Development, Aging and Regeneration Program Archives - Sanford Burnham Prebys
Institute News

Malene Hansen receives promotion to full professor at SBP

AuthorSusan Gammon
Date

June 1, 2017

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) is proud to announce that Malene Hansen, PhD, has been promoted from associate professor to the rank of full professor in the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program.

“Promotion to professor is the highest academic rank at SBP and consistent with the expectations of a premier research institute. Malene is a leading independent researcher at a world-class level with national and international reputation, and has shown excellence in leadership working with students and post-doctoral trainees, academic colleagues, as well as administrative personnel at our Institute. On behalf of all of us at SBP, I congratulate Malene on her achievement and wish her continued success in her career,” says Kristiina Vuori, MD, PhD, president of SBP.

Hansen’s research has significantly contributed to our understanding of the molecular basis of aging, with particular focus on autophagy—a basic cellular process by which cell components are degraded and recycled. Her work has provided key insights on how autophagy functions in aging, and may facilitate future treatments of age-linked disorders, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.

In addition to the more than 20 scientific papers that she has published since joining SBP in the fall of 2007, Hansen has authored numerous review articles, textbook chapters, and demonstrated outstanding service to the scientific community by helping organize, co-chair, and present at international conferences, workshops and academic seminars. She also serves as a reviewer for numerous academic journals. 

Since coming to SBP, Hansen has demonstrated her value as a teacher and mentor, and has taken on the roles of associate dean for Student Affairs and faculty advisor of Postdoctoral Training within our Institute’s Office for Education, Training and International Services.  Most recently, she was awarded the 2017 Mentor of the Year Award by the National Postdoc Association, an achievement that underscores her passion for mentoring.

Hansen completed her PhD at Copenhagen University, Denmark, and was a postdoctoral in the lab of Dr. Cynthia Kenyon at University of California, San Francisco.

Institute News

The bright side of free radicals

Authorsgammon
Date

September 17, 2014

In a new study by Rolf Bodmer, Ph.D., director of the Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program at Sanford-Burnham, and Hui-Ying Lim, Ph.D., assistant member of the Free Radical Biology and Aging Program at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation as lead author, researchers report a previously unrecognized role for reactive oxygen species (ROS) in mediating normal heart function. The findings show how under normal physiological conditions, ROS produced in non-muscle heart cells act on nearby muscle cells to maintain normal cardiac function. The results provide vital insight on how ROS direct cell communications, and in addition to the heart, may be important for the function of other organs. Continue reading “The bright side of free radicals”

Institute News

Researchers discover a key to making new muscles

Authorsgammon
Date

September 8, 2014

Researchers at Sanford-Burnham have developed a novel technique to promote tissue repair in damaged muscles. The technique also creates a sustainable pool of muscle stem cells needed to support multiple rounds of muscle repair. The study, published on September 7 in Nature Medicine, provides promise for a new therapeutic approach to treating the millions of people suffering from muscle diseases, including those with muscular dystrophies and muscle wasting associated with cancer and aging. Continue reading “Researchers discover a key to making new muscles”