Welcome to the latest issue of Discoveries.

Learn how a $1 million emergency grant is helping protect critical research, discover how the world’s healthiest centenarians are revealing secrets to longevity, and see how AI and immunotherapy are reshaping cancer care. You’ll also meet our newest PhDs, hear from scientists featured on recent podcasts, and explore how your support is driving biomedical breakthroughs that improve human health.

Prebys Foundation awards $1M to Sanford Burnham Prebys

Sanford Burnham Prebys is one of seven leading research institutions in San Diego to receive a $1 million emergency grant from the Prebys Foundation. The funding is part of a $7 million response package to help offset the impact of significant federal cuts to scientific research nationwide.

At Sanford Burnham Prebys, the grant will support early and mid-career scientists and sustain critical research across four disease-focused centers: cancer, cardiovascular and muscular disorders, neurological conditions, and metabolic and liver diseases.

“These grants provide critical and much-needed aid in very uncertain times,” says David Brenner, MD, president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys.

Resident Nicolina (center), 101 years old of Cilento, Italy, with CIAO study researchers

CIAO Study: A long and ongoing look at the secrets of human longevity and healthy aging

This month, researchers in the Cilento Initiative on Aging Outcomes (CIAO) met in Acciaroli, Italy to review nearly a decade of work and plan next steps.

Launched in 2016, the CIAO study explores the biological, psychological and social factors that contribute to healthy aging and longevity in the Cilento region—home to hundreds of centenarians in remarkably good health.

Using advanced tools to study metabolomics, microbiomes, cognition and disease biomarkers, scientists aim to uncover what sets this population apart.

AI Tool co-developed at Sanford Burnham Prebys recognized by National Cancer Institute

PERCEPTION—short for PERsonalized Single-Cell Expression-Based Planning for Treatments in Oncology—is a groundbreaking AI tool that predicts how tumors respond to targeted therapies using single-cell datasets.

Image credit: Khuloud T. Al-Jamal, David McCarthy and Izzat Suffian, Wellcome Collection.

Developed by Sanju Sinha, PhD, assistant professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys, in collaboration with scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), PERCEPTION was recently featured in NCI’s 2024–2025 Milestones report.

The tool not only identifies the most effective drugs for individual patients, but it also tracks how tumors evolve and develop resistance during treatment—a feat never before achieved. “The ability to monitor the emergence of resistance is the most exciting part for me,” says Sinha. “It has the potential to allow us to adapt treatment strategies in real time.”

The research was first published in Nature Cancer and previously recognized as a 2024 NIH Director’s Highlight.

Rediscovering the first known cellular receptor

More than 30 years after it was first identified, the Ashwell-Morell receptor continues to intrigue scientists. Once known solely for its role in sepsis, this liver cell receptor has proven to be far more complex.

Image credit: Jeremy Marth, PhD, Sanford Burnham Prebys

The mission at Sanford Burnham Prebys is to translate science into health advances in the areas of cancer, aging, Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease, but we need your support. The Institute relies significantly on philanthropy to maintain its groundbreaking research programs.

Sanford Burnham Prebys' nonprofit status creates a platform for our researchers to do breakthrough research. Sanford Burnham Prebys is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a nonprofit 501(c)3 with a federal tax ID (EIN) of 51-0197108. Your generosity makes our work possible. We gratefully accept gifts in many forms, including cash, stock, donor-advised funds, and IRA charitable distributions. However you choose to give, please know that your support is deeply appreciated and makes a lasting impact.

For more information, please visit sbpdiscovery.org/giving

Kelly Kersten awarded Melanoma Research Alliance grant to support research on melanoma immunotherapy

Kelly Kersten, PhD, was awarded a new type of grant from the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA). The MRA is the world's leading nonprofit funder of melanoma research.

Kelly Kersten, PhD

Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys

The funding will support Kersten's research on reactivating "exhausted" immune cells within melanoma tumors to restore their cancer-fighting ability and improve the effectiveness of melanoma immunotherapy.

Evan Snyder named Fellow of the Child Neurology Society

Evan Snyder, MD, PhD, a professor at the Center for Neurologic Diseases, has been named a Fellow of the Child Neurology Society, recognizing his influential work in pediatric neuroscience and stem cell research.

Evan Snyder, MD, PhD

Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys

A faculty member since 2003, Snyder also appears in the new edition of Child Neurology: Its Origins, Founders, Growth and Evolution.

Congratulations to the newest PhDs from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Graduate School!

Jordan Friedlein, Zong Ming Chua, Ryan Loughran, and Zhouting Zhu have each completed their doctoral work at Sanford Burnham Prebys, contributing to discoveries in cancer biology, aging, RNA therapeutics, and machine learning. They’re now moving on to exciting next steps: Friedlein is continuing in cancer research, Chua has joined GigaGen as a computational biologist, Loughran is heading into a postdoc before transitioning to pharma, and Zhu is pursuing a career as a physician-scientist.

Welcoming rising stars in science to Sanford Burnham Prebys

Nine doctoral-degree candidates from across the U.S. visited Sanford Burnham Prebys for the fourth annual Rising Stars Symposium, a research meeting and networking opportunity for future postdoctoral researchers.

2025 Rising Stars cohort

Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys

In addition to two half-days of scientific talks, the nine visiting Rising Stars toured the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, learned about the Institute’s core facilities and shared research resources, and gained a better understanding of postdoctoral opportunities at Sanford Burnham Prebys.

NIH cuts put San Diego’s $57B life sciences sector at risk

Media outlets covered San Diego County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer joining with researchers from across the region—including Kurt Marek, PhD, from Sanford Burnham Prebys—to request that Congress reconsider cuts to the NIH.

KPBS »

10News ABC San Diego »

A Radiolab podcast traces the roots of a scientific breakthrough

Hudson Freeze, PhD, the William W. Ruch Distinguished Chair at Sanford Burnham Prebys and director of the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center, joined the legendary science podcast to recount a discovery that changed biology forever.

For years, scientists thought nothing could live above 73℃/163℉.At that temperature, everything boiled to death. But Freeze and fellow scientist Tom Brock weren’t convinced.

What began as their simple quest to trawl for life in some of the hottest natural springs on Earth would, decades later, change the trajectory of biological science forever, saving millions of lives.

🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast app Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

Discovery Dialogues podcast: Turning nature’s deadliest toxins into lifesaving treatments

In the latest episode of the Discovery Dialogues podcast, Sanford Burnham Prebys scientists Ani Deshpande, PhD, and Pam Itkin-Ansari, PhD, explore how animal venoms—once feared for their deadly effects—are now inspiring life-saving treatments for diabetes and other serious diseases.

From cone snail toxins to rattlesnake-derived medications, this episode highlights the power of curiosity-driven research to fuel real medical breakthroughs.

💬 Read a short Q&A with the hosts to learn more about the stories behind the science.

🎧 Prefer to listen or watch? You can find the episode on YouTube (includes on-camera interviews and additional illustrations) or your favorite podcast app Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

Epigenetics podcast: A new angle on treating leukemia

Ani Deshpande, PhD, of Sanford Burnham Prebys, was featured on the Epigenetics podcast to discuss his groundbreaking research on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and how targeting epigenetic regulators could lead to new treatments.

The episode explores Deshpande’s scientific journey—from his early work developing leukemia models to his current efforts using CRISPR and small molecule screens to push the boundaries of cancer therapy. He also reflects on the challenges of research funding, the importance of innovation in the lab, and his passion for science communication through the Discovery Dialogues podcast.

🎧 Listen on your favorite podcast app Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music.

Image credit: Florian Alonso, University of Bordeaux/Nikon Small World.

Confocal micrograph of mouse aortic endothelium stained for beta-catenin (green), laminin (purple), smooth muscle actin (red) and Hoechst (cyan). Endothelial cells constitute the inner lining of blood vessels in the heart. Image courtesy of Florian Alonso, University of Bordeaux/Nikon Small World.