April 18, 2016
You might be surprised to learn that the sensors for sweet-tasting molecules aren’t located only on your tongue—they’re also found in the gut, pancreas, fat tissue, and muscle. And new research from the laboratory of George Kyriazis, PhD, assistant professor in the Integrative Metabolism Program at Lake Nona, indicates just how important these sweet taste receptors are in regulating metabolism. Continue reading “How your organs ‘taste’ sugar”
April 15, 2016
This is the first post in a series that will share what past SBP postdocs are doing now.
Louis Lapierre, PhD, was a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Malene Hansen, PhD, associate professor in the Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program from 2008 to 2014, where he studied the molecular mechanisms of aging using the microscopic roundworm C. elegans. Since January 2015, he has been an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry at Brown University. His lab researches the role of lipophagy in aging, the process by which cells recycle fats to enhance longevity.
What did you gain from your postdoc experience at Sanford-Burnham? What was the best thing about doing science here?
Conducting research at Sanford-Burnham was a great stepping-stone in my career development. After my first publication there, because I was in a lab led by an emerging scientist, I had the flexibility to carry out research that I personally cared about, which led to interesting and unexpected findings. Eventually, I obtained independent financial support that was critical for my transition to independence. Importantly, SBP’s location in La Jolla means that it is surrounded by highly skilled researchers and state-of-the-art infrastructure, which makes for a cutting-edge, competitive environment.
How did you find your first job after your postdoc? Was it challenging?
I interviewed for several positions during the first half of 2014. The faculty job search is grueling, but I feel privileged to have gone through it. The main challenge is the outstanding level of competition not only at research-intensive institutions, but also at lower tier schools.
Why do you say participating in the faculty selection process was a privilege?
I think it’s easy to forget that our accomplishments were possible because, at some point, someone believed in us. Receiving support from colleagues and mentors and then being selected for interview by a search committee is a privilege that only a few postdocs get to experience.
What advice do you have for postdocs who hope to find a faculty position?
During your postdoc, plan meticulously to position yourself in line with funding opportunities and aggressively pursue emerging topics. During the job search, understand your value on the market, develop an interesting research program with long-term potential and strategically market yourself at conferences.
What do you enjoy most about your work and why?
I think the most fascinating part of basic research is the possibility of making new and exciting discoveries, and being at the forefront of knowledge. I also find mentoring highly rewarding because I get to make a difference in someone else’s life by building their confidence. This is especially gratifying when I get to work with students who have a passion for science, which is so important to thrive in this competitive environment.
What do you miss most about San Diego and why?
You only realize what you have when you lose it. Leaving San Diego was difficult because I knew nowhere else would be as good. I miss San Diego, not only for its incredible weather and beautiful beaches, but most importantly for the great friends I made there.
April 13, 2016
Scientific staff at SBP’s Lake Nona campus are excited to welcome this year’s crop of high school interns in June. The highly competitive program—one of very few in Florida to offer such extensive hands-on research—received 48 applications from students for seven coveted slots. The majority of the academically talented, highly motivated students have taken advanced science coursework at area schools including Edgewater, Winter Park, Jones, East River, Trinity Prep, Timber Creek, Dr. Philips, Boone, Seminole and many others.
“We hope to provide transformative experiences—to immerse students in real, modern research using sophisticated techniques,” said Peter Crawford, MD, PhD, associate professor and director of the Cardiovascular Metabolism Program, who will oversee the internship program this year.
The interns will be involved in cutting-edge projects such as:
In their two to four weeks at SBP, trainees will work one-on-one with staff scientists and postdocs. In addition to lab training, they’ll be exposed to research from across the Institute through weekly seminars and discuss their work in lab meetings.
This involvement in the scientific community helps summer interns gain a lot more than knowledge of how to do experiments. Past intern Christina Lee, now a sophomore at UCLA preparing for medical school, reflected that she acquired “an invaluable perspective on how quickly the scientific community is moving forward.”
“What surprised me most in the lab,” said intern Mitchell Thomas, “is the unwavering motivation researchers have. Though some procedures are very time consuming and may not work the first time, they continue on.”
Appreciating the pace of scientific progress and the rigors of laboratory research will be a great benefit for these students, who plan to pursue life science careers. The 50 SBP Lake Nona internship alumni are now pursuing higher education at such prestigious universities as Duke, Stanford, the University of Florida, and the University of Pennsylvania.
April 7, 2016
A bunch of scientists walk into a brewery…
It sounds like the beginning of a joke, and there were plenty of smiles at the Karl Strauss Brewery in downtown San Diego on April 5th, but they were on the faces of the people there to see science and art come together, as part of a BioArt exhibit. Continue reading “A bunch of scientists walk into a brewery…”
April 7, 2016
Funding for the laboratory of José Luis Millán, PhD, professor in the Human Genetics Program, has been renewed by the NIH to the tune of $3 million over the next five years. The grant ensures that they can continue to advance understanding of and develop treatments for the rare disease called hypophosphatasia (HPP). This disease—also known as soft bones—can cause skeletal deformities of the limbs and chest and result in frequent fractures and premature loss of teeth. HPP is estimated to affect approximately one per 100,000 live births.
The Millán lab’s decades of research have already led to the first-ever treatment, asfotase alfa, an enzyme that’s injected three to six times per week to help harden bones. This drug is a functional version of the enzyme that’s defective or missing in HPP patients, tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase, that is modified to help it reach mineralizing tissues such as bone. Asfotase alfa is manufactured by Alexion Pharmaceuticals and was approved by the FDA last year.
The new therapy has transformed the lives of patients who received it as part of the clinical trial. For example, San Diego’s own Morgan Fischer couldn’t walk before receiving it, but she has since started skiing, riding ponies, and joined a kids’ baseball team.
“It is a rare privilege for a basic research scientist like myself to be able to translate our laboratory work to the clinic and impact patients’ lives,” said Millán. “It’s been extremely rewarding to see how much this treatment has helped these children, and now also adults, afflicted by this genetic disorder.”
“But our work is not done.”
With their current NIH support, Millán’s research group will address asfotase alfa’s limitations. For one, it doesn’t prevent premature fusion of skull bones, which means that many patients still need surgery to allow the brain to grow properly. Investigating other factors regulating skull development could identify targets for future drugs that could be used in combination with enzyme replacement.
Another potential problem with asfotase alfa is that it may contribute to hardening of the arteries in adults. This may result from the way the enzyme is modified, which could also lead to accumulation in arteries. The researchers will examine whether alternative forms of the enzyme can lessen this effect.
“While our earlier research went from the bench to the bedside, now we’re taking what we’ve learned from patients back to the bench. Hopefully, our studies will lead to insights that allow hypophosphatasia patients to live long, healthy lives,” Millán added.
April 5, 2016
This post was written by Nicole Le, a guest blogger.
Imagine if we could clear the brain of plaque that accumulates and causes Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as simply as having the plaque removed from our teeth? The body has a natural clearing mechanism in place to rid the brain of these deposits, but if this mechanism gets overwhelmed or disrupted, the plaques can accumulate and lead to neurodegeneration. Continue reading “Closing in on the causes of Alzheimer’s disease”
March 30, 2016
Researchers at SBP have identified a protein complex that is required for conversion of “bad” white fat to “good” brown fat. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, could help treat metabolic disorders such as obesity. Continue reading “Generating good fat by pushing the right buttons”
March 29, 2016
If you’ve been paying attention to science news, you’ve probably heard a lot about genome editing and the technology that’s made it so widely used, CRISPR (pronounced “crisper”). Most controversially, a team in China edited the genomes of human embryos — a landmark event that raised concerns of a slippery slope towards unethical uses. Nonetheless, few doubt that the technology will revolutionize research and treatment of genetic disease. Continue reading “CRISPR: a new era in gene editing”
March 23, 2016
It’s called the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) Cohort Program, and it was just announced in February by President Obama. If you join the cohort (group of subjects tracked over a long period of time), you can help researchers improve precision medicine, in which doctors select the treatments and preventive strategies that will work best for each patient. This program is just one component of the larger Precision Medicine Initiative announced during last year’s State of the Union address.
What’s the goal? According to NIH Director Francis Collins, the cohort program “seeks to extend precision medicine to all diseases by building a national research cohort of one million or more U.S. participants,” all enrolled by 2019.
Why recruit so many people? Since the program is intended to benefit people affected by many diseases and conditions, it must include large, representative samples of people with each type. Large samples increase the likelihood that studies using these data will find new associations and interactions among genes, environmental factors, and disease risk.
What will participants do? Volunteers will share their health records, complete surveys on lifestyle and environmental exposures, undergo a physical, and provide a biological sample (e.g. blood) for genetic testing.
How will people benefit? Participants will be considered partners in research—they’ll have access to their genetic data and, where possible, how their genes, surroundings, and habits affect their health. They’ll also have a say in how the research is conducted and what questions it should address.
Who’s running it? The NIH is overseeing the whole program, but it will be directly run from multiple institutions (which are currently being selected). The pilot phase will be led by Vanderbilt University and Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences).
What’s the cost? $130 million has been allotted in this fiscal year, but more money will be needed to keep the program going.
Should I be excited about it? Maybe. Some leaders in the health field have criticized the program for throwing money at the latest big thing instead of more low-tech problems like unequal access to healthcare, but such a huge data resource is bound to lead to answers to many important questions.
What are the challenges for the PMI?
How can I sign up? Enrollment has not yet begun, but the NIH will announce when the public can get involved. So stay tuned…
March 21, 2016
SBP’s La Jolla campus recently hosted a one-day conference on Cancer Immunology and the Tumor Microenvironment, one of the hottest topics in cancer research. The symposium on March 17 attracted approximately 160 attendees from across the La Jolla biomedical research mesa.
The symposium was organized by Carl Ware, PhD and Robert Rickert, PhD, directors of the Inflammatory and Infectious Disease Center and the Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Immunology Program, respectively. They planned a scientific agenda that covered diverse aspects of research on harnessing the immune system to treat cancer, from improving current immunotherapies to identifying new immunological targets. Talks were given by prestigious scientists including:
Two SBP researchers also presented. Linda Bradley, PhD, professor in the Immunity and Pathogenesis Program, discussed her work on the immune cell surface protein PSGL-1, showing that it regulates PD-1, a so-called “immune checkpoint.” PD-1 is found on T cells and normally acts as on “off switch” to keep the immune system from attacking cells in the body. PD-1 regulators are a new approach to treating cancer that work by unleashing cytotoxic T cells to kill cancer cells.
Adam Godzik, PhD, professor and director of the Bioinformatics and Structural Biology Program, spoke about using bioinformatic analyses to search for new cancer drivers related to the immune response. Cancer drivers are genes that, when altered, are responsible for cancer progression. Combining cancer mutation and protein structure databases, his team has identified many genes involved in immune recognition of tumors.