Giant leap in diagnosing liver disease
Chronic liver disease represents a major global public health problem affecting an estimated 844 million people. A collaborative team of scientists, co-led by Salk Professor Ronald Evans and including first author Tae Gyu Oh and Senior Staff Scientist Michael Downes, have created a novel diagnostic tool based on the microbiome—a complex collection of microbes that inhabit the gut. The non-invasive method quickly and inexpensively identifies liver fibrosis and cirrhosis over 90 percent of the time and could lead to improved patient care and treatment outcomes.
Featured Stories
Leading Salk science into the futureInside Salk sat down with Rusty Gage to learn more about his background, approach to managing a world-renowned Institute, and vision for Salk science over the next decade.
Julie Law – Revealing RNAAssociate Professor Julie Law shares common themes underlying her research and discusses what motivates her both in and out of the lab.
Gerald Pao – Pushing the limits in science and lifeFrom studying the novel coronavirus to downloading brains to computers, Staff Scientist Gerald Pao is at the forefront of scientific advancement.
Austin ColeyAustin Coley, though only at Salk since 2019, has already taken an active role in everything from conducting innovative research on the brain to spearheading a wide variety of outreach activities.
Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative (HPI) Garners Widespread SupportNew grants are supporting the Institute’s efforts to optimize plants’ natural ability to store carbon and mitigate climate change. This support bolsters the ongoing HPI project focused on model plants that was funded through donations to The Audacious Project in 2019.