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Institute News

Michael Alcaraz awarded Melvin and Phyllis McCardle Clause Scholarship

AuthorGreg Calhoun
Date

September 18, 2024

Michael Alcaraz, headshot in lab
Michael Alcaraz is a fourth-year graduate student in the Sanford Burnham Prebys Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

The scholarship program for graduate students was created by the Clause family’s generous donation to Sanford Burnham Prebys.

Michael Alcaraz, a fourth-year graduate student in the Sanford Burnham Prebys Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, was selected as the 2024 recipient of the Melvin and Phyllis McCardle Clause Scholarship.

“I am very excited about being chosen for this scholarship,” said Alcaraz. “I’ll be gaining mentorship opportunities from researchers in neuroscience that complement my lab’s focus on aging.

“This funding will make a big difference as my research moves forward. The scholarship also provides support for professional development, which will allow me to attend conferences to share what I’m studying and grow my network.”

The McCardle Clause Scholarship was established in honor of Phyllis McCardle Clause after her long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The award supports graduate student education in age-related neurodegeneration within the Institute’s graduate school.

Alcaraz conducts research in the laboratory of Peter D. Adams, PhD, the director of the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program, with a focus on the mechanisms of aging.

With support from the scholarship, Alcaraz will be investigating the fundamental connections between aging and the increased risk of AD, the most common cause of dementia. His project is focused on the role of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), an essential metabolite and building block for enzymes.

NAD+ levels decrease with age in several tissues, including in the brains of humans and mouse models of AD. The decline of this important metabolite is associated with insufficient energy metabolism that is a major hallmark of AD.

“In collaboration with the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, we will test a potential drug to promote production of NAD+ in the brain by activating a key enzyme involved in NAD+ biosynthesis,” said Alcaraz.  The compound was developed by the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics led by Michael Jackson, PhD, senior vice president of Drug Discovery and Development.

“The goal of my project is to raise the levels of NAD+ in mice suffering from an analogous condition to AD and test its effects on improving brain metabolism, function and behavior,” added Alcaraz.

“The objective is to build the preclinical foundation for one day achieving benefits for patients. We all know how devastating AD is for patients and families, and the need for new treatments grows greater every single day.

“This project will require a lot of collaboration between experts in aging, drug discovery, neuroscience and behavioral analysis. We have all this expertise available across the Institute, and I’m looking forward to working with an interdisciplinary team on this effort thanks to the generosity of the Clause family.”

Institute News

Chiara Nicoletti, PhD, garners inaugural Fishman Fund Cynthia Schwartz Shenkman Research Excellence Award

AuthorGreg Calhoun
Date

September 12, 2024

Chiara Nicoletti, profile photo in office
Chiara Nicoletti, PhD, studies epigenetic patterns in skeletal muscle development and disease in the laboratory of Pier Lorenzo Puri, MD, director of the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program.

This annual award was established in 2024 to recognize the contributions of postdoctoral fellows at Sanford Burnham Prebys.

Chiara Nicoletti, PhD, a postdoctoral associate at Sanford Burnham Prebys, was selected as the first recipient of the Fishman Fund Cynthia Schwartz Shenkman Research Excellence Award. 

This award is one of two new honors being given during the 23rd Fishman Funds awards ceremony on September 17, marking 2024 as a special year for the Institute and the supporting donors.  

The inaugural Don Barach Fishman Fund Career Award adds a fourth prize in the category of career awards focused on providing professional development opportunities for postdoctoral fellows. In addition, the Fishman Fund Cynthia Schwartz Shenkman Research Excellence Award adds a new third category of honors.  

This award recognizes and rewards experienced postdoctoral fellows who have achieved a track record of research excellence. It is designed to help offset the cost of living in the region, and to benefit recipients as they prepare for the next step in their careers.

“For me, this award provides recognition of my hard work and that of my colleagues,” said Nicoletti. “It also acknowledges my mentor at Sanford Burnham Prebys and how he supports members of his laboratory.”

Nicoletti studies epigenetic patterns in skeletal muscle development and disease in the laboratory of Pier Lorenzo Puri, MD, director of the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program.

“My graduate school mentor met Lorenzo at a conference in 2016,” said Nicoletti. “Lorenzo wanted to apply what was then a very new technique called Hi-C to better understand how the MyoD protein—a key player in the establishment of muscle cell identity—is able to transform non-muscle cells into muscle.

“He wanted to study how changes in the three-dimensional organization of DNA can trigger alterations in gene expression, leading to a switch in cell identity. Few people in the world could analyze the data from these experiments at that time. And one of those people was me.”

Chiara’s accomplishments since joining Sanford Burnham Prebys and the Puri lab in 2018 include her work on dysferlinopathy, a rare form of muscular dystrophy. In collaboration with the laboratory of Jyoti K. Jaiswal, MSc, PhD, at Children’s National Research Institute in Washington, D.C., she developed an atlas mapping how the disease causes changes in the transcription of genes in skeletal muscle. This compendium follows the disease progression of dysferlinopathy at the single-cell level.

Dysferlinopathy patients suffer from progressive muscle loss in which muscle cells are replaced by fat and scar tissue. Understanding how this process takes place may accelerate research to find new drugs to improve muscle function. For her work on this project, Nicoletti was recently recognized with the Young Investigator Award by the Jain Foundation, a nonprofit foundation focused on finding a cure for dysferlinopathy.

“When you get to know people with muscular dystrophy, you immediately see that their minds are bursting with life,” reflected Nicoletti. “Someone I met recently said his dream was to bring his daughter to the altar at her wedding and have a father-daughter dance. If we can do something to improve his quality of life, imagine the ripple effects of what that would mean to his daughter, to his whole family.”

When Nicoletti completes her postdoctoral fellowship, she would like to remain in academia as an independent principal investigator.

“As a bioinformatician with experience in bench research, I hope to bring different labs together to build interdisciplinary collaborations focused on how diverse biological systems and organs interact.

“I also would like to teach as I feel it is our fundamental duty as scientists to train the next generation. I believe it is especially important to educate students and postdoctoral fellows about basic bioinformatics skills so that they are better equipped to evaluate published data and collaborate with computational biologists.”

Nicoletti also expressed a long-term goal of applying computational biology methods to advance knowledge of why patients are more or less susceptible to disease and have different responses to medications. These learnings are critical to personalizing treatment plans for individuals rather than populations.

Nicoletti is thankful for the support of the Fishman Fund Cynthia Schwartz Shenkman Research Excellence Award during the remainder of her postdoctoral training.

“The work I do is very rewarding. It feels close to the best that humanity has to offer when scientists and patients collaborate to achieve a common goal.

“I’m so grateful for this award, which serves as even more motivation for me, my mentor and collaborators. We’re each only given one life, and I’m determined to give back as much as I can to society through science.”

Institute News

Brenner receives Director of the Year award for leading “companies in transition”

AuthorScott LaFee
Date

September 5, 2024

David Brenner standing in front of Sanford Burnham Prebys logo

Congratulations to Sanford Burnham Prebys President and CEO David Brenner, who received last night the 2024 Director of the Year award in the category of “companies in transition” from the Corporate Directors Forum, a San Diego-based network of top executives.

The award was presented in ceremonies at the Hyatt Regency in La Jolla.

Brenner, who became president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys in September 2022, was honored for his bold and dramatic vision of the institute as a 21st century leader in biomedical research.

“This award is given to directors who have contributed significantly in times of change and have brought positive and productive conclusions,” said Lori Moore, a former award recipient and Sanford Burnham Prebys trustee in her introduction at the event.

“David is both passionate and humble. He is both a physician and a scientist. Most importantly, David leads a cultural shift at Sandford Burnham Prebys with tenacity, passion, and humility! He has brought in exceptional new scientists and restructured the organization. His passion is to create a culture in our community where people synergize and find resources to work together. He indeed translates science into health.”

In just two years, Brenner has restructured the institute as home to four disease-focused centers (cancer, cardiovascular, neurologic and metabolic) and three technology-enabling centers for drug discovery, multi-omics and artificial intelligence.

With a landmark $70 million gift from philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, he has recruited a dozen new and established scientists.

“The old ways of thinking about and doing science no longer adequately address the complexities of modern science or the realities of the public health challenges we face,” said Brenner. “As scientists and physicians, we must transform how we work even as our work continues to transform itself.”

Institute News

Emily Wu awarded Melvin and Phyllis McCardle Clause Scholarship

AuthorSusan Gammon
Date

September 28, 2023

Emily Wu headshot

A scholarship program enabled by the Clause family’s generous donations to the Institute has been awarded to Jiaqian (Emily) Wu, a graduate student in the lab of Nicholas Cosford, PhD, co-director and professor of the Cancer Molecular Therapeutics Program.

“This award is special to me because it’s more than a scholarship—it’s inspiring and encouraging for early-stage scholars,” says Wu. “My research goal is to discover innovative treatments of Alzheimer’s disease and enhance our understanding of the disease. Receiving this honor from a family who was affected by this devastating disease makes me even more motivated to advance my research. I sincerely appreciate the support.”

The McCardle Clause Scholarship was established in honor of Phyllis McCardle Clause who passed away after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease in 2008, in San Diego, California. The award supports graduate student education in neurodegeneration and aging within the Graduate Program for Biomedical Sciences.

Wu’s research focuses on a brain-specific enzyme called STEP, whose levels are increased in the human prefrontal cortex of AD patients. Genetic and pharmacological evidence from mouse studies suggest that targeting STEP, a signaling molecule involved in the initial synaptic dysfunction that occurs prior to the loss of neurons, may provide an early treatment option for Alzheimer’s disease.

“We are using a bold approach to screen for potential drugs that modulate STEP,” says Wu. “The strategy holds great potential in overcoming the historical challenges of drug potency, selectivity and blood-brain barrier penetration efficacy for Alzheimer’s disease.”

“More approaches to stemming Alzheimer’s disease are desperately needed. I’m hopeful that our research will contribute to the field and help people suffering this disease.”

Institute News

2023 Fishman Fund Award ceremony celebrates postdoctoral scholars

AuthorSusan Gammon
Date

September 15, 2023

From left to right: Brad Benter, Cheng-Ju Kuo, PhD, Theo Tzaridis, MD, Reena Horowitz and Sam Horowitz

Three talented early-career researchers were presented with prestigious Fishman Fund Awards at the 22nd annual ceremony on September 20.

More than 100 generous benefactors, past award winners, and family and friends joined the celebration held at the Sanford Consortium.

Fishman Fund co-founder Reena Horowitz greeted the audience and shared how she, along with Mary Bradley, established the Fishman Fund Awards in 2001 to honor Dr. William and Lillian Fishman, founders of Sanford Burnham Prebys.

The Fishmans were committed to fostering the careers of young scientists. The award ceremony honors our founders’ dedication to furthering the careers of promising scientists by gathering each autumn to celebrate exceptional postdocs.

Before the awards were presented to the winners, David Brenner, MD, CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys, described how important postdocs are to scientific discovery and why investing in their careers is a vital step toward improving human health.

“The postdoc experience is important, as it provides more training, experience and skills, before entering a more permanent science career,” said Brenner. “Postdocs represent the next generation of imagination and innovation, which much be recognized, encouraged and emboldened.”

Meet this year’s Fishman Fund Award winners

The Reena Horowitz & Mary Bradley Fishman Fund Founders Prize
Cheng-Ju Kuo, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Caroline Kumsta, is studying the biology of aging. Dr. Kuo is unraveling the molecular mechanisms linked to a cellular recycling process that declines with age. His findings could open up new possibilities to treat age-released diseases. Dr. Kuo’s goal is to establish his own laboratory where he will study aging and train the next generation of scientists.

Jeanne Jones and Kathryn Fishback Fishman Fund Prize
Alicia Llorente, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Dr. Brooke Emerling, is investigating how breast cancer cells become resistant to therapy. Dr. Llorente combines her expertise in lipid kinases with cancer biology to open possibilities for novel therapeutics for therapy-resistant breast cancer. Her career goal is to combine research with teaching by obtaining a faculty position at a university.

Lenka Finci and Erna Viterbi Fishman Fund Prize
Theo Tzaridis, MD, is a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Dr. Peter Adams, where he focuses on aggressive brain tumors. His research led to the identification of a key checkpoint molecule widely expressed in brain tumors, which is a significant step toward improving immunotherapy as a treatment for brain tumors. Dr. Tzaridis plans to become a leader in translating research findings into clinical trials.

Fishman Fund winners undergo a rigorous selection process that includes a personal interview and a presentation to the selection committee. All winners receive a $10,000 career development award that can be used to attend workshops, network and travel to national and international conferences to learn about the latest developments in their research fields.

A special thank-you to the Fishman Fund donors who make these awards possible.

Institute News

Presenting The Conrad Prebys Foundation fellows

AuthorMiles Martin
Date

May 15, 2023

Prebys fellows group photo

Thanks to a generous grant from The Conrad Prebys Foundation, a diverse group of early-career researchers will gain hands-on experience in drug discovery and translational medicine.

A new educational program at Sanford Burnham Prebys has welcomed a diverse group of early-career scientists to learn how to transform research discoveries into treatments for human diseases. The program was made possible by a generous grant from The Conrad Prebys Foundation as part of its mission to increase the diversity of San Diego’s biomedical workforce.

“Our mission at The Conrad Prebys Foundation is to create an inclusive, equitable and dynamic future for all San Diegans,” says Grant Oliphant, CEO at The Conrad Prebys Foundation. “San Diego is one of the top areas in the country for biomedical research, and we’re pleased to partner with Sanford Burnham Prebys to help strengthen the pipeline of diverse talent in life sciences research.”

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows selected for the program will complete projects at the Institute’s Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics (Prebys Center), the nation’s leading nonprofit drug discovery center. The Prebys Center specializes in finding new medicines for diseases with a substantial unmet medical need in order to develop better therapies. 

“Thank you to The Conrad Prebys Foundation. I am beyond grateful for their support,” says predoctoral Prebys fellow Michael Alcaraz, who will complete his project on the links between aging and brain disease with Professor Peter D. Adams, PhD, and Steven Olson, PhD, executive director of Medicinal Chemistry at the Prebys Center. 

To help fulfill the Foundation’s mission, Sanford Burnham Prebys students and postdocs from historically underrepresented groups were encouraged to apply for the new program.

“Promoting diversity in the biomedical workforce is a founding principle of our educational program,” says Alessandra Sacco, PhD, vice dean and associate dean of Student Affairs in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Sanford Burnham Prebys. Sacco will oversee the new program alongside Dean Guy Salvesen, PhD, and Professor Michael Jackson, PhD

“Working actively to train people from all backgrounds gives opportunities to people who may not otherwise have had them—and it also improves the quality of the research itself,” she adds.

“Translational research is one of the biggest priorities in biomedicine right now because it’s how we turn discoveries into actual medicines,” says Sacco. “This program gives students and postdocs an opportunity to build the skills they need for translational research jobs in academia or industry.”

The fellowship will culminate in a final symposium next spring, where the fellows will present their research to their peers and to the wider community. 

“I’m looking forward to gaining more experience and making my contribution to the translational science at the Prebys Center,” says predoctoral Prebys fellow Merve Demir, who will complete a structural biochemistry project with Assistant Professor Jianhua Zhao, PhD, and Eduard Sergienko, PhD, director of Assay Development at the Prebys Center. 

The full list of fellows includes:
 

Postdoctoral Fellows

– Karina Barbosa Guerra [Deshpande Lab, Ed Sergienko co-mentor]
“SGF29 as a novel therapeutic target in AML”
 
– Merve Demir [Zhao Lab, Ed Sergienko co-mentor]
“Structural studies of MtCK and GCDH enzyme drug targets”
 
– Jerry Tyler DeWitt [Haricharan Lab, TC Chung co-mentor]
“Investigating the unique molecular landscape of ER+ breast cancer in black women” 
 
– Alicia Llorente Lope [Emerling Lab, Ian Pass co-mentor]
“Exploring PI5P4Kγ as a novel molecular vulnerability of therapy-resistant breast cancer” 
 
– Van Giau Vo [Huang Lab, TC Chung co-mentor]
“Identifying enhancers of SNX27 to promote neuroprotective pathways in Alzheimer’s disease and Down Syndrome”
 
– Xiuqing Wei [Puri Lab, Anne Bang co-mentor]
“Selective targeting of a pathogenetic IL6-STAT3 feedforward loop activated during denervation and cancer cachexia”

 

Predoctoral Fellows

– Michael Alexander Alcaraz [Adams Lab, Steven Olson co-mentor]
“Activating the NAMPT-NAD+ axis in senescence to target age-associated disease”
 
– Shea Grenier Davis [Commisso Lab, Steven Olson co-mentor]
“Examining PIKfyve as a potential therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer” 
 
– Patrick Hagan [Cosford Lab, Ian Pass co-mentor]
“Discovery and development of novel ATG13 degrading compounds that inhibit autophagy and treat non-small-cell lung cancer”
 
– Texia Loh [Wang Lab, Ed Sergienko co-mentor]
“Investigating the role of HELLS in mediating resistance to PARP Inhibition in small-cell lung cancer”
 
– Michaela Lynott [Colas Lab, TC Chung co-mentor]
“Identification of small molecules inhibiting ATF7IP-SETDB1 interacting complex to improve cardiac reprogramming efficiency”
 
– Tatiana Moreno [Kumsta Lab, Anne Bang co-mentor]
“Identifying TFEB/HLH-30 regulators to modulate autophagy in age-related diseases”
 
– Utkarsha Paithane [Bagchi Lab, TC Chung co-mentor]
“Identification of small-molecule enhancers of Honeybadger, a novel RAS/MAPK inhibitor” 
 

Institute News

Sanford Burnham Prebys celebrates one of its legends

AuthorMiles Martin
Date

March 8, 2023

Erkki Ruoslahti, MD, PhD

In 2022, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Erkki Ruoslahti, MD, PhD, was awarded the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, the top American prize for biomedical research.

Ruoslahti was also among the first scientists to join the Institute in the late 1970s, where he completed this award-winning research. To celebrate Ruoslahti’s career and accomplishments, Sanford Burnham Prebys hosted a special lecture with the esteemed scientist as well as a celebratory reception afterward.

“Erkki’s illustrious career is one that keeps us all inspired—me, especially, as I follow in his footsteps in leading this Institute,” says David A. Brenner, MD, president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys. “His Lasker Award win is so very much deserved. Not only does it recognize his outstanding influence in the field, but it also elevates the status of our Institute in the research community.”

Ruoslahti, who shares the award with Richard O. Hynes from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Timothy A. Springer from Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, began his presentation with the research that led to his discovery of the integrins—proteins found on the surface of cells that helps them attach to, and communicate with, nearby cells and the extracellular matrix. 

Ruoslahti’s road to the discovery of integrins began at the University of Helsinki, where, along with his colleagues, he discovered fibronectin, a protein that helps surround, support and give structure to cells and tissues in the body. However, the biggest breakthroughs were yet to come.

Erkki Ruoslahti gives lecture to full a full auditorium

Ruoslahti gave his presentation to a packed house in Fishman Auditorium

“My research on fibronectin and the subsequent discovery of the integrins really got going in my first years at Sanford Burnham Prebys,” says Ruoslahti, who first joined the Institute in 1979, when it was known as the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation.

The Ruoslahti research team discovered that a simple sequence of three amino acids, called RGD, within fibronectin, attaches directly to cells. They were then able to synthesize RGD and use it as a tool to discover the cell-surface receptors today known as the integrins. This seemingly small discovery created an entirely new subdiscipline of molecular biology.

“The Lasker Award is given for a fundamental discovery that opens up a new area of biomedical science. It is America’s top biomedical research award and is often referred to as ‘America’s Nobel,’” says Brenner. “This is a profound honor, one that is only given to those who have made the greatest impact in our field.”

In 1989, Ruoslahti became president and CEO of the Institute, a position he held until returning to full-time research in 2002. He became a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Sanford Burnham Prebys in 2020. Ruoslahti has previously received the Japan Prize, the Gairdner Foundation International Award, the G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award, and the Robert J. and Claire Pasarow Foundation Medical Research Award. He is also a Knight of the Order of the White Rose of Finland, a Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland and is among the most cited scientists in the world.

Institute News

Yasuyuki Kihara wins a dream award

AuthorMiles Martin
Date

November 9, 2022

Yasuyuki Kihari, a Japanese man in a grey hoodie, holding his award, a clear crystal plate.

And he’s had his eye on it for more than a decade.

Research Assistant Professor Yasuyuki Kihara, PhD, has won an Eicosanoid Research Foundation (ERF) Young Investigator Award, which is presented every other year to three early-career faculty researchers who have made breakthroughs in the field of bioactive lipids.

The award may not come with a cash prize, but for Kihara, this prize is priceless. 

“The first time I applied for this award was around 2009, and I’ve applied several times since then,” he says. “This has been many years in the making, and I’m incredibly honored to receive this award.”

Kihara is the first Sanford Burnham Prebys scientist to win this award for research completed at the Institute. Assistant Professor Victoria Blaho, PhD, also received the award in 2007, before becoming a Sanford Burnham Prebys faculty member in 2019. 

Applying bioactive lipids to multiple sclerosis: Kihara’s prize-winning research

Kihara has devoted his scientific career of more than 20 years to studying bioactive lipids, a broad group of molecules that cells use to communicate and to control their activities. Some of the most well-known examples of bioactive lipids are the hormones testosterone and estrogen, but there are countless other examples in different parts of the body as well.

“Bioactive lipids are involved in signaling in every cell of every organism,” says Kihara. “Lipids are essential for life, and I’m not sure I could even imagine a biological process or a pathway that doesn’t involve a lipid at some step.”

Kihara’s work focuses on multiple sclerosis (MS), a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord that affects the brain’s ability to communicate with the rest of the body. MS occurs when protective structures in our neurons, called myelin sheaths, become damaged.

“Losing this myelin makes it much more difficult for the brain to send signals to other parts of the body,” says Kihara. “This causes a wide range of symptoms that can be debilitating for the people living with this disease.” 

In 2010, FDA-approved an oral drug for MS called fingolimod. Fingolimod has a chemical structure that resembles a bioactive lipid, and Kihara has teamed up with Professor Jerold Chun, MD, PhD, to study how this drug works at the molecular level to explore whether there may be other ways to leverage bioactive lipids against MS.

“We believe that cellular signaling pathways and the bioactive lipids that control them may have a more complicated role in MS than is currently understood,” says Kihara. “Studying these molecules at this fundamental level will help reveal new ways of treating the disease.”

Institute News

Brain cancer researcher Jia Zack Shen wins 2022 Eric Dudl scholarship

AuthorMiles Martin
Date

October 18, 2022

Professor Cosimo Comisso, Brett Dudl, Dr. Jim Dudl, Barbra Dudl, and scholarship winner Zack Shen

For the first time since the pandemic, Sanford Burnham Prebys presented the Eric Dudl Endowed Scholarship Award in person at last week’s Cancer Center Open House. This year’s recipient, selected by leaders at the Cancer Center, was Jia Zack Shen, PhD, a staff scientist in the lab of Charles Spruck, PhD The award pays tribute to Eric Dudl, a postdoctoral researcher who succumbed to cancer in 2006, when he was just 33.

“Eric was ill at such a young age, but he was also very lucky because he knew exactly what his dream job was and what his life meant,” says Shen. “Eric’s compassion and dedication to cancer research has been inspiring and encouraging for our postdocs here at Sanford Burnham Prebys. Thank you to the Dudl family for helping me continue my career here.”

Honoring Eric Dudl

In 2005, Eric Dudl had just begun his postdoctoral research in a cancer lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys, where he was known as kind, helpful and a fast learner. Then, at age 32, he was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. This only fueled his fiery passion for cancer research.

“Even when he was very ill, Eric wanted to make a contribution in the time he had,” says Jim Dudl, MD, Eric’s father. “One day I looked at Eric and asked, ‘Why don’t you take some time off work? Get your energy back and go back in when you feel better?’ He looked up at me and said, ‘Why would I do that? This is the best job in the world!’”

Tragically, Eric Dudl would pass away in 2006, at age 33. The next year, his parents established the Eric Dudl Endowed Scholarship Fund to support young cancer researchers like their son.
“These talented scientists pick up where Eric had to leave off,” says Barbara Dudl, Eric’s mother.

Eric Dudl

Eric Dudl

“We are so grateful to the Institute for their compassion for Eric during his illness and helping us create this scholarship. The scientists who are now working on new discoveries might one day save the life of someone like Eric.”

The award presentation was emceed by Cosimo Commisso, PhD, and featured comments from Eric’s parents, as well as his brother, Bret.

“This scholarship fund is the best way we can honor Eric, because he was so passionate about education and supporting others,” says Bret. “The fact that he now helps other postdocs further their work to fight cancer is exactly what he would have wanted.”

Meet the recipient: Jia Zack Shen

Shen started at the Institute as a postdoctoral researcher in 2016, winning a Fishman Fund Award that year. He has since transitioned to a permanent role as a staff scientist, and the funding from this award will help continue to support his role.

“Sanford Burnham Prebys has a great, noncompetitive atmosphere, and the resources we have here are excellent,” says Shen. “Combining cancer research with the drug discovery capabilities we have at SBP is my dream.”

Shen’s research focuses on killing cancer stem cells by shutting off their ability to self-renew and by promoting a response from the immune system, delivering what Shen and his colleagues call a “one-two punch.” Shen has been working specifically on glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive brain cancers.

“Glioblastoma is one of the most devastating diseases, and there is a desperate need for better ways to treat it,” says Shen. “I am working hard to leverage the immune system to fight glioblastoma and save thousands of lives.”

Institute News

2022 Fishman Fund Awards honor postdoctoral researchers

AuthorMiles Martin
Date

October 17, 2022

2022 Fishman Fund Awardees - Shanshan Yin, PhD, Tanja Eisemann, PhD, Cynthia Lebeaupin, PhD and Guillem Lambies Barjau, PhD

Since 2001, the awards have paid tribute to our Institute’s heritage and supported the trailblazers of tomorrow

Last week, the Fishman Fund Awards were presented at the Sanford Consortium, marking the first in-person awards presentation for the scholarships since 2019. The Fishman Fund honors the legacy of the Institute’s founders, Dr. William and Mrs. Lillian Fishman, and its purpose is to support the next generation of scientific leaders.

“The Fishman Fund Awards are important to our community and to the future of science,” said President and CEO David Brenner, M.D., during his comments at the ceremony. “The Fishmans understood that supporting our young scientists is a critical investment in the future of research, and that postdocs are the lifeblood of a scientific enterprise and crucial to the process of discovery.”

Professor Hudson Freeze, PhD, the first Fishman Fund awardee, recalled how the award was given to faculty the first year, but after that became an award exclusively for postdoctoral researchers. “Those are the people who do the work, and without them, there is no Institute,” said Freeze.

Assistant Professor Caroline Kumsta, PhD, who was a Fishman Fund awardee in 2011, also spoke. “The Fishman Fund has shaped many aspects of my life, and I am honored to be one of the recipients,” she said.

The evening was emceed by Reena Horowitz, who established the Fishman Fund with the late Mary Bradley in 2001. Since then, 74 awards have been conferred. This year, three $10,000 awards were given to postdocs to support their career development. An additional fellowship that provides salary and benefits was also awarded.

“These awards are important because they provide the vital funds to young career scientists for professional development and collaborative opportunities,” Horowitz said. “It is these up-and-coming biomedical researchers who will make the medical discoveries of tomorrow, shape the future of healthcare and literally save lives.”

This year’s awards were presented to:

Guillem Lambies Barjau, PhD
Jeanne Jones and Kathryn Fishback Fishman Fund Award

“I am honored to be here today. Thank you to Sanford Burnham Prebys and the Fishman Fund for giving me this opportunity.”

Lambies Barjau hopes to improve the outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer. In the lab of Cosimo Commisso, PhD, Lambies Barjau studies how pancreatic cancer cells gather nutrients from their environment to survive and grow. Pancreatic tumors exist in a harsh, nutrient-poor environment, but they can activate a process called macropinocytosis to scavenge molecules as an alternative source of energy. By deciphering this process, Lambies Barjau’s research may reveal novel approaches to slow the growth of these often-deadly tumors.

Shanshan Yin, PhD
Lenka Finci and Erna Viterbi Fishman Fund Award

“I am grateful that you are our scientists’ strongest supporters. Together, we’ll do great science.”

Yin is studying the links between aging and breast cancer. About one in eight women will get breast cancer during her life, and the risk increases with age. In the lab of Peter Adams, PhD, Yin uses cutting-edge technology to quantify the activation of specific genes during aging. Identifying these genes may help explain why breast cancer occurs more frequently in older women, and could also lead to preventive treatments to spare the millions affected by the disease.

Tanja Eisemann, PhD
Reena Horowitz and Mary Bradley Fishman Fund Award

“I can’t tell you how honored I am to receive a 2022 Fishman Fund Award. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Fishman Fund donors for their generosity.”

Eisemann is exploring approaches to leverage the immune system against medulloblastoma, one of the most aggressive childhood brain cancers. Although rare, there are still about 500 children in the U.S. diagnosed each year with this dangerous cancer. In the lab of Robert Wechsler-Reya, PhD, Eisemann studies the interactions between T cells and medulloblastoma tumor cells, opening new research avenues to discover therapies that can enhance a patient’s own immune system to slow—or even eliminate—this dangerous brain cancer.

Cynthia Lebeaupin, PhD
Fishman Fund Fellowship

“The Fishman Fund Fellowship and the resources at Sanford Burnham Prebys will ensure I canperform science of excellent quality and make a lasting impact. Thank you for your support.”

Lebeaupin works in the laboratory of Randal J. Kaufman, PhD, where she studies how fatty liver disease leads to liver cancer. Fatty liver disease, which affects more than 25% of the U.S. population, develops when the body creates too much fat or can’t metabolize fat efficiently enough. There are no treatments or cures for this chronic liver condition and no methods of early detection. Lebeaupin’s research aims to address this unmet medical need by uncovering the biological pathways that lead to liver cancer and translating these findings into effective therapies.