Frontiers Leading with Technology Salk scientists develop new means of discovery

Observations Dannielle Engle Putting patients first

Gratitude Thank you to our generous supporters

Insights Weiwei Fan Life is energy

In Memoriam Françoise Gilot Art icon, author, and wife of Institute founder Jonas Salk

Next Gen Natanella Illouz-Eliaz Recipe for a plant biologist: tomatoes, failure, and perseverance

Alumni Journeys Richard Heyman From Salk to biotech and back

In this issue

Frontiers

Leading with technology—Salk scientists develop new means of discovery

Our scientists continue to push technological limits to—among other things—store more excess atmospheric carbon in deeper plant roots, study pancreatic cancer more accurately, follow cellular activity in real time more clearly, and track all kinds of motion more easily.

Observations

Dannielle Engle—Putting patients first

Engle, an assistant professor, has a deeply personal connection to pancreatic cancer that changed her career trajectory and made her want to focus on the disease. Inside Salk sat down with Engle to find out more about her dedication to finding better treatment options.

Gratitude

Salk Institute receives $50 million from Hess Corporation

This gift will advance Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative—an effort to mitigate climate change by optimizing plants and supporting wetlands to increase capture of excess atmospheric carbon—and establish the new Hess Center for Plant Science.

Insights

Weiwei Fan—Life is energy

Fan, a staff scientist in Professor Ronald Evans’ lab, studies mitochondria because he feels drawn to understanding how these energy generators within our cells function and the natural variations that exist between individuals.

In Memoriam

Françoise Gilot—Art icon, author, and wife of Institute founder Jonas Salk

Salk and Gilot’s union perfectly captured the core institutional belief that there is an inextricable link between art and science. Gilot, who died June 6, 2023, at the age of 101, served as Honorary Chair of Symphony at Salk every year since the event’s inception in 1996.

Next Gen

Natanella Illouz-Eliaz—Recipe for a plant biologist: Tomatoes, failure, and perseverance

Illouz-Eliaz, a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Joseph Ecker’s lab, grew up in Israel near the border with Lebanon, where high-pitched sirens periodically drove her family into bomb shelters for safety. But her parents insisted that she get the best education possible.

Alumni Journeys

Richard Heyman—From Salk to biotech and back

Heyman, a scientist and entrepreneur who has founded numerous biotechnology companies, currently serves as vice chair of Salk’s Board of Trustees, but his Salk story actually began when he was a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Professor Ronald Evans.

President’s Letter

“Collaboration among our community members is what makes Salk special. I believe it is the defining characteristic that sets our Institute apart and what will allow us to continue to honor the vision Jonas Salk had for this magnificent ‘cathedral of science’.”

Gerald Joyce

President

View President’s letter

Discoveries

Neuroscience

How aggression-promoting brain peptide works in fruit fliesTiny proteins and molecules impact neuron communication to alter brain activity. In addition to communicating via chemicals called neurotransmitters, the brain also uses proteins called neuropeptides.See All

Cancer

New drug combination reduces lung tumors in miceCancer treatments have long been moving toward personalization—finding the right drugs that work for a patient’s unique tumor, based on specific genetic and molecular patterns. Many of these targeted therapies are highly effective but aren’t available for all cancers, including non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) that have an LKB1 genetic mutation.See All

Metabolism

Cracking the case of mitochondrial repair and replacement in metabolic stressProfessor Reuben Shaw has spent nearly two decades piecing together how the cell responds to metabolic stress, which occurs when cellular energy levels dip. Whether energy levels fall because the cell’s powerhouses (mitochondria) are failing or due to a lack of necessary energy-making supplies, the response is the same: get rid of the damaged mitochondria and create new ones.See All

Spotlight

Professor Susan Kaech elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Kaech, director of the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She shares the honor with some of the world’s most accomplished leaders from science and technology, business, public affairs, education, the humanities, and the arts. Kaech and the new class of nearly 270 […]

Leading through innovation and collaboration

Launched in 2006 from the forward-thinking minds of then-Board Chair Irwin Jacobs and his wife, Joan, Salk’s Innovation Grants are a vital program to continue supporting emerging science. The grants are designed to fund out-of-the-box ideas that hold significant promise but do not yet have the track record to gain support from more traditional funding […]

Kavli Small Equipment Grants

Seven Salk faculty members received 2023 Kavli Small Equipment Grants, which provide funds to buy or build small equipment designed to strengthen research capacity and capability. The grant has a total funding amount of $200,000, and awards range from a minimum of $10,000 up to $100,000. This year, the research area focus was labs working […]

Salk promotes five faculty members in genetics, structural biology, immunobiology, and neuroscience

These five faculty members have demonstrated leadership in their disciplines, pushing the boundaries of basic scientific research. Assistant Professors Sung Han, Dmitry Lyumkis, and Graham McVicker were promoted to associate professors, and Associate Professors Sreekanth “Shrek” Chalasani and Ye Zheng were promoted to professors. The promotions were based on Salk faculty and nonresident fellow recommendations […]

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Events

Science & Justice Series

On May 25, Salk held the inaugural event in the new Science & Justice Series, a unique opportunity to learn about the intersection of and contradictions between science and law. During the event, Salk Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Mallory Zaslav and General Counsel Julia Miller hosted Salk Professor Thomas Albright and civil […]

Salk Honors International Women’s Day

On March 7, Salk members gathered to celebrate the achievements women have made socially, economically, culturally, and politically in our world, and challenged participants to embrace equity and broaden and deepen the impact of women. Salk’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team and the Salk Women & Science program hosted “Accelerating Women’s Path to Impact,” a […]

Salk community learns about the legacy of Jonas Salk

On March 29, the Institute was honored to host Jonathan and Peter Salk, sons of founder Jonas Salk. Jonathan shared personal reflections, writings, and photos of their father. The program included a live chat with former Salk President Rusty Gage and questions from Salk scientists and staff.

Padres Pedal the Cause

In this year’s Padres Pedal the Cause event on April 18, Team Salk Cancer Center raised more than $44,000 for local cancer research, which includes projects on Salk’s campus. Pedal the Cause is Curebound’s largest annual fundraising event, with participants biking, running, walking, and spinning to support cancer research. Since 2013, the event has raised […]