Salk scientists Joseph Ecker and Dennis O'Leary elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences

April 23, 2015

Salk scientists Joseph Ecker and Dennis O’Leary elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences

April 23, 2015

LA JOLLA–Salk Institute Professors 约瑟夫·埃克尔 和 Dennis O’Leary have received the prestigious honor of being elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) class of 2015. One of the nation’s most prominent honorary societies, AAAS are among the 197 accomplished leaders from academia, business, public affairs, the humanities and the arts accepted to this year’s class. Its members include winners of the Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize; MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowships; and Grammy, Emmy, Oscar and Tony Awards.

Ecker, a professor in Salk’s Plant Biology Laboratory, is a 霍华德·休斯医学研究所 和 Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Investigator. He also holds the Salk International Council Chair in Genetics. Ecker came to the Salk Institute in 2000 after serving on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania.

He is one of the nation’s leading authorities on the molecular biology and genetics of plants. Ecker was a principal investigator in the multinational project that sequenced the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant that has become a model organism for the study of genetics. This wild mustard variety is the first plant to have its genome sequenced, an achievement expected to have widespread implications for agriculture and perhaps human medicine as well.

Ecker has recently turned his considerable expertise to understanding and mapping the human epigenome, the pattern of chemical markers on DNA that can have a profound impact on health and development.

O’Leary, a professor in Salk’s 分子神经生物学实验室, has been with the Institute for 25 years. He holds the Vincent J. Coates Chair in Molecular Neurobiology.

O’Leary tackles questions about brain development in order to better understand the genes and molecules which not only help neurons form and find their place in a developing brain, but also play key roles in neural function and health throughout life.

One focus is on genes that aid neurons in a growing brain connect from one place to another, following chemical cues to find their target. He also strives to understand how other genes are involved in pruning back neurons later in development, removing unneeded connections from the brain. This same process, scientists suspect, may also play a role in the later disappearance of certain adult neurons whose absence may be tied to dementia. His group also studies the genes and their functions in controlling the specification of functionally specialized areas of the cortex that control our sensory processing and motor movement.

Ecker and O’Leary bring the number of Salk scientists elected as members of AAAS to 16. The new class will officially be inducted during a ceremony in October.

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。.