Carl Ware, PhD, director of the Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center, was invited to stand on the pitcher’s mound at the May 17 Padres home game against the San Francisco Giants. It was part of the Padres’ way of saying thanks to the scientists fighting cancer. Continue reading “San Diego Padres honor SBP’s Dr. Carl Ware”
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.
On March 17, SBP La Jolla is hosting a symposium on the interactions between the immune system and tumors, including how they can be leveraged for cancer treatment. The symposium is organized by Carl Ware, PhD and Robert Rickert, PhD, the directors of the Inflammatory and Infectious Disease Center and the Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Immunology Program, respectively, and features presentations by leaders in the field:
Crystal Mackall, MD, Stanford University
Yang-Xin Fu, MD, PhD, UT Southwestern
Mikala Egeblad, PhD, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Linda Bradley, PhD, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Jose Conejo-Garcia, MD, PhD, Wistar Institute
Jonathan Powell, MD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Shannon Turley, PhD, Genentech
Karen Willard-Gallo, PhD, Institut Jules Bordet – Belgium
Sandip Patel, MD, UC San Diego
Adam Godzik, PhD, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
The symposium will be held from 9-4:30 in Fishman Auditorium (overflow seating in the Building 12 auditorium), with a reception to follow. If you plan to attend, please register here.
It was a night of learning, sharing and making connections. The 60+ people who came to the psoriasis research update at SBP on February 2 all had something in common: psoriasis has affected their lives in some way. Continue reading “Psoriasis research event at SBP brings together patients, clinicians, and scientists”
Come join us at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) to learn about the latest research in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis taking place in your community. The Psoriasis Research Update and Reception is jointly sponsored by SBP and the National Psoriasis Foundation. The event will take place on:
Tuesday, February 2, 2016 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute Building 12 Auditorium 10905 Road to the Cure San Diego, CA 92121
Take a tour of the SBP Psoriasis Research Lab and come to the reception where we will provide hors d’oeuvres and beverages.
Our guest speakers will include:
RSVP to hbuthmann@sbpdiscovery.org by January 29, 2015 to reserve your spot.
We look forward to seeing you there!
As Dr. Carl Ware and his team at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute’s (SBP) Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center have found, not all cytokines are created equal, and one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to treating immune disease. Continue reading “Finding a cure through immunity checks and balances”
More than 23 million Americans have an autoimmune disease. And although there are more than 80 different types of autoimmune diseases, they all have three things in common:
No cure. No cure. No cure. That’s not good news. Given that I have a 1 in 12 chance of getting an autoimmune disease in my lifetime (if you are a man your chance is 1 in 20), and those chances increase with every birthday (and mine is next month), I asked SBP experts in immunology what makes them hopeful that we are on the road to better treatments for these chronic, debilitating, and sometimes deadly diseases. Below are their forward-looking answers.
Did you know that SBP has a surfing team? Not only do we have a team, but we have a winning team! Last weekend, Carl Ware, full-time immunologist and part-time surfer, led the SBP team to victory in the Luau and Legends of Surfing Invitational, a contest held in San Diego that raises funds for the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.
For the past 22 years the Luau has attracted some of the most respected men and women in surfing history, along with business leaders, scientists, local politicians and national celebrities, all surfing for a cure. The event has raised more than $7 million for cancer research, improved public awareness of the need for better therapies, and always creates unlimited fun for participants and spectators.
“The Luau and Legends Invitational hits both of my passions, science and surfing. I’ve been surfing in the event for about 10 years,” said Ware. “Raising money for cancer research is great, but I especially treasure surfing with my son and teammates.”
Each competitive team consists of four members and a surf legend. This year the SBP team included Carl Ware, his son Austin, Jeff Timpson, Loni Christiansen, and surf legend Tom Ortner. Austin lives in Australia and is a sports psychologist and surf coach. Jeff, who does a remarkable head stand on his board, and Loni, who surfs a stylish switch foot, are local sufers that frequent Swami’s break. Ortner is a living legend from La Jolla who surfed professionally in the 1970’s.
The SBP team raised an impressive $15,000 for the Cancer Center.
Other notable surf stars that participated in the event were Robert August and Mike Hynson. Stars of the classic surf film Endless Summer, Pat O’Connell, Robert “Wingnut” Weaver, and Rob Machado and many others.
“We won for cancer research, and now we are planning a world tour to help defeat cancer,” added Ware.
Carl Ware, PhD, is the director of SBP’s Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center.
A new study by researchers at SBP, the National Cancer Institute, and the Chulabhorn Research Institute has found that blocking the activity of a key immune receptor, the lymphotoxin-beta receptor (LTβR), reduces the progression of liver cancer. The results, published recently in the online edition of Gut, could provide new treatment strategies for the disease, which is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Continue reading “Researchers find new method to halt the advance of liver cancer”
Today, Eli Lilly and Sanford-Burnham announced a novel collaboration to discover and develop immunological therapies. The two organizations will investigate potential therapeutics using biotechnology approaches in targeting multiple immune checkpoint modulators for the treatment of immunological diseases such as lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and other autoimmune disorders. Continue reading “Lilly and Sanford-Burnham announce collaboration to investigate immunological therapies”