Frontiers Journey of a lifetime The Cancer Center at Salk celebrates 50 years of life-changing discoveries

In the News Introducing Salk’s newest president, Gerald Joyce

Observations Reuben Shaw Unexpected results

Special Feature Tony Hunter How an animal virus discovery more than 40 years ago led to one of today’s most successful cancer drugs

In Memoriam Charles Stevens A beautiful mind, and a heart to match

Insights Leona Flores Rocking cancer research

Next Gen Payel Mondal Cancer researcher by day, financial planner by night

Gratitude Thank you to our generous supporters

Belonging Affinity groups foster inclusion and sense of belonging at Salk

In this issue

Frontiers

Journey of a lifetime—The Cancer Center at Salk celebrates 50 years of life-changing discoveries

Salk’s Cancer Center has become a powerhouse of critical discoveries that have led to treatments and remissions for patients. The Center’s mission is to make current generations the last to see cancer as anything other than a routine diagnosis.

In the News

Introducing Salk’s newest president, Gerald Joyce

Joyce, a pioneer in the field of test-tube evolution, succeeds Professor Rusty Gage, who will return to his lab following a transformative leadership tenure. Joyce assumed the role April 21, 2023.

Observations

Reuben Shaw—Unexpected results

It’s not every day a young scientist gets a jaw-dropping result he knows no one will believe. But that’s exactly what happened to Professor Reuben Shaw 20 years ago, in the spring of 2003.

Special Feature

Tony Hunter—How an animal virus discovery more than 40 years ago led to one of today’s most successful cancer drugs

The story behind how Hunter discovered the first kinase that phosphorylates the amino acid tyrosine. The finding led to the development of Gleevec, a medication that is now routinely used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML).

In Memoriam

Charles Stevens—A beautiful mind, and a heart to match

A pioneer in neuroscience, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Charles F. Stevens died peacefully on October 21, 2022, at his home in San Diego. He was 88.

Insights

Leona Flores—Rocking cancer research

Flores had studied the design of the Salk Institute as an architectural engineering student, but never did she imagine that she would be the executive director of the Institute’s Cancer Center years later.

Next Gen

Payel Mondal—Cancer researcher by day, financial planner by night

Mondal is a postdoctoral researcher in Assistant Professor Christina Towers’ lab where she studies the mechanisms involved in cancer progression. Her hope is that her projects will someday be translated into therapeutics to help people.

Belonging

Affinity groups foster inclusion and sense of belonging at Salk

An affinity group network launched at the Salk Institute in 2020 with the founding of two groups: the Black Association at Salk (BAS) and Underrepresented Minorities Actively Supporting Excellence (URMase). The network soon added two more groups: Asian Pacific Islander and Desi at Salk (APIDAS) and the Salk Pride Society (SPS).

Gratitude

Salk receives $1.5 million from the Sol Goldman Charitable Trust and $1.25 million from The Jay and Sarah Flatley Foundation

The Salk Institute is grateful to its many generous supporters.

President’s Letter

“As I reflect on my time as president, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to work with such an exceptional group of individuals. The progress we have made together in advancing Salk’s mission and goals is truly gratifying.”

Fred H. Gage

President

View President’s letter

View Board Chair letter

Discoveries

Neuroscience

Growing motor neurons guided by “love-hate relationship” with blood vesselsWhen neurons involved in movement—called motor neurons—form, they must build connections that reach from the brain, brainstem, or spinal cord all the way to the toes. Now, Professor , his team, and colleagues at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Italy provide a new understanding of how a “push-pull” relationship with blood vessels—in which growing neurons both attract blood vessels to them while also pushing them out of the way—guides the growth and development of motor neurons. Their discovery has implications for diseases in which motor neuron connections are destroyed, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).See All

Cancer

Microprotein increases appetite in miceSalk scientists study how biological processes, like metabolism, can be used to improve cancer treatment outcomes. Tiny proteins, called microproteins, have long been overlooked in obesity and metabolic disease research. Now, Professor Alan Saghatelian and colleagues at UC Irvine have discovered that both brown and white fat are filled with thousands of previously unknown microproteins. They also showed that administering one of these microproteins, called Gm8773, can increase appetite in mice. Their findings may lead to the development of a therapeutic to help people gain weight in certain disease situations, such as during chemotherapy for cancer.See All

Metabolism

Salk scientists develop compound that reverses gut inflammation in miceA drug developed by Salk Institute researchers acts like a master reset switch in the intestines. The compound, called FexD, was previously found to lower cholesterol, burn fat, and ward off colorectal cancer in mice. Now, co-corresponding authors Professor Ronald Evans and Senior Staff Scientist Michael Downes and colleagues have found that FexD can also prevent and reverse intestinal inflammation in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease, an umbrella diagnosis that includes both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Their research provides new, important information about the complex link between gut health and inflammation that has the potential to lead to an inflammatory bowel disease therapeutic.See All

Healthy Aging

Spotlight

Charlotte Rambla receives 2022 Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum Early-Career Award

Charlotte Rambla, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Professor Wolfgang Busch, was awarded the 2022 Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum Early-Career Award by the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative, a program that provides professional development opportunities for female wheat researchers in the early stages of their career in recognition of scientific excellence and leadership […]

Nuttida Rungratsameetaweemana named 2022 Rising Star in Engineering in Health

Nuttida Rungratsameetaweemana, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Professor Terrence Sejnowski, was selected as one of the 2022 Rising Stars in Engineering in Health, a program co-hosted by Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering and Columbia University to educate, train, and empower emerging leaders in academia at the intersection of engineering and biomedicine.

President Rusty Gage named one of San Diego’s “Most Influential Business Leaders”

Salk President Rusty Gage was featured in the 2022 edition of the SD 500, the San Diego Business Journal’s annual list of San Diego County’s most influential business leaders. A leading neuroscientist, Gage directed the Salk Institute for five years.

John Reynolds named 2022 AAAS Fellow

Professor John Reynolds was named a 2022 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Reynolds is among more than 500 new AAAS Fellows who were nominated by their peers for their distinguished efforts to advance science. He and his team use computational modeling and a variety of other techniques to study […]

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Events

Save the Date: August 19, 2023 27th Annual Symphony at Salk

Join us for another spectacular “Concert Under the Stars,” the annual Symphony at Salk on August 19, 2023. This acclaimed concert and fundraiser held on Salk’s iconic Courtyard will feature an electrifying performance by the San Diego Symphony with special guest artist Jennifer Hudson. For more information, please visit symphony.salk.edu or contact us at symphony@salk.edu […]

Save the Date: May 25, 2023 The science of forensic identification decisions and what it means in the criminal legal system

Please join us for the launch of Salk’s Science & Justice series. During this inaugural event, neuroscientist and Professor Thomas Albright will join Peter Neufeld, civil rights lawyer and co-founder of The Innocence Project, to discuss the latest research on visual perception and memory, how that influences forensic identification decisions, and what that means for […]

March of Dimes High School Science Day

The Salk Institute and the March of Dimes have a rich history of collaboration. The partnership began in 1948 when the March of Dimes (then known as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis) provided support for Jonas Salk’s quest for a vaccine against polio. The organization also provided the funding that enabled him to fulfill […]