Spotlight

The program supplies Salk Faculty and Research Professors working in neuroscience and related fields with funds to purchase or build small equipment necessary for their research. Three proposals were awarded: Pallav Kosuri, Dmitry Lyumkis, and Aga Kendrick’s Atomic Force Microscope; Satchidananda Panda, Rusty Gage, Alan Saghatelian, Christian Metallo, Dannielle Engle, Christina Towers, Pamela Maher, Joseph Noel, and Gerald Shadel’s Oroboros O2k Modular system for High-Resolution Respirometry; and Graham McVicker, Margarita Behrens, Sreekanth Chalasani, Christina Towers, and Aga Kendrick’s qRT-PCR instrument.

The state agency dedicated a total of $27 million to establish six new Shared Resources Laboratories designed to foster collaboration among California researchers. Salk Professor Rusty Gage will lead the new Shared Resources Laboratory at Salk, which will train other scientists to use his state-of-the-art stem cell-based models of aging and neurodegeneration. This initiative will help accelerate the discovery of new therapies, biomarkers, and drug candidates for age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

The Salk Institute has launched SciNET, a new state-of-the-art, high-speed network that enhances scientific data transfer between research collaborators. This offering is the latest advancement enabled by Salk’s Biocomputation Initiative, which aims to provide the funding, technology, and expertise required for the increasingly data-intensive research in biological sciences, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence.

A postdoctoral researcher in Salk Professor Joseph Ecker’s lab, Illouz-Eliaz is this year’s recipient of the Weizmann Institute of Science award. The program “supports Israeli women scientists during their postdoctoral training at leading institutions and laboratories abroad at a crucial stage in their career development.” Illouz-Eliaz will receive career coaching and $70,000 over two years.

This honor provides funding to 22 early-career investigators who demonstrate outstanding promise in science toward advancing human health. Dixon’s recognition celebrates his recent work to help define the relationship between our genomes and cancer. His lab will receive $300,000 over four years to support their research.

Given by the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and the Robarts Research Institute at Western University, the prize is one of the most prestigious medical research awards in Canada. This year’s prize specifically honors a research leader in aging-related medical science and research—a long-term focus of Gage and his lab. Gage received $50,000 and was celebrated at a Robarts Research Institute event in November.

This award, given by the American Crystallographic Association and named in honor of esteemed crystallographer Margaret C. Etter, recognizes Lyumkis’ outstanding achievements and exceptional potential in crystallographic research. Lyumkis looks at the form and function of proteins to investigate how biological invaders interact with their hosts to establish and maintain infection.

The award recognizes scientists with “outstanding records of creativity pursuing new research directions to develop pioneering approaches to major challenges in biomedical, social science, and behavioral research.” Allen will receive $3.5 million over five years to support her research on the brain’s ability to repair and rewire itself, also known as plasticity. Most research on the brain focuses on neurons, but Allen takes a unique approach by asking how non-neuronal cells help regulate brain function and plasticity. This work could inspire new therapeutics for boosting plasticity in disorders like Alzheimer’s disease or after injury or stroke.

The HHMI Investigator Program awards established scientists with approximately $11 million in funding over seven years to pursue boundary-breaking research in their field. This honor recognizes Ayres’ influential work in immunology and microbiology and its applications to the global crisis of antibiotic resistance. She is among 26 other 2024 selectees, who will join more than 250 standing Investigators, including Salk Professors Joanne Chory (1997), Joseph Ecker (2011), and Kay Tye (2021).

Page assumed the role of Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) on October 14. She succeeds Kim Witmer, who retired after serving 39 years at the Institute.

Page served most recently as Vice President of Operations at Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado, where she led operations and collaborated with researchers to lead laboratories for the research institute. She previously served as COO at Longeveron, Inc (NASDAQ: lgvn), a clinical-stage biotechnology company in Miami, Florida, that spun off from the University of Miami. As the company’s first employee, Suzanne helped launch the start-up, built out manufacturing and R&D facilities, initiated clinical trials, and managed all business matters. Prior to that, she held the position of Executive Director of Research Administration and Revenue Cycle at the University of Miami, where she helped transform the university’s research programs by creating a new department designed to accelerate research, increase revenue, and foster compliance.

As Salk’s COO, Page will oversee operational functions, including facilities, security services, environmental health and safety, information technology, and campus events. As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, she will work closely with Salk’s President, Chief Science Officer, and other leaders to define and achieve the Institute’s goals.

Page earned her Bachelor of Science in Finance and Juris Doctor at Indiana University. She holds state and federal bar memberships in California, Illinois, and Washington.

Rebecca Newman, who served as the Institute’s Vice President of External Relations from 2008 to 2022, died last August.

For 14 years, Newman led Salk’s fundraising efforts, including strategic planning and campaigns, donor relations, events, and communications. She successfully launched and exceeded the Institute’s first major fundraising campaign to support scientific research, which secured more than $360 million in 2015. In addition, Newman oversaw 14 years of Symphony at Salk, the Institute’s premier annual event, and created countless outreach programs, including the Salk Women & Science program, which she established in 2011 to raise the profile of women in science through fundraising and community engagement. Over her time at Salk, Newman increased private donations to Salk by an astounding 40 percent.

“Rebecca brought style and substance to her role as vice president. She was an icon in the local philanthropic community who did much to strengthen Salk’s groundbreaking scientific research programs,” says Salk President Gerald Joyce.