June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month | | Did you know 2025 is Salk’s Year of Alzheimer’s Research? Salk scientists are rewriting the narrative on Alzheimer’s disease by collaborating across disciplines to broaden the search for early signs of Alzheimer’s and new interventions for stopping its onset and progression. In just the last year, our researchers have made exciting advances in Alzheimer’s. | | | | Professor Rusty Gage developed a new model of the human brain—a three-dimensional collection of cells, called an organoid, that mimics features of human tissues. This new model contains non-neuronal brain cells called astrocytes, in turn enabling researchers to study inflammation and stress in Alzheimer’s disease with greater clarity and depth than ever before. Already, the researchers found a potentially druggable link between astrocyte dysfunction and inflammation. | | SALK'S PODCAST BEYOND LAB WALLS | | This month’s episode of Beyond Lab Walls features Professor John Reynolds, whose nebulous journey into the science of perception and consciousness began with one giant question: What is my place in the universe? Today, he explores how the brain turns raw sensory input into the rich tapestry of conscious experience, enabling us to perceive and make sense of the world. By mapping the brain’s intricate circuits, Reynolds reveals how our minds build internal representations of reality, offering new insights into the neural roots of conscious awareness. | | Salk Professor Wolfgang Busch receives NOMIS Distinguished Scientist and Scholar Award | | | | Salk Professor Wolfgang Busch receives NOMIS Distinguished Scientist and Scholar AwardBusch is honored as an "[exceptional scientist] whose innovative ideas and approaches involve interdisciplinary collaboration and apply a broad range of methods, building bridges across the boundaries of the sciences and humanities.” With support from the NOMIS award, Busch will now lead a five-year research project called Mapping the Root Perceptome, which aims to explore all the chemical surroundings that roots can perceive and ultimately help scientists develop plants with enhanced resilience to changing conditions, improved nutrient uptake, increased carbon storage in the soil, and perhaps even engineered root systems tailored for specific environments. | | Assistant Professor Deepshika Ramanan named Rita Allen Foundation Scholar | | | | The distinction is given to early-career leaders in the biomedical sciences whose research holds exceptional promise for revealing new pathways to advance human health. Ramanan is one of seven scientists the Rita Allen Foundation named to its 2025 class of Rita Allen Foundation Scholars, who will each receive grants of up to $110,000 annually for up to five years. Ramanan will use the funds to propel her research on the communication between the gut and mammary glands to understand how maternal immunity is transferred through milk. | | Professor Tony Hunter honored with 2025 Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research | | | | The National Foundation for Cancer Research awarded Hunter for his discovery of a molecular switch that controls cells’ growth and division, known as tyrosine phosphorylation, which led to the development of more than 80 FDA-approved cancer drugs. The prize celebrates scientists whose “work has contributed to cancer prevention, diagnosis, or treatment and has had a lasting impact on understanding cancer, holding the promise of improving or saving lives of cancer patients.” He will receive $30,000 and attend a gala held in his honor. | | Prebys Foundation supports future scientists at the Salk Institute | | | | The generous gift from the Prebys Foundation is part of a rapid-response funding initiative to safeguard San Diego’s biomedical research ecosystem. The funding will support three years of Salk’s five cornerstone education pipeline and training programs: the Heithoff-Brody High School Summer Scholars, Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), Salk Edge Program, Discover Symposium, and Rising Stars Symposium. | | Salk Institute mourns the loss of Donald Cohn, former trustee | | | | Cohn was a San Diego real estate developer and community builder, and he died May 2, 2025, in La Jolla, California, at the age of 93. A generous supporter of the arts, education, and science, he served on the Salk Institute’s Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2022, contributing to the Institute with time, expertise, and philanthropic gifts. | | Jan Karlseder is Salk’s senior vice president and chief science officer (CSO), a professor in Salk’s Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research, and Donald and Darlene Shiley Chair for Research on Aging. | |
“I am interested in what turns a normal healthy cell into a cancer cell; I’m interested in cancer initiation as a function of age,” explains Karlseder. “We work with what are called the telomeres, which are the ends of the chromosomes, and they play a major role in aging and cancer biology. What my lab does is trying to understand all the different molecular pathways that are triggered by this telomere shortening process. […] The next steps are going to be to really walk away from this idea that molecular pathways work independently of each other, and that can lead to breakthroughs that lead to therapies.”
Karlseder grew up in a small village in rural Austria, playing in the forest and snow. Despite having a botanist grandfather and engineer father, he recalls that his interest in biology grew slowly before eventually blossoming into a career as a molecular biologist. Learn more about his journey from the Alps to Salk by watching this From Then to When video.
| | | | The spring 2025 edition of Inside Salk shines a light on the exciting progress Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative has made so far, and where it’s headed next. This issue also includes special features celebrating major anniversaries—Tony Hunter’s 50th year at Salk and Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine’s 70th year since creation. You can also catch up on our most recent discoveries and meet Assistant Professor Pallav Kosuri, postdoctoral researcher Irene López Gutiérrez, and Salk COO Suzanne Page. Join our mailing list to receive a hard copy or read the issue online now. | | |
NBC 7 San Diego
Salk Institute researchers make cancer discovery
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Features Assistant Professor Daniel Hollern
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CBS 8
Plant roots and fungi join forces for sustainable future crops
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Features Assistant Professor Lena Mueller
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NPR Science Friday
The leap: Be bold or just don’t do it
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Features late Professor Joanne Chory
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Genes to Genomes

A plant biologist whose seminal work led to a vision of a sustainable future
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Features late Professor Joanne Chory
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Neuroscience News
Scientists decode key motions behind brain’s transport
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Features Assistant Professor Aga Kendrick
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Electronics Engineering Herald
Advancing cognitive science: AI-inspired insights into long-term working memory and thinking
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Features Professor Terrence Sejnowski
| | | Tickets now available for 29th Annual Symphony at Salk: Saturday, August 16 | | Symphony at Salk is a treasured tradition in which guests enjoy a champagne reception, a gourmet dinner in Salk’s iconic courtyard, and the incredible sounds of the San Diego Symphony with a special guest artist. This year’s guest artist will be Kristin Chenoweth, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer. Individual ticket sales are available now. More information is at symphony.salk.edu. | | |
For the 29th year in a row, Salk has welcomed the San Diego Symphony and a special guest artist to campus for an enchanting night where music and science unite.
Our historic courtyard is transformed into a concert venue for one night only, bringing together scientists, artists, and supporters alike.
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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.
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