Discoveries
Infectious Disease
Viruses, bacteria and parasites are among the many infectious challenges humans face. At Salk we seek to understand infection and immunity in new ways, from finding novel techniques to image and decode the structure of infectious agents to treating pathogens less as enemies to be vanquished and more as potential allies on the road to health.
Fast, portable test can diagnose COVID-19 and track variants
Salk Professor Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte and collaborators have developed a new viral screening test that can not only diagnose COVID-19 in a matter of minutes with a portable, pocket-sized machine, but can also simultaneously test for other viruses—like influenza—that might be mistaken for the coronavirus. Called NIRVANA, this test can sequence the virus, providing valuable information on the spread of COVID-19 mutations and variants.
Featured Stories
The aging puzzle comes togetherAging is a complex puzzle, but by applying a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach, Salk scientists are putting its many pieces together.
Dmitry Lyumkis – A passion for problem solvingAssistant Professor Dmitry Lyumkis discusses what he loves about data and the scientific process, and which places inspire him outside the lab.
Pamela Maher – Seeking treatments for Alzheimer’s diseaseFrom having a large garden to investigating compounds that plants make, Staff Scientist Pam Maher talks about how plants inspire her to find treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
Rajasree Kalagiri – Bound to phosphohistidineRajasree Kalagiri shares the serendipitous steps along her journey of scientific discovery from southern India to Southern California.