Spotlight

Hunter is an American Cancer Society professor and Renato Dulbecco Chair at Salk. He studies how cells regulate their growth and division and how mutations in genes that regulate cell growth lead to cancer. In 1979, his lab discovered that phosphate can be attached to the amino acid tyrosine in proteins—a finding that led to the development of the drug Gleevec, a targeted therapy for leukemia and other cancers. This early success has now led to the development of a new class of cancer drugs that target misbehaving tyrosine kinases. Currently, Hunter’s group works to identify growth factors and cytokines produced in the pancreatic cancer microenvironment to promote tumor progression. The award recognizes an “individual scientist whose novel and significant work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the detection, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of cancer.”

Towers is an assistant professor and Richard Heyman and Anne Daigle Endowed Developmental Chair at Salk. She uses a combination of techniques to uncover how cancer cells recycle both their own nutrients and the power-generating structures called mitochondria in order to survive. Her goal is to develop targeted cancer therapies that kill cancer cells by blocking cellular recycling pathways. Towers was recognized with a 2024 Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Career Development Award for Pancreatic Cancer Research, in Honor of John Robert Lewis, which aims to reduce the gap in funding for underrepresented minority scientists who conduct research that contributes to a better understanding and treatment of pancreatic cancer. Recipients are awarded a three-year, $300,000 grant for meritorious basic, translational, clinical, or population sciences research.

Chory is a professor, director of the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, founding director of Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative, Howard H. and Maryam R. Newman Chair in Plant Biology at Salk, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. She was honored by the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia with the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science for her achievements in plant science. She received a gold medal and a $10,000 honorarium at The Franklin Institute Awards Ceremony in April. Chory is now part of an esteemed group of exceptional scientists and engineers who have been recognized as Franklin laureates, including Nikola Tesla, Marie and Pierre Curie, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Jane Goodall.

Sejnowski is a professor, head of the Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, and Francis Crick Chair at Salk. He received the 2024 Brain Prize—the world’s largest neuroscience research prize—from the Lundbeck Foundation for “pioneering the field of computational and theoretical neuroscience, making seminal contributions to our understanding of the brain, and paving the way for the development of brain-inspired artificial intelligence.” He shared the prize with Larry Abbott of Columbia University and Haim Sompolinsky of Harvard University. They received the award from His Royal Highness King Frederik of Denmark at an event in Copenhagen in May.

Sejnowski was also recently presented with the International Neural Network Society’s Hermann von Helmholtz Award for his “paradigm-changing and long-lasting” contributions to the field of neural networks, and was awarded a Doctor of Science Honorary Degree from his alma mater, Princeton University, at its May 28 Commencement.

Nobori, a trainee in Professor Joseph Ecker’s lab, was recognized for his studies of plant-microbe interactions, as well as for developing a new method called PHYTOMap, which allows the 3D analysis of gene expression in whole plant tissues. The award recognizes the “impact of research carried out in the molecular biosciences by early career scientists.”

Chory, a professor, director of the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory, founding director of Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative, Howard H. and Maryam R. Newman Chair in Plant Biology at Salk, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, and Ecker, a professor, director of the Genomic Analysis Laboratory, Salk International Council Chair in Genetics, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, were chosen by the North American Arabidopsis Steering Committee as inaugural Arabidopsis Community Lifetime Achievement Award recipients, which honors the researchers for their distinguished research on the flowering weed Arabidopsis thaliana, the first plant to have its genome sequenced and an important research tool. They join three other outstanding awardees whose achievements in research, community service, mentoring, and innovative teaching have spanned decades and have positively impacted plant biology and society in numerous ways.

Ayres is a professor, head of the Molecular and Systems Physiology Laboratory, and Salk Institute Legacy Chair. She uses evolutionary theory and microbes to understand how our physiological systems and brains interact with each other to promote optimal health. Fellows of the Academy, an honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology, are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-reviewed process based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology.

Panda is a professor and Rita and Richard Atkinson Chair at Salk. He explores the genes, molecules, and cells that keep the whole body on the same circadian clock, and how they are linked to health and disease. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. This election recognizes Panda’s contributions to the field of chronobiology, particularly as they relate to obesity and human health.

Kaech is a professor, director of the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, and NOMIS Chair at Salk. Her work has helped transform the fields of immunology and cancer biology and inspired new approaches to cancer immunotherapy. She is one of 120 new members and 24 international members to be elected to the academy this year, in recognition of her distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. The election is considered one of the highest honors accorded to a scientist in the United States.

Goulding is a professor and Frederick W. and Joanna J. Mitchell Chair at Salk. He is a neuroscientist who studies the sensory and motor circuits in the spinal cord that control a range of different behaviors, from simple reflexes like scratching to more complex actions like walking or catching a ball. The American Academy of Arts & Sciences honors excellence and convenes leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world, and work together “to cultivate every art and science which may tend to advance the interest, honor, dignity, and happiness of a free, independent, and virtuous people.”

The Salk Institute mourns the loss of businessman and philanthropist John Adler, who served on the Institute’s Board of Trustees from 1991 to 2004. He died June 11, 2024, in Greenwich, Connecticut, at the age of 96.

Adler generously supported the Salk Institute for decades, donating $6.7 million to launch the Adler Foundation Symposium on Alzheimer’s Disease Endowment, establish the Vi and John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disease, and support many other research efforts. For more than 30 years, the annual Adler Symposium brought together scientists working on different aspects of Alzheimer’s disease to share ideas and build new collaborations.

“John was an outstanding trustee for Salk for many years,” says Professor Rusty Gage, former Salk president and current holder of the Vi and John Adler Chair. “His sage counsel and generosity of time and resources have benefited the Institute immensely. His legacy of the Adler Symposium, focusing on age-related neurodegenerative diseases, has brought international acclaim to the Salk Institute, forging strong bonds and research collaborations around the world. We are grateful that John was part of our community.”