| | |
January 2026
Newsletter
| |
-
Salk’s Year of Brain Health: Join our webinar this Wednesday
-
Discoveries: Optimizing treatments based on age and diet
-
Spotlight: Celebrating Salk cancer research
-
Salk’s podcast, Beyond Lab Walls: What’s next for GLPs?
-
Inside Salk: Read the winter edition online now
-
In the news: Winter health tips and plant and brain science insights
-
Social media highlight: Ten years of neuroscience discoveries
| | Science Can’t Wait Webinar on January 28 at 10:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET | | |
To kick off Salk’s Year of Brain Health, join us this Wednesday for a special webinar with Salk circadian biologist Emily Manoogian, PhD, and learn all about how biological rhythms influence our daily habits, sleep, and long-term cognitive health. The event is the first in a three-part series presented by Salk and the Del Mar Foundation. 

Register for the webinar »
| | Could a dietary supplement make the difference between life and death during illness? | | |
Why is it that two people can encounter the same infection but have dramatically different disease trajectories? Salk scientist Janelle Ayres, PhD, and her colleagues discovered that the kidney plays a key role in filtering inflammatory molecules out of the body after an infection, and the amino acid methionine can improve that filtration. Dietary supplementation of methionine was enough to boost kidney performance in mice and protect against inflammation-related wasting, blood-brain barrier dysfunction, and death.
The findings, published in Cell Metabolism, highlight how small dietary changes can lead to big impacts in disease outcomes and could support the use of methionine in future treatments for inflammatory conditions—especially in patients with kidney dysfunction.
Read more »
Learn about other immunobiology at Salk »
| | Should younger and older people receive different treatments for the same infection? | | Karina Sanchez and Janelle Ayres. Credit: Jake Terry | | |
Dealing with an infection isn’t as straightforward as simply killing the pathogen. Our bodies also carefully steer and monitor the immune response to protect our tissues while the immune system tackles the infection head-on. But bodies change over the course of a lifetime, so their steering and monitoring mechanisms must change, too, right?
The latest Salk findings say yes. In another study from Janelle Ayres, PhD, this one in Nature, her lab found younger and older mice with sepsis have distinct paths through sickness, suggesting that age-specific treatments may improve outcomes—especially as antibiotic resistance threatens current sepsis care strategies.
Read more »
Learn about other immunobiology at Salk »
See also: Nature
| | Salk's podcast, Beyond Lab Walls
| | | | |
This month’s episode of Beyond Lab Walls explores what’s next for GLP-1 weight loss drugs. Hear Salk scientist Christian Metallo, PhD, share how research at Salk will inspire the next generation of obesity and weight management treatments.
Listen now »
| | Salk Institute mourns the loss of former Trustee Harvey P. White | | | | |
Harvey P. White, a distinguished leader, philanthropist, and dedicated supporter of the Institute, died on December 18, 2025, at the age of 91. White served on Salk's Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2016, and was deeply committed to advancing science, education, and the arts. His service reflected a deep commitment to the power of science to improve human health and society.

Read more »
| | Salk researchers receive multiple 2025 Curebound Discovery Grants | | |
Each year, Curebound awards one-time seed grants of $250,000 to early-phase cancer research projects that require interinstitutional collaboration. Five Salk scientists received these grants this year, spanning four different projects and with partners at Sanford Burnham Prebys and UC San Diego. Read more about each unique project and how they might open new frontiers in cancer science below.
Read more »
| | Tony Hunter earns Johnson & Johnson cancer research award | | | | |
Tony Hunter, PhD, received the 2025 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research in recognition of his “pioneering discoveries that inspired the development of more than 80 cancer therapies that continue to transform patient lives.” A committee of world-renowned scientists selected Hunter as this year’s recipient, adding him to the ranks of 25 other prestigious recipients—many of whom have won Nobel Prizes.
Read more »
| | Cancer Research Institute funds postdoctoral researcher Georgia Lattanzi | | | | |
Georgia Lattanzi, PhD, a researcher in the lab of Daniel Hollern, PhD, was awarded funding for her project investigating how tiny particles released by tumor cells activate B cells to coordinate stronger, more comprehensive immune attacks. CRI recognizes the next generation of cancer immunotherapy innovations, investing in future scientific leaders like Lattanzi who have the capacity to transform cancer care and research.

Read more »
| | | | |
Our winter issue of Inside Salk magazine is all about the critical role that foundational science plays in fueling and sustaining the entire scientific and medical industry. Hear from our leadership, faculty, and staff and learn why Salk is where cures begin.
Read it online now, and join our mailing list to receive future issues of Inside Salk at your door.
| | | | |
KUSI
Science-backed tips for holiday and winter health
Features Satchin Panda, PhD
| | | | |
KPBS
Local seagrass discovery
Features Todd Michael, PhD
| | |
Newsradio 600 KOGO
How brains stay stable and when flexibility could be helpful
Features Nicola Allen, PhD
Genomic Press
From fungi to brain cells: one scientist's winding path reveals how epigenomics shapes neural destiny
Features Margarita Behrens, PhD
The Transmitter
Astrocytes stabilize circuits in adult mouse brain
Features Nicola Allen, PhD
The Transmitter
Deep-learning tool tracks interacting animals in real time
Features Salk Fellow Talmo Pereira, PhD
| | |
Research doesn’t happen overnight. As we step into 2026—Salk's Year of Brain Health—we’re looking back at some of our groundbreaking neuroscience discoveries from 2016.
See LinkedIn post »
| | Your support keeps discovery alive. Donate today. | |
About this newsletter
Salk’s email newsletter is published monthly with updates on recent scientific publications, media coverage, awards, grants, events, and other timely information for Salk supporters and science enthusiasts.
| | | | |
