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Targeting telomeres, the timekeepers of cells, could improve chemotherapy
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Telomeres, specialized ends of our chromosomes that dictate how long cells
can duplicate, have long been studied for their links to aging and cancer. In work featured on the cover of Nature, Jan Karlseder shows how disabling telomere protection during cell division prompts cell death. This unexpected finding indicates that telomeres may be central to preventing tumors, a function that could potentially be exploited to improve cancer therapies.
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New drug squashes cancer's last-ditch efforts to survive
As a tumor grows, its cancerous cells ramp up an energy-harvesting process (autophagy) normally used to recycle damaged organelles.
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Stem cells move one step closer to cure for genetic diseases
Healthy brain, muscle, eye and heart cells would improve the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world with debilitating mitochondrial diseases. Now, Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte and his team have gotten one step closer to making such cures a reality: they've turned cells from patients into healthy, mutation-free stem cells that can then become any cell type. The new approach is described in Nature. |
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A high-fat diet may alleviate mitochondrial disease
Mice that have a genetic version of mitochondrial disease can easily be mistaken for much older animals by the time they are nine months old, but a "secret weapon" in their youth staves off signs of aging for a time. New research from Ronald Evans' lab reveals how a longevity hormone helps these mice ---born with thousands of mutations in their energy-generating mitochondria ---maintain metabolic homeostasis at a young age, detailed in PNAS. |
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New technique maps elusive chemical markers on proteins
Unveiling how the 20,000 or so proteins in the human body work ---and malfunction ---is the key to understanding much of health and disease. Now, Tony Hunter's lab developed a technique that allows scientists to better understand a step critical in protein formation, described in Cell. PRESS RELEASE: New technique maps elusive chemical markers on proteins » SELECT MEDIA COVERAGE: Bioscience Technology
Additionally, PNAS features a story on Tony Hunter's discovery of tyrosine kinases---and how, in the decades since, their characterization has paved the way for new cancer treatments, including the tyrosine kinase inhibitor Gleevec. |
Brain-based algorithms make for
better networks
Carnegie Mellon University collaborators have, for the first time, determined the rate at which the developing brain eliminates unneeded connections between neurons during early childhood. The team found that the new algorithm was more effective at generating networks (e.g., for air passenger destinations) than traditional methods even with the same number of connections, as detailed in PLOS Computational Biology.
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Salk plant biologist Julie Law named Rita Allen Foundation Scholar
Salk Institute plant biologist Julie Law has been named a Rita Allen Foundation Scholar, a distinction given to biomedical scientists whose research holds exceptional promise for advancing the frontiers of knowledge about how biological systems function in health and disease. Law, an assistant professor in Salk's Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory and holder of the Hearst Foundation Development Chair, was one of seven scientists the Rita Allen Foundation named to its 2015 class of Scholars.
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Rusty Gage named Allen Distinguished Investigator
The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation has awarded Salk scientist Rusty Gage an Allen Distinguished Investigator (ADI) grant to help further his research goal of separating the role of aging from the role of disease in Alzheimer's progression. Gage, a professor in the Laboratory of Genetics and holder of the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disease, is one of only five scientists to receive the Allen award, which is given to researchers with projects aimed at uncovering the biological foundations of Alzheimer's disease. |
Symphony at Salk - Tickets now on sale!
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An unforgettable night of sizzling JAZZ
Special performances by Chris Botti and John Pizzarelli
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Plan to join us for a not-to-be-missed performance on August 29th as the Salk Institute celebrates its 20th & annual Symphony at Salk. Famed trumpeter Chris Botti and guitarist John Pizzarelli will join the San Diego Symphony for an evening of incomparable jazz.
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Each of the six concerts in the series feature stunning performances by some of the hottest established and emerging musicians, as well riveting talks about the latest scientific discoveries by Salk scientists.
- October 11, 2015 - Vadym Kholodenko (piano) with Tony Hunter
- November 8, 2015 - Victor Stanislavsky (piano) and Asi Matathias (violin) with
- January 24, 2016 - Victor Goines Jazz Trio with Sreekanth Chalasani
- February 21, 2016 - Cicely Parnas (cello) and Noreen Polera (piano) with
- March 20, 2016 - Julia Bullock (soprano) and Renate Rohlfing (piano) with
- April 24, 2016 - Sean Chen and Karen Joy Davis (duo piano) with Julie Law
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*Individual concert tickets will go on sale later this summer.
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Salk science images for your desktop, tablet or smartphone
In this image, a novel type of human stem cell is shown in green integrating and developing into the surrounding cells of a nonviable mouse embryo. Red indicates cells of endoderm lineage. Endoderm cells can give rise to tissue that covers organs from the digestive and respiratory systems. The new stem cell, developed at the Salk Institute, holds promise for one day growing replacement functional cells and tissues. - Courtesy Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte lab
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