Among recent developments, Salk's Rusty Gage and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine are co-leading a $15 million initiative to unravel bipolar  disorder and schizophrenia. Research from this federal --- academic --- industry collaboration is being funded by the National Cooperative Reprogrammed Cell Research Groups program, which was introduced by the National Institute of Mental Health in 2013 to bring together experts in the fields of stem cells and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Rusty Gage, along with Johns Hopkins researchers, is spearheading a multi-institution effort to develop new ways of studying and screening drugs for major psychiatric illnesses. The consortium, which is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, will use samples from patients to improve upon induced pluripotent stem cell technology and observe how specific types of brain cells are affected by the diseases and how they respond to drug candidates. Once a reliable test system has been developed, industry partners will use it to identify or develop drugs that might combat mental illness.

Alan Saghatelian's lab has identified a new connection between a gene called ApoE4 and protein build-up associated with Alzheimer's. Previous reports have suggested that ApoE4 may affect how the brain clears out protein clusters called beta-amyloid plaques, but what was happening at the molecular level wasn't clear. The lab has pinpointed how an enzyme, HtrA1, degrades ApoE4, which can help researchers better test hypotheses about ApoE4's role in Alzheimer's. The findings appear in the August 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Eric Sagerman, a strategic advisor with broad financial, technology and healthcare experience, has joined the Salk Institute Board of Trustees. Most recently, he was CEO and president of the medical records company Universata. He has been a managing director and Head of Strategy and Strategic Marketing for Allianz Global Investors, and spent 16 years with American Express in a number of marketing and business management posts, both domestically and internationally. As senior vice president, he was involved in many growth and restructuring initiatives, including launching the Global Network Services business, the Corporate Card business and the Centurion "Black" Card.

The latest edition of Inside Salk has landed, highlighting the promising developments in epigenetics research, the immune system's power to heal or harm, and other discoveries and news from around the Institute.

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