How emotion affects action
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Salk Associate Professor
Xin Jin
and colleagues have discovered a direct link from the brain’s emotion circuit to the movement circuit, which may explain such phenomena as athletes experiencing a rapid decline in performance under pressure, known as “choking.” Now, the team has uncovered what might be behind it: one-way signals from the brain’s emotion circuit to the movement circuit. The study, published in
eLife,
could lead to new strategies for treating disorders with disrupted movement, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression.
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Discovery of how colorectal cancer drug works will help more patients
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From left: Edward C. Stites and Thomas McFall.
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The lab of Salk Assistant Professor
Edward Stites
has combined computational biology with experimental investigations to discover, for the first time, the mechanism for why certain colorectal cancer patients with a specific mutation respond to the chemotherapy drug cetuximab. The findings, which were published in
Science Signaling
, will help doctors identify more effective, targeted treatment plans for people diagnosed with this type of cancer, as well as will demonstrate how foundational scientific research can translate to an immediate impact for patients.
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New target for autoimmune disease could enable therapies with fewer side effects
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Salk scientists led by Professor
Ronald Evans
and Associate Professor
Ye Zheng
have discovered a way to stop certain immune system cells from mistakenly attacking the body. Their findings, published in
Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences
, suggest a new method to target a type of helper T cell that produces interleukin 17, a molecule known to be at the root of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
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Study yields insights that may improve immunotherapy for melanoma
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Although immunotherapy is revolutionizing cancer treatment, many patients do not respond. Now, Salk Professors
Susan Kaech
and
Gerald Shadel
, along with colleagues in Israel and the U.S., have revealed a unique connection between fat metabolism by melanoma tumor cells and patient response to immunotherapy. More specifically, they found that the fat-burning machines in our cells called mitochondria can influence how a tumor cell is recognized and attacked by immune cells. The work, which appeared in the journal
Cell,
may lead to improved immunotherapies for melanoma.
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New technique reveals epigenetic features of cells in the brain
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Understanding the large diversity of cells of the prefrontal cortex has long been challenging for researchers. Now, a team of scientists from the labs of Salk Professor
Joseph Ecker
and Salk Fellow
Jesse Dixon
has developed a method to simultaneously analyze how chromosomes, along with their epigenetic features, are compacted inside of single human brain cells. The work, published in
Nature Methods
, paves the way toward a new understanding of how some cells become dysregulated to cause disease.
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Getting to the root of how plants tolerate too much iron
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Despite dozens of attempts in the last two decades to uncover the genes responsible for the iron tolerance of plants, these remained elusive. But recently, Associate Professor
Wolfgang Busch
and colleagues uncovered a gene credited with helping plants thrive in stressful environments. The team believes their finding could help plants, such as rice, become more resistant to iron in regions with toxic iron levels.
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Key enzyme found in plants could guide development of medicines and other products
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Credit: Salk Institute/ACS Catalysis
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Professor
Joseph Noel
’s lab discovered how an enzyme called chalcone isomerase evolved to enable plants to make products vital to their own survival. The study appeared in the journal version of
ACS Catalysis
. Researchers hope this knowledge will inform the manufacture of products that are beneficial to humans, including medications and improved crops.
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Pedal the Cause gives three grants to the Salk Institute
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As a part of collaborative teams of researchers and medical professionals, the Salk Institute was awarded three grants from Padres Pedal the Cause to study pediatric and brain cancers. The awardees include Salk researchers
Tony Hunter
,
Graham McVicker
,
Joseph Ecker
and
Jesse Dixon
.
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Salk faculty receive Samuel Waxman awards
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Salk Professors
Ronald Evans
and
Jan Karlseder
were two of seven researchers to be named recipients of $1.4 million in grants given by the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation. The funding will support Evans’ colorectal cancer research and Karlseder’s investigations into how cancer cells evolve to overcome limits to growth.
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–Salk Professor
Kay Tye
, in an article about scientists' understanding of anxiety:
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Natural History
magazine covered the
Hetzer
lab’s discovery that organs are a mix of old and young cells:
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Salk faculty were featured in an online essay about architecture and neuroscience:
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Stat
discussed deep-learning AI techniques in a Q&A with Salk Staff Scientist
Uri Manor
:
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KPBS discussed a new gene editing tool developed at Salk with Salk Staff Researcher Pradeep Reddy:
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Wednesday, October 23, 2019
4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
BREAST CANCER:
New insights in research, prevention, survivorship and health care delivery
As science and technology accelerate, exciting new insights in research, prevention, survivorship and healthcare delivery give hope that we will be able to tackle some of humanity’s most intractable diseases in our lifetimes.
4:30 p.m.
Scientific presentation and panel discussion
CONRAD T. PREBYS AUDITORIUM
4:30 p.m.
Kids in STEAM Guest Author, Pamela Cosman, PhD
TRUSTEES ROOM
Join us for the Salk Women & Science presentation and panel discussion while your youngster (ages 8 - 14) explores the world of secret codes and error correction in their own scientific event! This special Kids in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) event will feature Pamela Cosman, PhD, who will introduce some of her engineering research and lead a fun, interactive workshop.
The events will be held simultaneously and both events will conclude with the reception and book signing with the author.
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Sunday, November 3, 2019
Salk Institute for Biological Studies
CONRAD T. PREBYS AUDITORIUM
Join us for the first concert of the Salk Science & Music Series. Each concert in the series includes performances by some of the finest instrumentalists in classical music, paired with riveting talks on the latest discoveries by the Salk Institute’s world-renowned scientists.
- November 3, 2019 – Fei-Fei, piano
- Gerald Shadel, PhD - Exploring mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell
- January 12, 2020 – Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, duo piano
- Joseph Noel, PhD - Investigating how plants can help mitigate climate change
- March 8, 2020 – Per Nyström, cello and Karen Joy Davis, piano
- Dannielle Engle, PhD - Developing new approaches to pancreatic cancer
- May 3, 2020 – Anderson and Roe, piano duo
- Martyn Goulding, PhD - Understanding the circuitry of the brain
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Salk science is beautiful
This month's image comes from a recent
press release from Salk scientists in
Xin Jin's lab who
discovered a direct link from the brain’s emotion circuit to the movement circuit.
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