May 3, 2016
On Saturday, April 23, a team of SBP researchers and their family members participated in Walk MS to raise funds for multiple sclerosis (MS) research and show their support for those affected by the disease. Continue reading “SBP team supports multiple sclerosis research at Walk MS”
May 2, 2016
Layton Smith, PhD, director of drug discovery at SBP’s Lake Nona campus and Sumit Chanda, PhD, professor and director of the Immunity and Pathogenesis Program, were both plenary speakers at the University of Florida Drug Discovery Symposium held Friday, April 29.
Chanda spoke on systems-based approaches to drug discovery—using large-scale and big-data driven approaches to identify new drug targets and drugs. This strategy has enabled Chanda’s team to identify numerous novel human (host) targets and small molecules for the development of antivirals against influenza and HIV. Host targets are increasingly sought as a means to prevent viral transmission since they are more stable compared to viral targets that mutate frequently, causing drug resistance.
“The strategies we use aren’t limited to infectious disease,” said Chanda. “We make an active effort to share the tools we develop with the whole biomedical community so they can be applied to find drug targets for all sorts of diseases.”
Smith presented examples of small molecule discovery projects pursued by his group. One of these was a novel approach to finding small molecule activators of GPR20, an “orphan” receptor, so-called because the types of molecules that activate and inhibit it remain unknown.
The lack of knowledge about GPR20 and the other 200 orphan receptors to which it is related can be attributed in part to the lack of tools available to study them. Many of these have been linked to human diseases—for example, GPR20 may play a role in bipolar disorder and gastrointestinal problems.
Smith’s team used its ultra-high throughput screening (uHTS) robots and a novel cellular assay to scour their library of over 300,000 compounds to find one that could activate GPR20 and facilitate further research in this area.
“This work demonstrates that we can apply a uHTS strategy to find tool compounds that will allow us to exploit the potential of orphan receptors for new therapeutic discovery,” said Smith.
This meeting brought together leaders in the field working on a variety of topics, from finding new uses for natural products to developing faster, cheaper, more sustainable ways to synthesize drugs. The diversity likely shed new light on how participants see their work, which ultimately may advance new approaches for drug discovery.
April 29, 2016
The annual Southeast Center for Integrated Metabolomics (SECIM) symposium will be held at SBP’s Lake Nona Campus next week (May 3-4). SECIM, a collaboration between SBP and the University of Florida, is one of six federally funded centers that provide cutting-edge metabolite fingerprinting capabilities to the research community. Metabolites are small molecules in the body that populate the complex web of metabolic pathways. Metabolomics is a relatively new field that uses sophisticated technologies to detect hundreds to thousands of metabolites in biological samples. A metabolite profile can serve as a signature of health, disease or drug action. Continue reading “SBP’s Lake Nona campus to host metabolomics symposium”
April 28, 2016
A major challenge in developing cancer drugs is finding ways to kill tumors without damaging healthy tissue. It’s tough—since cancer cells share the same cellular machinery as normal cells, scientists have to be mindful about the targets they choose. One way to balance these concerns is to target cellular processes—such as protein synthesis and degradation—that tumors frequently overuse to support their rapid and aberrant growth. Continue reading “Deeper dive into emerging cancer drugs’ actions”
April 28, 2016
The director of Translational Cardiovascular Research at SBP’s Lake Nona campus was recently named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). E. Douglas Lewandowski, PhD, was one of 33 scientists selected to become a AAAS fellow in the Section on Medical Sciences, recognizing his “distinguished contributions to fundamental aspects of cardiac metabolism and their implications for heart disease.” Continue reading “Doug Lewandowski, PhD, elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science”
April 27, 2016
San Diego’s Torrey Pines mesa, with its thousands of great scientific minds, is a hub of neurological research. Recent research projects have focused on finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Funding this research is crucial. That is why scientists, philanthropists and musicians are “banding together” to present Funky Town – a concert for Alzheimer’s San Diego at 6:30pm on May 18th at the Music Box in Little Italy. Money raised that night will go to Collaboration 4 Cure (C4C), a local grant program that funds San Diego scientists studying neurological disease.
It will be a fun night of music featuring The Full Strength Funk Band, Jonny Tarr and special guest artists. Tickets for $25 are available at www.musicboxsd.com. Just scroll down to May 18th and click on “get tickets.”
There will be several auction items, including a Taylor guitar!
Speakers include County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, Alzheimer’s San Diego CEO Mary Ball and SBP’s Dr. Michael Jackson. SBP’s Kristen Cusato will serve as emcee.
Consider that 60,000 San Diegans have dementia— it’s the third leading cause of death in San Diego county. And this mind-robbing disease has no treatment or cure or even a way to slow its progression. In addition to helping raise funds, the Funky Town concert will serve as a distraction for caregivers, an opportunity to dance and listen to music, to do something for themselves as they travel on this painful journey of taking care of someone with dementia.
Let’s band together for a cure. We hope to see you there!
Together, we can #ENDALZ.
April 26, 2016
This is part of a series on what past SBP postdocs are doing now.
Monika Schneider, PhD, was a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Sumit Chanda, PhD, professor and director of the Immunity and Pathogenesis Program, from 2012-2014, where she studied how the immune system recognizes and clears HIV. After serving as a science policy advocate at the American Association of Immunologists, she recently took a position with the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy.
What’s your job like— what do you do every day?
In my current position, I develop policy solutions to issues that affect drug development and health care. My duties include research to identify the main players, current policy, and gaps in knowledge or process; convening meetings with relevant stakeholders; and writing up reports on recommended policies and pathways for implementation.
What do you enjoy most about it and why?
I really enjoy learning new things, and here I get to learn about what has to happen after discovery of a drug at a research institution before it can be marketed. I also get to make an impact on how drug development is prioritized and paid for.
What do you hope to accomplish in your career?
It’s the same as what initially drew me to science in general and immunology in particular: helping to reduce the suffering caused by disease. I hope to develop policies that will result in smarter, faster, and less costly drug development.
What did you gain from your postdoc experience at SBP?
I really appreciated the translational aspect of much of the research at SBP. I also feel that during my time as a postdoc, I learned how to do team science. Having multiple projects, and collaborators that were on the other side of the country, really strengthened my organizational and project management skills.
How did you find your first job after your postdoc? Was it challenging?
I found my first job through a job posting site. It was not challenging for me mostly due to good timing and fit—the organization’s leadership knew my references. However, I believe that my involvement in student government and the SBP Science Network (SBP-SN) gave me a leg up.
Were you looking specifically for jobs in science policy?
No, I was also considering scientific program management and medical writing. I really enjoy discussing science (I always liked lab meetings) and technical writing, so I was looking for positions where I could serve as a liaison between scientists and government, business interests, or the public.
What do you miss most and least about San Diego?
I miss the plethora of breweries, Mexican food, and, of course, the friends I made while living there. I do not miss sitting in traffic to get to work (I take the metro now) or the lack of leafy trees and grass.
April 21, 2016
Pedal the Cause today presented $1,300,000 in grant funding to four San Diego research institutions to fund seven collaborative research projects. The check presentation was made by Pedal the Cause Executive Director Jay Indovino during a press conference at Rady Children’s Hospital–San Diego this morning. Continue reading “New grants from Pedal the Cause will advance cancer research”
April 20, 2016
SBP and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a global pharmaceutical company, have announced the creation of the SBP-GSK Center for Translational Neuroscience. The new Center, located on the SBP campus in La Jolla, will bring together experts from SBP and GSK to investigate factors that influence brain function and potentially reverse or slow down neurodegeneration, with the aim of identifying and validating new therapeutic targets. Under the three year agreement, GSK will provide funding to create and support a research laboratory. Staffed by SBP scientists, postdoctoral candidates and technicians working alongside neuroscientists from GSK, the Center will be designed to bolster research dedicated to translational neuroscience. Continue reading “SBP and GSK create new Center for Translational Neuroscience”
April 19, 2016
The director of SBP’s Cardiovascular Metabolism Program was recently elected into a pre-eminent honor society for physician-scientists. Peter Crawford, MD, PhD, was one of 74 medical researchers whose nominations to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) were accepted in 2016. This distinction is conferred only on investigators who have made significant scientific advances prior to the age of 50. Continue reading “Peter Crawford, MD, PhD, elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation”