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Institute News

Sanford Burnham Prebys recognizes 10 doctoral degree recipients

AuthorCommunications
Date

June 3, 2026

The graduates recognized at the third annual Commencement ceremony, from left to right: Michaela Romero, Yu-Ling (Linda) Chang, Cedomir Stamenkovic, Sviatlana Zaretski, Jiaqian (Emily) Wu, Ximena Diaz-Olea and Adarsh Rajesh
The graduates recognized at the third annual Commencement ceremony, from left to right: Michaela Romero, PhD ’25; Yu-Ling (Linda) Chang, PhD ’26; Cedomir Stamenkovic, PhD ’25; Sviatlana Zaretski, PhD ’25; Jiaqian (Emily) Wu, PhD ’25; Ximena Diaz-Olea, PhD ’25; and Adarsh Rajesh, PhD ’25. Rema Iyer, PhD ’25; Utkarsha Hemant Paithane, PhD ’26; and Ruslan Nuryyev, PhD ’26, were unable to attend.

The Institute’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences held its third Commencement ceremony to celebrate new alumni

The Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences hosted 10 recent doctoral degree recipients and their family members, friends and colleagues during the school’s third annual Commencement ceremony on May 29, 2026.

These new graduates join the ranks of Institute scientists and alumni that have propelled 50 years of discovery at Sanford Burnham Prebys and 20 years of graduate education.

The graduation ceremony was held at the Institute’s La Jolla campus in the Victor E. LaFave III Memorial Auditorium.

“As you reflect on your first days as a graduate student, I hope you recognize how far you have come, not only as scientists, but also as thinkers, collaborators, mentors and individuals,” said Alessandra Sacco, PhD, the dean of the Sanford Burnham Prebys Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and a professor in the Center for Cardiovascular and Muscular Diseases.

“The growth you have demonstrated through this remarkable journey is extraordinary, and today we celebrate both your accomplishments and the dedication that made them possible. It has been an honor to be part of your journey.”

Following her remarks, Sacco introduced David Brenner, MD, the president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys.

“Yesterday, you were graduate students, today you are graduates and tomorrow you are alumni,” Brenner said. “I want you to feel like this is your second home where you’ll return as peers and colleagues to tell us about your triumphs and contribute to our seminars and symposia as active members of our community.” 

Following Brenner’s comments, Michaela Romero, PhD ’25, spoke on behalf of her fellow graduates.

“Here at Sanford Burnham Prebys, we’ve been immersed in a culture of collaboration where science is not a solo act,” Romero said. “This has not happened by accident and has been built one conversation at a time. 

“Cultures like this need to be nurtured with care, so I hope you create something that feels just as special as this place wherever you go in the future.” 

Romero turned the podium over to Cosimo Commisso, PhD, the deputy director of the Institute’s NCI-Designated Cancer Center and a professor in the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program, who provided the Commencement address.

Commisso spoke about the importance of carefully contemplating the motivation behind your science and how it can change over time, which he punctuated with a story from his scientific journey about an event he attended for pancreatic cancer patients, survivors and their family members.

“I gave myself permission to evolve and realized that I wanted to dedicate my life’s work specifically to pancreatic cancer research,” he said. “If something like this happens to you, if such an event impacts you in a profound way, I hope you listen to your internal compass and remember that what motivates you today at graduation may likely look very different years later. 

“Evolution of your ‘why’ is a feature and not a bug,” he added. “Let your own ‘why’ be the force that pushes you beyond the familiar to make a difference.”

Diane Klotz, PhD, the chief learning officer at Sanford Burnham Prebys, then provided attendees an overview of the meaning of the hoods and symbols that are used in Commencement ceremonies. She asked faculty members to place the doctoral academic hoods upon the graduates to signify completion of their degrees.

This year, the following graduates were acknowledged:

  • Adarsh Rajesh, PhD ’25, who trained in the Adams lab and was hooded by Peter Adams, PhD, director of and professor in the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program
  • Sviatlana Zaretski, PhD ’25, who trained in the Adams lab and was hooded by Adams
  • Yu-Ling (Linda) Chang, PhD ’26, who trained in the Colas lab and was hooded by Alexandre Colas, PhD, associate dean of admissions in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and associate professor in the Center for Cardiovascular and Muscular Diseases
  • Michaela Romero, PhD ’25, who trained in the Colas lab and was hooded by Colas
  • Jiaqian (Emily) Wu, PhD ’25, who trained in the Cosford lab and was hooded by Nicholas Cosford, PhD, professor in the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program
  • Ximena Diaz-Olea, PhD ’25, who trained in the Ronai lab and was hooded by Andrei Osterman, PhD, her thesis committee chair, vice dean and associate dean of curriculum of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and a professor in the Center for Metabolic and Liver Diseases
  • Cedomir Stamenkovic, PhD ’25, who trained in the Sacco lab and was hooded by Sacco
  • Rema Iyer, PhD ’25, who trained in the Deshpande lab and was unable to attend the ceremony
  • Utkarsha Hemant Paithane, PhD ’26, who trained in the Bagchi lab and was unable to attend
  • Ruslan Nuryyev, PhD ’26, who trained in the Snyder lab and was unable to attend

Graduate school vice dean Osterman provided the ceremony’s closing remarks.

“What is happening today is because of your genuine accomplishment and is a product of your creativity, genius, effort and everything you invested in the research project that you completed,” Osterman said. 

“Now you will take all you have learned during your time here and choose your own path forward, and a new and exciting adventure begins.”

Institute News

David A. Brenner appears on nation’s longest running community podcast

AuthorCommunications
Date

May 27, 2026

Spotlight on the Community

Hosted by Drew Schlossberg, Spotlight on the Community is the nation’s longest running community podcast, now going on 20+ years.

Recently, David Brenner, MD, president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, appeared on the podcast to discuss the mission of the Institute, its research collaborations, the role of AI and the current state of biomedical research locally and beyond.

 You can hear Brenner’s podcast interview on Spotify,  Apple and iHeart platforms.

Institute News

Women in Science Lecture series spotlights structural biology and immunology leader

AuthorCommunications
Date

May 21, 2026

From left to right: Kelly Kersten, PhD, and Erica Ollmann Saphire, PhD, MBA. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.
From left to right: Sanford Burnham Prebys NCI-Designated Cancer Center scientist Kelly Kersten, PhD, and structural biology and immunology leader Erica Ollmann Saphire, PhD, MBA. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.

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.

Kelly Kersten and Erica Ollmann Saphire with fireside chat moderator and cardiovascular researcher Sanjeev Ranade, PhD. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.

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.

Institute News

Eric Wang named Educator of the Year by Sanford Burnham Prebys Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

AuthorCommunications
Date

May 14, 2026

Alessandro Sacco, Eric Wang and Andrei Osterman

Sanford Burnham Prebys is pleased to congratulate Assistant Professor Eric Wang, PhD, on being named Educator of the Year at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences’ retreat.

The Crystal Apple Award, presented by Alessandra Sacco, PhD, dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and Andrei Osterman, PhD, vice dean and associate dean of curriculum, recognizes outstanding contributions to graduate education, mentorship and support for the graduate school community.

Wang has quickly become a valued mentor and educator at the Institute. In addition to mentoring a graduate student in his laboratory, he serves on five graduate school thesis committees, is a member of the Graduate School Admissions Committee and is chair of the Institute’s Education and Training Committee. He also serves as course director for Modern Drug Discovery Technologies, helping train the next generation of biomedical scientists in approaches that bridge chemistry, biology and translational research.

Wang joined Sanford Burnham Prebys in 2021 as part of the NCI-designated Cancer Center and the Center for Therapeutics Discovery. His research focuses on developing chemical tools to better understand human biology and identifying new therapeutic strategies for disease. His lab combines expertise in chemistry, biology and drug discovery to study challenging biological targets and to uncover new approaches for precision medicine.

The Educator of the Year recognition reflects Wang’s dedication not only to scientific discovery, but also to fostering a supportive and collaborative learning environment for students and trainees across the Institute.

Congratulations to Eric on this well-deserved recognition.

Institute News

Q & A with Postdoctoral Researcher Alejandro Lillo, PhD, from the Pasquale Lab

AuthorCommunications
Date

May 12, 2026

Alejandro Lillo, PhD

Meet one of our early-career scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute: Alejandro Lillo, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Elena Pasquale, PhD. Lillo studies a family of protein receptors to uncover a new treatment approach for cancer patients.

When and how did you become interested in science?
When I was 15 years old, my parents told me that my mom was suffering from multiple sclerosis, a disease with no cure. At that time, I was a very good student interested in math, physics and biology.

I decided to focus all my efforts to become a scientist and be able to help people in the same situation. Even though I was frustrated, I tried to concentrate on positive things I could do to help people and contribute to new solutions as a researcher.

What are the key areas of research you focus on?
I am studying a small family of receptor tyrosine kinases called erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular receptors or EPH receptors. These receptors are highly implicated in different physiological and pathologic processes, including cancer.

Other experts have investigated these receptors as individual units, but we now know that these receptors can interact with each other to form groupings known as heterocomplexes. I am studying these heterocomplexes as part of a new potential therapeutic strategy for treating cancer.

What motivates you about your research?
Sometimes doing science can be frustrating. But I really love what I’m doing. Even when my hypotheses are wrong, I always try to think about why I got certain results and what I can learn from them.

I also reflect on why I chose this career, and it helps me to remember that I can benefit others by contributing to finding treatments for diseases with no cure.

What do you like about working here?
Most important to me is the family-like environment that we have here. Everybody is so collaborative and so helpful. Every time that I need something that we don’t have at the lab, I send an email and in five minutes I have a solution. We are collaborating with a lot of groups. And it goes both ways, so whenever other labs need something from us, we do our best to help out.

Also, something that is especially important for us postdocs, we have many different workshops, seminars and other resources to help us grow in our careers. And it is important for me to mention all the core facilities we have as they have been so supportive.

Thanks to them, I’ve developed skills in confocal microscopy, flow cytometry and mass spectrometry, adding to what I am learning inside the lab from my mentor.

Alejandro Lillo, PhD, photo collage

What are your career goals?
I want to be a principal investigator in academia. I am building my skills in proposal writing, leadership, public speaking and other areas needed to successfully build and run an independent research lab.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not in the lab?
I love going to the beach and going hiking. And I enjoy going to the gym. It helps me to deal with stress and maintain my mental health.

Also, I am a food lover. Experiencing different kinds of cuisine makes me happy.

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.

Explore the Full Series

Institute News

Sanford Burnham Prebys goes Inside the Science of Heart Disease

AuthorCommunications
Date

April 21, 2026

David Brenner with Ehtisham Mahmud, Sanjeev Ranade, Alexandre Colas and Kurt Marek. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.
David Brenner with panelists Ehtisham Mahmud, Sanjeev Ranade and Alexandre Colas. Kurt Marek moderated the discussion. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.

Event recording now available for panel discussion with scientists held on April 15, 2026

David Brenner, MD, president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, welcomed members of the San Diego community to the first “Inside the Science” event held on April 15, 2026. This Discovery Series community engagement program offered a behind-the-scenes look at cardiovascular research.

Attendees participated in an afternoon exploring exciting developments in translating science into heart health. Kurt Marek, PhD, the chief research development officer at Sanford Burnham Prebys, moderated the discussion among three featured panelists:

  • Alexandre Colas, PhD, associate professor in the Center for Cardiovascular and Muscular Diseases at Sanford Burnham Prebys and associate dean of admissions for the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
  • Ehtisham Mahmud, MD, professor and division chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at UC San Diego Health and the Edith and William Perlman Chair in Cardiology and executive director of the University of California San Diego Cardiovascular Institute
  • Sanjeev Ranade, PhD, assistant professor in the Center for Cardiovascular and Muscular Diseases at Sanford Burnham Prebys

The program explored how heart disease develops across the lifespan from genetic and early-life factors to aging-related conditions. It also highlighted emerging research and new treatments to repair the heart and improve patient outcomes.

Ehtisham Mahmud, Sanjeev Ranade and Alexandre Colas during panel discussion. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.

Ranade discussed his research regarding the causes of congenital heart defects. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.

Watch Recording

Please sign up for the institute’s newsletter to be notified about future events. Recordings of past events are available online.

While there is no cost to attend “Inside the Science” events, philanthropy is vital to advancing the institute’s mission of improving human health through bold, innovative science.

Please consider a gift to help extend the Sanford Burnham Prebys mission to drive discoveries that improve lives.

Institute News

Q & A with Postdoctoral Researcher Nilofer Sayed, PhD, from the Dhar Lab

AuthorCommunications
Date

April 10, 2026

Nilofer Sayed, PhD

Meet one of our early-career scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute: Nilofer Sayed, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Debanjan Dhar, PhD. Sayed studies the progression of fatty liver disease to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma to identify new potential treatments that could reverse or halt disease advancement.

When and how did you become interested in science?
Empathy for the sick led me to pursue a career as a physician in India. However, during my medical practice, I came to a point of understanding that I cannot help patients when existing treatment options are insufficient.

That insight led me to shift my gears and move towards a career in research to help find new therapies.

What are the key areas of research you focus on?
I work in a liver condition called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, which involves the liver getting fatty and inflamed. The problem with this condition is that if it’s not treated on time, then it can progress to a much more severe form. 

At this stage, healthy liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue. This impairs the liver and can progress further into cancer.

I’m studying ways to stop this progression into more severe forms of liver disease. My major focus is on a particular immune cell population in the liver called macrophages. By manipulating this cell population, I’m trying to alter the immune landscape of this disease and inhibit its progression.

This is becoming increasingly important as the incidence of MASH continues to rise. We need to be able to prevent patients from developing cirrhosis, liver failure or hepatocellular carcinoma. 

How do you think about translating your findings to advance human health?
I believe that what I am researching has great potential to one day reach and help patients in the clinic. Once we can clarify the targets and the mechanisms, we will be able to test peptides or small molecules that modify the targets in order to inhibit the progression of the disease.

We’re fortunate to have drug screening capability here at the institute. This makes us more confident in our ability to move things forward when we identify promising druggable targets.

Nilofer Sayed, PhD, photo collage

What motivates you about your research?
The underlying motivation is to improve the lives of people that are sick. Because that is a long-term goal, though, I think it is important to have other sources of motivation that are more immediate.

Every day I wake up, I love heading to the lab to explore my ideas. As I plan and design my experiments, I’m excited to see what answers I get from them. Another fun part of being in the lab for me is troubleshooting. I enjoy figuring out what might be going wrong in experiments, not only for myself, but also for my fellow lab members or colleagues who are feeling stuck. I love the feeling of fixing something that isn’t working and getting the research back on track.

I also get motivated by attending as many of the scientific talks and seminars as I can. The speakers’ creativity and their meticulous experiments inspire me and provide insight into many areas of biomedical research.

What do you like about working here?
The work environment here gives researchers what they need to thrive. Collaboration is encouraged and the support that I get for my experiments from core facilities is wonderful.

I think Sanford Burnham Prebys has talented principal investigators that excel at generating ideas and guiding emerging scientists in the right direction. Also, this is a very translational research institute, which excites me because I know that what I achieve during my postdoctoral research has the potential of going forward and reaching patients.

This pushes me to work hard and accomplish something that can have an impact beyond scholarly publications by benefiting people.

What are your career goals?
I would like to stay in academic science and eventually run my own research lab that would focus on developing targeted immunotherapies for hepatocellular carcinoma.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not in the lab?
I love going to church and visiting people who are sick in their hospital rooms or in their homes to try and bring some cheer and comfort.

I also enjoy cooking and going on long walks to admire nature.

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.

Explore the Full Series

Institute News

Southern California metabolism scientists meet on the Mesa

AuthorGreg Calhoun
Date

March 30, 2026

Speakers and attendees at the fourth annual SoCal Metabolism Symposium
Speakers and attendees at the fourth annual SoCal Metabolism Symposium.

The fourth annual SoCal Metabolism Symposium brought together hundreds of experts and trainees to share the latest advances

SoCal Metabolism Symposium co-organizer Brooke Emerling, PhD, opened the meeting held at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute on Friday, March 20, 2026, by celebrating the event’s momentum.

“In 2023, when it started, we had about 12 talks, 28 posters, about 120 attendees and three sponsors, and now we’re up to 18 talks, 64 posters, more than 200 attendees and six sponsors,” said Emerling, director of and associate professor in the Sanford Burnham Prebys Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program.

Speakers were mostly postdoctoral researchers and graduate students from Sanford Burnham Prebys, the Salk Institute, the University of California Irvine, the University of Southern California, the University of California Los Angeles and the University of California San Diego.

The event began with a session of scientific talks focused on the theme of cancer metabolism. Aaliyah Balagtas, a graduate student in the lab of Cosimo Commisso, PhD, at Sanford Burnham Prebys, discussed her research on a cellular scavenging process known as macropinocytosis that pancreatic tumors use to survive and grow when resources are scarce. The morning continued with a second thematic session focused on metabolism in aging and cell fate.

Before the event’s lunch break and poster viewing, Emerling introduced the symposium’s first-ever guest speaker from outside Southern California, Navdeep Chandel, PhD, the David W. Cugell, MD, Professor and professor of Medicine (Pulmonary and Critical Care), Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at Northwestern University.

Chandel began by sharing his delight that the speakers in the morning sessions showed genuine enthusiasm and interest in studying mitochondria and targeting metabolism to improve human health and treat disease. He thinks there is a significant opportunity to use the fundamental knowledge we’re learning about intermediary metabolism in mitochondria and translate it into concrete advances for human health.

Brooke Emerling, PhD, is the director of the Sanford Burnham Prebys Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program.

Brooke Emerling, PhD, is director of and associate professor in the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.

Chandel focused on one of his lab’s translational projects studying metformin, a longstanding, widely used, cheap and safe drug for treating high blood sugar in prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Various studies have suggested that metformin also has anti-cancer effects and may reduce inflammation, but it was not clear how the drug worked in our bodies or cells to cause any of this to occur. Chandel shared soon-to-be-published data regarding how metformin builds up in the gut after being taken as a pill, and how it influences mitochondria there to systemically lower blood sugar.

The afternoon opened with a third set of thematic podium presentations centered on the topic of physiological metabolism and new techniques. The fourth and final session of scientific talks were grouped around the theme of immunometabolism.

Cosimo Commisso, PhD, is the deputy director of the National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys. He currently serves as the interim director while a national search is conducted for a new center director.

Cosimo Commisso, PhD, is the deputy director of the institute’s NCI-Designated Cancer Center and a professor in the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program. Image credit: Sanford Burnham Prebys.

The symposium’s closing podium talk was the Gina Lee Memorial Keynote, a lecture honoring cancer signaling and metabolism expert Gina Lee, PhD, an assistant professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at the University of California Irvine, who passed away on June 23, 2024, at the age of 39.

Cosimo Commisso, PhD, the deputy director of the institute’s NCI-Designated Cancer Center and a professor in the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program, delivered the 2026 Gina Lee Memorial Keynote and focused on a new direction for his lab. Aging is a major risk factor for pancreatic cancer that also can limit treatment options if a patient is too frail to be safely treated with surgery or other alternatives.

The average age of a patient diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is 70, and nearly two-thirds of cases are in people over the age of 65. Commisso and his lab members are rethinking how therapies in development will work for a frail and aging population that represents the majority of patients.

Following Commisso’s keynote address, the 2026 SoCal Metabolism Symposium concluded with a reception and second poster session. The next SoCal Metabolism Symposium will be held in March 2027 at the University of California Irvine.

Emerling organized the event in partnership with Peter James Mullen, PhD, assistant professor of Microbiology and Immunology in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, and Cholsoon Jang, PhD, assistant professor of Biological Chemistry at the University of California Irvine School of Medicine.

Institute News

Q & A with Postdoctoral Researcher Dominic Denk, MD, MHBA, from the Karin Lab

AuthorCommunications
Date

March 2, 2026

Dominic Denk profile photo in the lab

Meet one of our early-career scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute: Dominic Denk, MD, MHBA, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Michael Karin, PhD. Denk studies cancer and gastrointestinal malignancies with a focus on how the immune system reacts to tumors and how to improve immunotherapies.

When and how did you become interested in science?
It was quite by chance. I’m a physician by trade in Germany, and the first way I got into science was through medical school. You learn about topics such as biochemistry and physiology, and it leads you to wonder about what processes behind the scenes. These subjects sparked my interest, and I started reading articles and books on my own time in the library.

And then the second reason is that, in Germany, you are expected to do research for a few months to earn your academic credentials. It naturally pushed me into the research world and made me realize how much I like running experiments and analyzing data.

What did you imagine you would be doing professionally, and how did it evolve?
I had many ideas. For quite some time while I was younger, I wanted to be a sports journalist.

My mom is a physician’s assistant and was always watching medical shows on TV in the background when I was growing up. I was never pushed into healthcare, but it was always present. Once I got to high school and found I enjoyed health and science courses, I started to think about going to medical school.

And once I started, I never looked back because I love being a physician.

What are the key areas of research you focus on?
I work on cancer and gastrointestinal malignancies. I want to better understand how the immune system reacts to tumors and how to improve immunotherapies. Immunotherapies have become the standard of care for many cancers, but not necessarily those in the gastrointestinal tract.

Back in Germany. I worked on colorectal cancer and now I’m looking at pancreatic cancer. We want to know what makes pancreatic cancer metastasize to the liver because it is a tumor that spreads to the liver quite often.

Once it does, the prognosis is much, much worse. If we can learn what attracts pancreatic cancer cells to the liver and why the disease becomes more malignant there, it may lead to methods for preventing the cancer from spreading and better treating it if it has spread.

What motivates you about your research?
Ultimately, it is about improving patient care. I have had the privilege of working in a large academic center that takes care of a lot of GI cancer patients. I have seen many patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergo liver transplantation and experienced a cure in the end.

Dominic Denk photo collage working in the lab

But for most patients, it’s not the case. I have seen patients who came to the hospital concerned about weight loss only to be diagnosed with advanced stage cancers. I’ve cared for people over months and seen them deteriorate. It’s terrible and makes me wonder if there is something more we can do.

We’ve had great advances for many malignancies, but not for every patient. And research is how we will get to a better place for more patients and their families.

What do you like about working here?
There is a great sense of community, I think, and tons of scientific seminars across different fields. Everybody is very friendly and collaborative.

One thing that stands out is that there is very little red tape when it comes to solving problems. Recently, we had an incubator breaking down. We wrote one email and it was fixed within an hour or so. And that could have been catastrophicand led to months of delays for many projects in our lab.

What are your career goals?
Ideally, I will continue being a physician-scientist using the expertise I’m building upon here in the Karin lab. I would like to start a small lab so that I could continue to care for patients while working with trainees and mentees to maintainresearch momentum.

As a practicing physician and a researcher, I would love to help bridge the gap between the basic science laboratory bench and the clinic. Too many promising projects never make it past the lab bench to actually be tested in the real world. We’ll never know if some of these ideas could help people if we don’t advance them from petri dishes and animal models to see how they perform in clinical trials.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not in the lab?
I’m doing tons of hiking and enjoy exploring the area. I try to spend as much time as possible on the beach, so my big non-science goal for 2026 is to learn how to surf.

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.

Explore the Full Series

Institute News

Women in Science Lecture series showcases public health and nutrition policy leader

AuthorGreg Calhoun
Date

February 23, 2026

From left to right: physician-scientist Angela Liou, MD; public health and nutrition policy expert Cheryl A.M. Anderson, PhD, MPH, MS; and researcher Lukas Chavez, PhD, MS.
From left to right: physician-scientist Angela Liou, MD; public health and nutrition policy expert Cheryl A.M. Anderson, PhD, MPH, MS; and researcher Lukas Chavez, PhD, MS.

The series highlights the groundbreaking work and unique perspectives of women leaders in the biomedical sciences

On February 11, 2026, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute hosted the second event in the Women in Science Lecture Series. The occasion opened with a presentation by Cheryl A.M. Anderson, PhD, MPH, MS, professor and dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California San Diego and director of the UCSD Center of Excellence in Health Promotion and Equity.

Anderson introduced attendees to some of the pivotal findings of her mentors studying the effects of nutrition on public health, including the landmark dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) clinical trial. Because of the challenges in achieving significant heart disease prevention benefits outside of the controlled environments used in studies such as the DASH trial, Anderson was determined to explore other approaches.

“I put together this concept that instead of asking the individual to figure it all out from our dietary recommendations, maybe we could figure out how to have a healthy, sustainable food system,” said Anderson.

“I see a sustainable food system as one that maintains our ability to get lots and lots of nutrition and where you meet the current population’s needs without compromising what future generations might also need.”

In addition to discussing her scientific journey, Anderson provided insight into her experience serving with other experts to provide input into two different iterations of the federal government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines from the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Agriculture set the standards for food in federally funded programs such as public school and day care lunches as well as the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) special supplemental nutrition program. Anderson shared her experience working collaboratively to provide science-based counsel in an ecosystem that also contains political considerations such as the interests of industries involved in agriculture and food production.

Angela Liou, MD seated left and Cheryl A.M. Anderson, PhD, MPH, MS right

Anderson (at right) opened the event discussing her career journey focused on how to develop a healthy, sustainable food system. The event also featured a fireside chat and audience question-and-answer session with Anderson and Liou.

Lukas Chavez, PhD, MS, associate professor in the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys and scientific director of the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Molecular Tumor Board at Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine, then moderated a fireside chat and audience question-and-answer session with Anderson and Angela Liou, MD, physician-scientist and pediatric oncologist with a dual appointment at Rady Children’s Health and the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys. Topics included: how new scientific insights are translated to reduce population-level health risks or guide care for children facing serious illnesses; how new technologies change the way you conduct research and deliver patient care; what can be done to ensure that scientific discoveries can be equitably accessed and lead to better outcomes for all; and what do future clinicians and scientists need in terms of skills, mindset and institutional support to succeed as public health researchers and physician-scientists.

The Women in Science Lecture Series, featuring quarterly events that are free and open to the public, is part of broader efforts at Sanford Burnham Prebys to foster an environment that nurtures the success of individuals from all backgrounds. The series is hosted by the Office of Workforce Engagement & Belonging and highlights 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 May 13, 2026.