A growing Vibrio cholerae biofilm. Cholera bacteria form colonies called biofilms that enable them to resist antibiotic therapy within the body and other challenges to their growth. Each slightly curved comma shape represents an individual bacterium from assembled confocal microscopy images. Different colors show each bacterium’s position in the biofilm in relation to the surface on which the film is growing.
Image courtesy of Jing Yan and Bonnie Bassler, Princeton University.
Basic research is sometimes mocked or misunderstood because its ultimate value to human society may not be obvious. Most modern advances in medicine, science and technology originated with basic research that created new knowledge and laid the path to greater health and prosperity.
In the October 29 issue of Nature, the journal celebrates “7 basic science discoveries that changed the world.” Among them, the discovery of a heat-loving bacterium named Thermus aquaticus in a Yellowstone National Park hot spring by microbiologist Thomas Brock (1926-2021) and his undergrad assistant Hudson Freeze, PhD, now director of the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys.
“I was seeing something that nobody had ever seen before,” Freeze told the journal. “I still get goosebumps when I remember looking into the microscope.”
The discovery of T. aquaticus in 1966 and the isolation of a key bacterial enzyme by Brock and Freeze began the scientific journey that led to the development of the polymerase chain reaction or PCR, a method for rapidly making thousands of copies of a single fragment of DNA.
PCR has since proven to be an indispensable and ubiquitous tool throughout biomedical research and medicine.
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a network of proteins and carbohydrates that surrounds and supports cells in tissues throughout the body. In this image, the ECM (pink) is present between the axons of nerve cells. Blue-colored nerve cell axons are surrounded by brown-colored, myelin-supplying Schwann cells, which act like insulation to help speed the transmission of electric nerve impulses down the axon. The tiny brown spots within the ECM are collagen fibers.
Image courtesy of Tom Deerinck, NCMIR, UCSD.
Feng lab member Alexandra Houser impressed the judges with her pitch on the importance of turning off brain cells
Turning off neurons in our brain is just as important as turning them on, according to third-place Postdoc Pitch Competition contestant Alexandra Houser, PhD.
Houser, a postdoctoral associate at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in the Feng lab, discussed how our ability to have complex thoughts is due to a sequence of on and off signals—akin to a version of Morse code—that neurons use to communicate to one another. She studies proteins called voltage-gated potassium channels that are an important facilitator of these neuron-to-neuron interactions.
Better understanding of the structure of these proteins—and how it changes in aging or in diseases such as epilepsy—may help future scientists develop new treatments.
Joining Houser at the contest was fellow Sanford Burnham Prebys scientist Jessica Proulx, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the Adams lab. She presented her work regarding how aging interferes with the harmonious balance of transcription factors and chromatin regulators that control which genes are turned on or off in different types of cells.
Proulx shared the team’s success in restoring the activity of a master transcriptional regulator of liver cell identity—HNF4 alpha—using viral-mediated gene delivery tools. This approach may underpin future treatments for age-associated liver dysfunction.
Houser and Proulx were selected to participate in the inaugural Mesa-wide Postdoc Pitch Competition held at Sanford Burnham Prebys on October 23, 2025, after being named the two best presenters at the qualifying event for the institute’s postdoctoral researchers on September 30.
Jessica Proulx, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the Adams lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.
The Postdoc Pitch Competition was hosted by the Torrey Pines Training Consortium and sponsored by local companies Yamay Bio, BD, Complete Genomics, Hamilton, TriLink Biotechnologies and Wilson Sonsini. The event featured scientists from Sanford Burnham Prebys, Scripps Research, the Salk Institute and the University of California San Diego. Participants were asked to present their work in a compelling, accessible and engaging pitch—and in three minutes or less.
Additional 2025 Postdoc Pitch Competition contestants
Event recording now available for panel discussion with scientists held on October 14, 2025
David A. Brenner, MD, president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, welcomed members of the San Diego community to the latest event in the “A Conversation About” community engagement program on October 14, 2025.
Attendees participated in an engaging afternoon exploring the connections between aging and metabolic disorders. Brenner moderated the discussion among three featured panelists:
The event was introduced by Reena Horowitz, founder of Group of 12 and Friends at Sanford Burnham Prebys, whose support has been instrumental in fostering dialogue around science and health within our community.
The “A Conversation About” series brings together Sanford Burnham Prebys researchers, clinicians, and community members to explore how aging influences key health issues that affect older adults. Each session highlights current findings, innovative collaborations, and opportunities to translate scientific discoveries into improved health outcomes.
Previous events included:
In this stained fluorescence image of a slice of mouse brain, green depicts the excitatory hippocampal neurons; in red are obesity-associated proteins and cell nuclei in blue.
Image courtesy of Ainara Pintor.
Dubbed “Pollock’s Glia,” this 3D reconstructed immunostained micrograph depicts astrocytes (white), oligodendrocytes (blue) and microglia (red) in human brain white matter, reminiscent of the artist Jackson Pollock’s abstract paintings.
Image courtesy of Yixun Su.
Meet one of our early-career scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute: Rouven Arnold, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Peter Adams, PhD. Rouven is a geneticist studying how aging affects the identity of individual cells. His goal is to protect people from common age-related diseases such as heart disease, cancer and dementia.
What are the key areas of research you focus on?
I’m interested in cell identity and how cell identity changes during aging. In our bodies, we have about 30 trillion cells, all with the same genetic information. So how does a liver cell know that it’s a liver cell and not a brain cell?
The answer is epigenetics, a layer of control governing the expression of genes in our DNA. With aging, we see a loss of cell identity or, in other words, epigenetic erosion. And that can eventually contribute to age-related diseases.
I’m particularly interested in a protein called HIRA, a histone chaperone. I study how this protein tries to maintain the cell’s identity as we age and prevents the onset of age-related diseases. The goal is to help people age healthier.
This is an important point to emphasize whenever we talk about aging research. The goal is not to live forever. We are trying to help people live healthier for longer.
When and how did you become interested in science?
For me, it clicked when I was in high school and we covered genetics in biology class. I found it incredibly fascinating to learn how traits are passed on and how mutations lead to diseases.
I also realized that even small discoveries can make a huge impact. This gives every biomedical scientist a sense of purpose in advancing knowledge and improving health.
What did you imagine you would be doing professionally, and how did it evolve?
I have always been connected to the research world because my parents are both biologists. I did not grow up knowing I would become a scientist. My fascination began in high school and didn’t fully solidify until college. At that point, genetics became my main focus and something I truly enjoyed pursuing.
What brought you to the Adams lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys?
Before starting graduate school, I worked in several labs in Germany. I gained experience in cancer and heart research. When I started my PhD, I realized that much of my previous research was connected to aging.
As we age, many age-related diseases tend to pop up, such as cancer. After my PhD, I was looking for a postdoctoral research position in aging research and I found an opening in the Adams lab. I was already familiar with his work because he’s well-known in the field, so I was very excited to apply.
I haven’t regretted it at all as I’ve had a wonderful experience with this team.
What motivates you about your research?
Sometimes, research can be very challenging. But there are other times where everything falls into place. And then you get this perfect moment, which is incredibly rewarding.
In those moments, you can reflect on the entire process, from generating your hypothesis and designing your experiment to executing it and seeing an exciting result, and everything just aligns. When you have one of these experiences, you remember why you are in science, and you reap the rewards of learning something completely new. That’s a pretty amazing feeling.
Being a scientist also means you share the same passion and curiosity with all the people around you. And that’s motivating you to do even better science, because you are inspired by the collective enthusiasm.
What do you like about working here?
Sanford Burnham Prebys stands out for its collaborative environment. Everyone here is friendly and always eager to help you. Whenever I have a problem in the lab, I can walk down the hallway, talk to someone, and we come up with solutions.
I also think that the core facilities here are exceptional. They provide a tremendous boost to my research.
What are your hopes for the next stage in your career?
My wife and I are both German, so we do plan to return to Europe. I want to take everything I have learned here and continue working as a scientist.
There are several places in Europe, such as Germany, Switzerland and Portugal, with emerging aging research institutes, and more and more universities are starting departments focused on aging research. I’m hopeful that I will be able to continue contributing to this field after my postdoctoral training.
Have you had an influential mentor?
Peter (Adams) has been an incredible mentor. He is very supportive and always eager to connect me with people I can learn from or collaborate with to advance my project and grow as a scientist.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not in the lab?
I enjoy rock climbing and being out in nature. Also, I feel like when you live in Southern California, you have to try surfing. It’s really challenging, but it’s also a lot of fun so I’m still working on getting better at it.
Postdocs at Sanford Burnham Prebys are pushing the boundaries of science every day through curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. This series highlights their unique journeys, what inspires their work, and the impact they’re making across our labs.
Scientific achievement is typically measured in terms of the work of its principal investigators, their labs and colleagues. But good science requires safe science. In an essay published in Lab Manager, Jennifer Ramil, MBA, director of environmental health & safety at Sanford Burnham Prebys, recounts her own journey from bench to biosafety.
What began as curiosity at the bench, she writes, can evolve into a calling to protect researchers, shape safer labs and strengthen institutions.
A micrograph depicting a dividing embryonic human kidney cell. Green marks the cellular boundary, red marks the mitochondria and blue shows the separating chromosomes.
Image courtesy of Sayantan Datta.