In this issue
Frontiers
Seeds of change: The Harnessing Plants Initiative is scaling a new kind of crop that could save the future of farming—and the planet
Farmers and plant biologists are linking arms to build more sustainable, resilient agriculture. Salk scientists are working to enhance plants’ natural ability to capture carbon to clean our air and restore environmental stability—all while maintaining productivity for growers.
Special Feature
The day polio met its match: Celebrating 70 years of the Salk vaccine
Seventy years ago, on April 12, 1955, the polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk and his colleagues was officially declared “safe, effective, and potent”—a moment heralded as a triumph of medicine over one of the most feared diseases of the 20th century. On this milestone anniversary, it’s crucial to remember that fear, and learn from this historic public health success.
Special Feature
50 years of discovery: Professor Tony Hunter’s half-century legacy at Salk
Tony Hunter first arrived at the Salk Institute in 1971 as a postdoctoral trainee from the University of Cambridge. Four years later, he officially joined the Institute as an assistant professor and cancer biology pioneer.
Observations
Pallav Kosuri: Making magic out of molecules
A physicist-turned-bioengineer, Kosuri is developing nanoscale technologies that are on their way to transforming how we diagnose and treat diseases. Kosuri’s lab is using DNA to create a suite of biosensors, diagnostic tools, and drug delivery systems.
Insights
Suzanne Page: Uprooting, replanting, and blooming again
In October 2024, the Salk Institute named Suzanne Page as its new Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Page has lived and traveled all over the country, developing a strong background in research operations, finance, and legal in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors—leading her to “manifest” her role at Salk.
Next Gen
Irene López Gutiérrez: After every storm comes sunshine—and science
Rainy winter weather in Gutiérrez’s seaside hometown in Spain led to long days indoors, where she found a science television show that inspired an entire life of education and research that eventually brought her to Salk. Today, she works in Professor Susan Kaech’s lab studying Alzheimer’s disease.
In the News
Michelle Chamberlain named Salk’s new Vice President of External Relations
Michelle Chamberlain assumed the role on April 2, where she will serve on Salk’s Executive Leadership Team and oversee all fundraising efforts, communications, community engagement, education outreach programs, foundation relations, and stewardship activities.
In the News
Trustee Richard A. Heyman donates $4.5 million to enable early-stage innovative research
Richard A. Heyman, a member of the Salk Institute’s Board of Trustees, and his wife, Anne Daigle, have donated $4.5 million to establish the new Richard A. Heyman Collaborative Innovation Fund to support Institute faculty on collaborative, early-stage studies aimed at big, bold questions.
President’s Letter
“As we step into a new season of discovery and innovation, I am happy to share with you the latest issue of Inside Salk. This edition highlights some of the most exciting research happening at our Institute—work that has the potential to reshape our understanding of science and create lasting global impact.”
Gerald Joyce
President
Discoveries
Neuroscience
Cancer
Plant Biology
Metabolism
Immunobiology
Spotlight
Innovation and Collaboration Grants
Salk’s Innovation Grant Program was launched in 2006 by then-Board chair Irwin Jacobs and his wife, Joan. These grants are designed to fund unconventional and forward-looking ideas that don’t fit the mold of more traditional funding sources. The Collaboration Grant Program was launched in 2019 to foster new collaborative efforts between Salk scientists. Inspired by […]
Salk welcomes technology leader Fred Luddy to Board of Trustees
Luddy founded ServiceNow, a leading intelligent platform driving end-to-end digital transformation. Under his leadership, ServiceNow became the fastest-growing enterprise software company to achieve more than $10 billion in annual revenue organically. Today, Luddy continues to innovate as a technology visionary, focusing on projects to revolutionize spreadsheets and improve the diagnosis and treatment of rare genetic […]
Plant geneticist Detlef Weigel named Salk Nonresident Fellow
As a Nonresident Fellow, Weigel joins a group of eminent scientific advisors who guide the Institute’s leadership. Weigel is a director and scientific member at the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen in Germany and a former Salk faculty member. He uses genomic techniques to study developmental and evolutionary plant biology.
Seven Salk scientists named among most highly cited researchers in the world
Professors Joseph Ecker, Ronald Evans, Rusty Gage, Satchin Panda, Reuben Shaw, and Kay Tye, as well as research assistant Joseph Nery, were named to the Highly Cited Researchers list by Clarivate. The 2024 list included 6,636 researchers from 59 countries who have demonstrated “significant and broad influence in their fields of research,” as reflected by […]
Events
Symphony at Salk
We invite you to step into a realm where science and culture converge in a celebration of human creativity. For a single night each year, the Salk Institute transforms its historic courtyard—overlooking the Pacific Ocean—into a world-class concert hall under the stars, offering an experience as rare and groundbreaking as the discoveries made within its […]