Fall equinox 2020
Despite our campus being closed, nature still delivered a beautiful sight we wanted to share with all of you.
Method to derive blood vessel cells from skin cells suggests ways to slow aging
The lab of Martin Hetzer used skin cells called fibroblasts from young and old patients to successfully create blood vessels cells that retain their molecular markers of age. The team’s approach, described in the journal eLife, revealed clues as to why blood vessels tend to become leaky and hardened with age, and lets researchers identify new molecular targets to potentially slow aging in vascular cells.
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Common diabetes drug reverses inflammation in the liver
From left: Reuben Shaw and Jeanine Van Nostrand.
The lab of Reuben Shaw showed how two specific enzymes in the body are critical for the function of frontline diabetes drug metformin. The work also showed that the same proteins, regulated by metformin, controlled aspects of inflammation in mice, something the drug has not typically been prescribed for. Apart from clarifying how metformin works, the research, which appeared in the journal Genes & Development, could impact many other inflammatory diseases.
Top San Diego research institutions, led by Salk, to receive an expected $5 million to study cellular aging in humans
The Salk Institute will establish a world-class San Diego Nathan Shock Center (SD-NSC), a consortium with Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and the University of California San Diego to study cellular and tissue aging in humans. The Center will be funded by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health expected to total $5 million over the next 5 years. The SD-NSC will be part of a network of eight Nathan Shock Centers nationwide.
Join the Salk Summer Challenge and get a custom Salk face mask
With the world watching—waiting—for answers to the novel coronavirus, the Salk Institute is hard at work with numerous research projects relevant to COVID-19. But these efforts require immediate and sustained funding. To answer this urgent moment head-on, the Institute has launched a summer challenge to seek those who will help us change the world and make life better for humanity.
Last chance! Ends on September 30.
We are offering an exclusive Salk face mask for your contribution of $100 or more. Donate $250 to receive all three designs.
Professor Thomas Albright weighs in on how to use biophilic design to set up your home classroom for optimal learning
Professor Wolfgang Busch describes how crops could become powerful tools to fight climate change
Professor Ronald Evans describes his lab’s novel type 1 diabetes therapy and its promising results in mice
Professor Susan Kaech discusses vaccine updates on NBC
Professor Kay Tye discusses how neuroscience is starting to find answers for why we feel lonely
Bloomberg Businessweek covers Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative, calling it a “bold vision” to address climate change
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Looking for a unique background image for your computer, Zoom meeting, iPad or phone?

This month’s image comes from a recent press release from the lab of Martin Hetzer. This image shows skin fibroblasts that were successfully reprogrammed into the smooth muscle cells (red) and endothelial cells (white) that surround blood vessels.
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