From left: Stephen Sakuma, PhD, and Maximiliano D’Angelo, PhD. | | |
Delicate balancing act determines how many genome gateways form in cells
The nuclei in our cells are miniature warehouses safeguarding the genetic blueprint for the body’s biologic machinery.
As warehouses go, nuclei are more like libraries than bank vaults. Large groupings of more than 1,000 individual protein molecules called nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are found on the dividing membrane, serving as gateways for materials and messages entering and exiting the nucleus.
Cells dynamically adjust their amounts of NPCs like a retail store opening more or fewer checkout lines throughout the day. A new Sanford Burnham Prebys study from the D’Angelo lab shows that protein creation and disposal systems control the number of NPCs in cells. This finding may lead to new insights about cancer and neurodegeneration.
Read more »
| | |
Engineering antibodies with a novel fusion protein
Even with significant expansion in the global market for antibodies used in clinical care and research, scientists recognize that there is still untapped potential for finding new antibodies. Many proteins group together in what are called protein complexes to carry out biological functions.
| |
From left: Carl Ware, PhD, and Tim Cheung, PhD. | | |
The traditional method of generating antibodies by immunizing animals struggles to make antibodies related to these protein complexes.
Scientists from the Ware lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys and Eli Lilly and Company published findings in The Journal of Immunology demonstrating that fusing protein complexes together adds stability during immunization and enables antibody generation. This approach may unlock opportunities to study other protein complexes linked to disease and potentially lead to new treatments.
Read more »
| | |
Cancer drug finds new purpose in the brain
Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in childhood. The deadliest of these tumors are known as high-grade gliomas, with the grade referring to how quickly certain tumors grow and spread throughout the central nervous system.
| |
These representative MRIs of responding patients show tumors shrinking throughout the course of avapritinib therapy. | | |
Scientists from an international team that includes the Chavez lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys and many other institutions published findings in Cancer Cell showing that the drug avapritinib may be effective against certain brain tumor cells. Notably, the drug was found to be one of the rare few that can cross the blood-brain barrier known to prevent the passage of more than 98% of small molecule drugs.
Avapritinib is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating gastrointestinal and other cancers. With more research, it may be possible to repurpose avapritinib to treat high-grade gliomas.
Read more »
| | |
Creating Your Legacy Through Planned Giving: Giving From Your Retirement Plan
Most distributions from retirement plans (other than Roth IRA’s) are subject to income taxes – and possibly estate taxes – if left to an individual. However a charity that is named as the beneficiary does not pay income or estate taxes on the distribution due to its tax-exempt status, Therefore, if you name Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, the full value of what will be distributed to the Institute can be used to support the purpose that you designate.
You can name Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute on the beneficiary designation form provided by your retirement plan administrator. The form will ask for the name of the beneficiary (Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute), its address (10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037) and a tax identification number (51-0197108). This will provide an unrestricted gift to Sanford Burnham Prebys. If you would like to direct your future gift to a specific purpose, please contact Sandy Liarakos, vice president of Philanthropy for appropriate documentation.
| | A Conversation About Aging and Alzheimer’s: A Community Conversation | | | |
Sanford Burnham Prebys recently hosted a panel discussion exploring the link between aging and Alzheimer’s disease, featuring experts from the Center for Neurologic Diseases and the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics.
Panelists Dr. Su-Chun Zhang, Dr. Timothy Huang, and Dr. Anne Bang shared research insights and collaborations aimed at advancing treatment and prevention. Author and advocate Muffy Walker also spoke about her debut novel, Memory Weavers.
View photos from the event »
| | |
Queer Scientists and Allies Symposium featured scientific talks, networking
The Queer Scientists and Allies Symposium, or Qs and As on the Mesa, was held at Sanford Burnham Prebys on Friday, April 4, 2025.
| |
Queer Scientists and Allies Symposium | | |
The event was developed to create community connections and highlight the work of LGBTQIA+ researchers on the Torrey Pines Mesa. The symposium was hosted by Sanford Burnham Prebys and its Office of Workplace Engagement and Belonging, the Salk Pride Society, Queer Science Society, the Pride Alliance at Scripps Research and the La Jolla Institute for Immunology.
Read more »
| | |
Sanford Burnham Prebys Trainees Present at Aging-Focused Symposia
Sanford Burnham Prebys postdoctoral associate Shanshan Yin, PhD, presented her latest findings on breast cancer and aging at the San Diego Nathan Shock Center symposium on March 26 at the Salk Institute.
| |
Sanford Burnham Prebys graduate student Tatiana Moreno presented at the 2025 La Jolla Aging Meeting. | | |
The following day, at the La Jolla Aging Meeting, postdoctoral associate Kelly Yichen Li, PhD, shared her research on zombie-like senescent cells, while graduate student Tatiana Moreno discussed the role of autophagy in aging. Postdoctoral associate Rouven Arnold, PhD, also presented work on how aging affects cellular identity.
Read more »
| | |
How basic science fuels economic gain
A recent story in The New York Times describes how new and changed federal policies pose long-term risk to science and the economic gains it creates.
| |
| |
Highlighted in the article is the story of Hudson Freeze, PhD, director of the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center, who as an undergraduate student at Indiana University was involved in the discovery of heat-resistant microbes.
Those microbes would prove critical to the development of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a DNA replication tool that is now ubiquitous in genetic science and beyond.
Read more »
| | |
Alternative thinking: Using science to fix science
The NIH’s proposed cap on indirect costs threatens the foundation of scientific progress, putting research institutions, scientists and public health at risk.
| |
| |
In his latest letter, David A. Brenner, MD, president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys, addresses a recent letter from President Trump to Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Read more »
| | |
🎧 New Episode: The Race for Human Insulin
In the latest episode of the Discovery Dialogues podcast, Sanford Burnham Prebys scientists Dr. Ani Deshpande and Dr. Pam Itkin-Ansari take listeners on a gripping ride through the high-stakes race to develop human insulin. From lab breakthroughs and ethical debates to secret donors and dramatic biotech milestones, this episode uncovers the fascinating true stories behind one of medicine’s biggest advances—and the people who made it happen.
Available on your favorite podcast platform, including:
| | |
Cosimo Commisso of Institute Cancer Center featured on Project Purple Podcast
Dr. Cosimo Commisso, interim director of the NCI-Designated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys, joined the Project Purple Podcast to discuss his lab’s research into pancreatic cancer. In the episode, he talks with Project Purple founder Dino Verrelli about tumor metabolism, the role of glutamine in cancer cell growth and the urgent need for personalized treatments. Project Purple is a nonprofit focused on pancreatic cancer research and patient support.
Available on your favorite podcast platform, including:
| | |
Recently on Scientist Spotlight by The Alliance for Longevity Initiatives
Dr. Karl Miller, a staff scientist in the Peter Adams Lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys, shares his journey into longevity science, explores his latest research on aging, and discusses his goals as he begins his path toward research independence.
Available on:
|
| |
Hearing begins in the cochlea, where hair cells (red) detect and amplify sound vibrations and relay the information to the brain via auditory nerve cells (green).
Image courtesy of Sonja Pyott, University of North Carolina.
| | | | |
