The series highlights the groundbreaking work and unique perspectives of women leaders in the biomedical sciences.
On May 13, 2026, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute hosted the third event in the Women in Science Lecture Series. The first featured speaker was Erica Ollmann Saphire, PhD, MBA, professor, president and CEO of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology.
Saphire told the audience about a turning point in 2013 in her field studying how antibodies work against the Ebola virus. Antibodies are especially important treatments for infectious diseases that lack an effective vaccine, as was the case for the Ebola virus until 2019. Saphire described the challenge that emerged when an antibody predicted to be effective based on laboratory results had no effect on survival in animal studies, whereas a cocktail of three antibodies that was ineffective in laboratory cell culture tests actually protected every animal against the infection.
“Collectively, as a body of scientists, it became clear we were missing some information about how to study the neutralizing effects of antibodies,” said Saphire. “The key was seeing the clue that how well the treatment protected was dependent on what kind of cell it was made in and how that effected the antibodies’ ability to recruit the immune system.”
To enable experiments following up on that lead, Saphire organized a large coalition of academic, industrial and government labs from across the world. Each partner sent their antibodies or neutralization assays to a single location where they could be studied side by side under code names to protect intellectual property. The consortium fast-tracked a smaller study that led to the first therapeutic approved for treating Ebola, and the longer-term comprehensive study would go on to develop much better therapeutics for the disease. Due to this initiative’s success, Saphire was asked to lead a Gates Foundation-supported project to evaluate antibody therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2.
Saphire closed her presentation with her reflections on how to improve the scientific system so that it works better for researchers.
Kersten and Saphire with fireside chat moderator and cardiovascular researcher Sanjeev Ranade, PhD. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.
“I’ve learned over 20 years that a siloed approach very much gives a siloed answer,” Saphire said. “It is important to find out how different experts’ interests and motivations align and intersect and then put resources behind that to find success.”
Sanjeev Ranade, PhD, assistant professor in the Center for Cardiovascular and Muscular Diseases at Sanford Burnham Prebys, then moderated a fireside chat and audience question-and-answer session with Saphire and Kelly Kersten, PhD, assistant professor in the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program at the Sanford Burnham Prebys NCI-Designated Cancer Center. Topics included: the remarkable power and complexity of the immune system; the contrast in needing to mitigate the immune system in allergies and autoimmune disease versus boosting it in the right ways in cancer and infectious disease; how to effectively introduce your work to people outside of science; how roles change as academic and leadership careers progress; and advice for students and trainees beginning their careers in biomedical research.
The Women in Science Lecture Series features events that are free and open to the public. The series is part of broader efforts at Sanford Burnham Prebys to foster an environment that nurtures the success of individuals from all backgrounds. The events are hosted by the Office of Workforce Engagement & Belonging and highlight the groundbreaking work and unique perspectives of women leaders in the biomedical sciences, while fostering mentorship and collaboration across the Torrey Pines Mesa.
Registration is open for the next event in the series on October 14, 2026.
