Dear Friends,

At Salk, life-changing discoveries like those you’ll read about in this newsletter—advances in pancreatic cancer, childhood malnutrition, and crop resilience—are only possible because of the combined power of public funding and private generosity. In this time of federal budget uncertainty, philanthropy is more important than ever.

That’s why I’m honored to introduce our new Discovery Society, a community of dedicated supporters who help our scientists pursue bold ideas, accelerate breakthroughs, and create solutions that improve our lives. We hope you’ll join us in this effort and become part of this exclusive group.

With appreciation,

After nine months in the womb, humans enter a world filled with texture and shape and must quickly learn to recognize and respond to the outside world. But 7 to 10 percent of the global population develops mechanical allodynia, a form of chronic pain where innocuous light touch is perceived as painful. Salk neuroscientists led by Martyn Goulding, PhD, published a study in Cell Reports showing that altered neuronal activity in a brain area called the dorsal column nuclei drives mechanical allodynia. This new understanding of how the brain processes and encodes pain is a crucial first step toward designing acute and chronic pain therapeutics. Read more »

Pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers, and its incidence is climbing. Dannielle Engle, PhD, Salk colleagues, and UC San Diego collaborators teamed up in a new Journal of Clinical Investigation study to look for new ways to fight the deadly cancer. They identified a unique sugar called HSAT as a potential therapeutic target for slowing tumor progression and metastasis. What’s more, HSAT was detected in cancer patients’ plasma—suggesting it could also serve as a biomarker to help catch and track pancreatic cancer. Read more »

Todd Michael, PhD, Salk colleagues, and collaborators at WashU and UC San Diego collected microbiome samples from malnourished children in Malawi. They found that children whose gut microbial population changed more over time tended to have poorer growth, suggesting that microbiome stability may be an important sign of good gut health. The researchers also established the first-ever pediatric undernutrition microbial genome catalog—containing nearly 1,000 microbes, dozens of which are entirely novel. Published in Cell, the findings and catalog pave the way for new diagnostic and preventive solutions for undernourished children around the globe. Read more »

New research from Joseph Ecker, PhD, and team explores how plants protect themselves during the vulnerable post-drought recovery period. They found Arabidopsis thaliana and tomato plants launch a supercharged immune response to protect against pathogens, which the team dubbed “Drought Recovery-Induced Immunity” (DRII). The findings, published in Nature Communications, plant the seed for growing more resilient crops and protecting the global food supply in years to come. Read more »

What’s next for metabolic therapeutics? Alan Saghatelian, PhD, and team think it might be microproteins—small proteins that have been difficult to find and, consequently, underestimated for their role in health and disease. Their latest study explores the role of a microprotein that their lab discovered last year, called SLC35A4-MP, finding that it upholds mitochondrial structure and regulates mitochondrial stress in mouse brown fat cells. The Science Advances study showcases the functional importance of microproteins in cellular biology, metabolism, and stress, and lights the way to future microprotein-based treatments. Read more »

While 40M+ people live with HIV globally, there is still no cure. Finding that cure depends on the answers to foundational questions like, How does HIV invade and replicate in host cells? A new study in ACS Nano from Dmitry Lyumkis, PhD, and team is helping build that foundation by improving laboratory workflows for characterizing HIV-1 capsids. Improved research techniques mean improved understanding of capsids and improved ability to target those capsids to treat HIV-1. Read more »

Researchers led by Joanne Chory, PhD, discovered a genetic mechanism for how plants integrate light and temperature information to control their flowering. The findings, published in Nature Communications, will help plant biologists develop new strategies to support crop growth under changing environmental conditions.

Read more »

Check out the fall 2025 edition of Inside Salk to see how our scientists are shaping the future of GLP-1 drugs. Hear about neuroscience’s new star, Nicola Allen, PhD, get to know plant biologist-turned-startup founder, Joseph Swift, PhD, and meet Salk’s new Vice President of Advancement, Michelle Chamberlain. Plus, a look into how Salk is empowering the next generation of scientists—and their teachers. Join our mailing list to receive a print copy, or read the fall issue online now.