4, 2014

Salk microflora researcher Janelle Ayres named Searle Scholar

April 4, 2014

拉霍亚贾内尔·艾尔斯, assistant professor at Salk Institute’s 诺米斯基金会免疫生物学与微生物病原学实验室, has received the prestigious Searle Scholar award, which each year is given to only 15 researchers in the fields of chemical and biological sciences.

The scholarship provides $300,000 to support scientific research for each scholar over the next three years. This year, 172 applications were considered from recently appointed assistant professors, nominated by 120 universities and research institutions.

Ayres’ work focuses on the trillions of bacteria that live in intestines and are responsible for health and wellness. Many diseases occur when that microbial system is thrown out of whack and “bad” bacteria take over. Using antibiotics to fight infections has limitations: besides not working for all diseases, antibiotics also kill good bacteria and contribute to multi-drug resistant harmful bacteria (“super bugs”).

Ayres focuses on an entirely new approach to therapeutics by investigating how helpful microflora could be leveraged to combat the effects of harmful bacteria in place of or in addition to antibiotic treatment. Rather than attempting to eliminate the bad bacteria itself, she is using beneficial bacteria to target and control the damage generated during infections (for example, diarrhea and rapid weight loss pathologies), thereby giving an organism’s immune system time to clear out the infection.

By studying how to engineer microbes that can colonize the intestine while providing beneficial effects, researchers may be able to provide new treatments for infectious diseases and inflammatory diseases, as well as pathologies associated with cancer and aging.

The final selection of Searle Scholars was based on recommendations made by the program’s scientific advisory board, consisting of 12 scientists distinguished for their research and leadership across a wide range of fields. In selecting the Scholars, the board looked for scientists who have already demonstrated innovative research with the potential for making significant contributions to chemical and biological research over an extended period of time.

The funds that support the awards come from trusts established under the wills of John G. and Frances C. Searle. Mr. Searle was President of G.D. Searle & Co., of Skokie, Illinois, a research-based pharmaceutical company. Mr. and Mrs. Searle expressed the wish that some of the proceeds of their estates be used for the support of research in medicine, chemistry, and the biological sciences.

In 1980, members of the Searle family acting as Consultants to the Trustees of the Trusts established under the wills of Mr. & Mrs. John G. Searle recommended the development of a program to support young biomedical scientists. This idea evolved into the Searle Scholars Program, which is funded through grants from the family trusts to the Chicago Community Trust and administered by Kinship Foundation in Chicago, Illinois.

关于索尔克生物研究所：
索尔克生物研究所是世界顶尖的基础研究机构之一，其国际知名的教职人员在一个独特、协作和富有创造性的环境中，深入探究生命科学的基本问题。索尔克科学家们致力于发现和指导未来几代研究人员，通过研究神经科学、遗传学、细胞和植物生物学以及相关学科，在癌症、衰老、阿尔茨海默氏症、糖尿病和传染病的认识方面做出了开创性的贡献。.

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。.