Early-career scientists showcase their work at the 20th Annual Trainee Research Symposium
AuthorMiles Martin
Date
October 5, 2021
The scientific leaders of tomorrow gathered to showcase their work at the 20th Annual Trainee Research Symposium on September 23rd. The talented group of presenters included postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and staff scientists from labs across Sanford Burnham Prebys.
After introductory remarks by Sanford Burnham Prebys Student Network co-chairs Stephen Sakuma and Marie Berenguer, PhD, as well as president Kristiina Vuori, MD, PhD, the young scientists gave 20-minute podium presentations about their research, which were judged by a panel of Sanford Burnham Prebys faculty and staff. Speakers included:
Cynthia Lebeaupin, PhD and Valeria Guglielmi, PhD were respectively awarded first and second place by the judges for their presentations, for which they’ll each receive a cash prize to go towards career development activities. Lebeaupin’s research focuses on the progression of fatty liver disease to liver cancer, and Guglielmi studies the role of nuclear pores the development of bone marrow cells.
After the first two sessions of presentations, the keynote speech for the Symposium was given by Katherine Thompson-Peer, PhD, an assistant professor of developmental & cell biology at the University of California at Irvine.
Following the last podium presentation was a poster session where 30 early-career scientists were given the chance to present their work. A panel of judges selected the top three posters—presented by Shaun Lim from the Kumsta and Hansen labs, Aleksandr Arzamasov from the Osterman lab, and Michaela Lynott from the Colas lab—and they will also receive a cash prize. The day was capped off with closing remarks from Sanford Burnham Prebys CEO C. Randal Mills, Ph.D.
Graduate student awarded American Heart Association Fellowship
AuthorSusan Gammon
Date
April 14, 2021
The heart is the core of life, and for PhD graduate student Katja Birker, it’s the foundation for the beginning of a career.
Birker recently received a prestigious predoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association (AHA) to continue her research on hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), a congenital heart disease that affects between two and four of every 10,000 babies born. As of today, the only cure for HLHS is three open-heart surgeries that begin two weeks after birth.
“I’m very grateful to the AHA for supporting my research,” says Birker. “I’ve embarked on a career to study the genes that contribute to HLHS, and this award will help me continue my work that may eventually lead to targeted prevention of HLHS as well as other congenital heart diseases.”
Birker is collaborating with the Mayo Clinic to identify and test whether genes found in HLHS patients—or “candidate” genes—have similar consequences in the hearts of fruit flies—a model organism for cardiovascular research. The research aims to identify novel gene functions and pathways that are likely to contribute to HLHS.
“Many believe that HLHS is a genetic disease, but the genes that are involved are not well known,” says Birker. “The fruit fly is a very good genetic system to model disease because it has many similar genes to humans and a short life span. I’m able to film videos of fly hearts to understand the impact of the candidate genes on heart function.
“My goal is to find genes that can be used in the future for the diagnosis and treatment of HLHS in babies. The research approach could also be used to screen for genes that might be involved in many other types of heart disease,” adds Birker.
The AHA supports early-career scientists with passion, commitment and focus by providing fellowships that fund their pursuit of cardiovascular research. Birker, a graduate student in the lab of Rolf Bodmer, PhD, professor and director of the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program, received her first AHA fellowship in 2018.
Institute News
Meet cancer researcher Karina Barbosa Guerra
AuthorMonica May
Date
February 3, 2021
Barbosa Guerra is working to find better treatments for a deadly leukemia
For Karina Barbosa Guerra, touring a lab and meeting scientists as part of her Girl Guides troop—Mexico’s equivalent of the Girl Scouts—was a life-changing experience. Suddenly, she could see herself as a scientist.
Today, Barbosa Guerra is a graduate student in the Deshpande lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys, where she’s working to find better treatments for a blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We caught up with Barbosa Guerra as she prepares to take the virtual stage at the Diversity and Science Lecture Series at UC San Diego (DASL) to learn more about when she decided she wanted to be a scientist and where she can be found when not in the lab.
Tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a scientist. According to my mother, I stated that I wanted to become a chemist to develop vaccines when I was ten years old. However, it wasn’t until middle school that I started cultivating my own sense of scientific curiosity. At that time, I was in a Girl Scouts program centered on HIV/AIDS peer education, so I began to read a bit more about viruses. It was incredibly amazing that they could linger undetected in our bodies—and that many questions about their biology remained unanswered. The more I learned, the less I felt I knew, and I wanted to follow that endless string of questions.
What do you study, and what is your greatest hope for your research? I study a cancer called acute myeloid leukemia—specifically, subtypes that are hard to treat. Certain cancer cells, like stem cells, are pretty resilient and can self-renew. This enables them to resist therapy, so we want to discover better ways to target this particular feature. My research aims to find ways in which we can treat these leukemias based on their stem cell–like capabilities. My hope is that we can ultimately benefit the patients enduring harsh treatments and disease relapse, and along the way, illuminate the fascinating aspects of the biology behind effective treatments.
What do you wish people knew about science? That it’s a team effort. The current coronavirus pandemic has really shown us that collaboration is at the heart of transformative science. I think that great ideas are best developed through discussion—and the thrill of putting the pieces together is way more enjoyable with company.
How do you think your lab colleagues would describe you? Maybe as the girl with a bunch of notebooks. I like to make notes of everything. My notebooks are way more reliable than my memory.
What is the best career advice you’ve ever received? Early in the graduate program, one of my mentors told me, “Be there,” meaning that I had to spend time with my science. If I were to discover something or make a great insight, I had to be there to do it, think it or see it.
What do you wish people knew about Sanford Burnham Prebys? That this is such a welcoming community. I felt this the very first time I visited the campus, and I feel so at home here as a student. There are plenty of opportunities to engage with others and help each other out. I really enjoy the collaborative spirit of our little community.
Iyer is studying how proteins “dance,” which could lead to better drugs and a deeper understanding of human health
DNA is often the star of the show when we talk about the body, but proteins are the true front-line workers. Formed by DNA’s instructions, proteins begin as strings of chemical compounds and later fold into a 3D shape that dictates their job in the body. If scientists can solve a protein’s shape—a feat that often takes years or decades—they may be able to create better drugs or better understand disease.
Biologist Mallika Iyer, a graduate student in the Godzik lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys, is harnessing the power of computers to unlock insights into protein structure and movement. We caught up with Iyer as she prepares to take the virtual stage at DASL (the Diversity and Science Lecture Series at UC San Diego) to learn more about her greatest hopes for her research and what makes her tick.
Did you always know you wanted to be a scientist? I’ve known I wanted to be a scientist ever since I learned about the digestive system as a kid. I was fascinated by how the human body works—it’s the most well-thought-out machine ever.
I didn’t, however, imagine myself being a computational scientist until much later. When I was in college, I realized that traditional lab work wasn’t for me. I began learning some basic coding after I graduated and was hooked. That transitioned into computational biology/bioinformatics.
What do you study, and what is your greatest hope for your research? I study protein structure and flexibility. Proteins are often depicted as having a single structure, but they are actually very flexible and transition between many different conformations as a part of their function—sort of like a well-choreographed dance.
My greatest hope for my research, or this field in general, is that we will someday be able to predict the types of movements a protein undergoes during the course of its function, or “job.” Last year, the field saw a huge advancement in the prediction of protein structure (read more in The New York Times). But “structure” is only half the story. Being able to predict all the different conformations and movements would be incredibly useful for medicine—and very cool!
What do you wish people knew about science? That being wrong is a huge part of science. Scientists are supposed to understand and explain how the world works. But that is something that involves a lot of trial and error! Being wrong is, in fact, the way we advance our knowledge.
When you aren’t working, where can you be found? Where is your happy place? Prior to the pandemic, my happy place was actually the climbing gym. I was introduced to indoor rock climbing about two years ago, and I instantly fell in love it with. It’s a great way to exercise both your body and mind, and I have found the climbing community to be really friendly and accepting. What makes my gym even better is that it also has extra space to just hang out, work, read a book, and so on. So, I used to go there a lot!
What is the best career advice you have ever received? Use every opportunity you can to present your work and network with people. I try to present at as many conferences and symposia as I can, and simultaneously use that as a way to meet and network with others in the field. I’ve found that this allows me to practice answering questions about my work, which in turn enables me to think more critically about it. And it can also lead to new opportunities that further my research and career.
What do you wish people knew about Sanford Burnham Prebys? That it has a graduate program! I think our program is really unique. Its small size means that each student gets a lot of attention, and we have an Office of Education, Training and International Services (OETIS) that really offers us a lot of great resources to help us shape our careers.
Prior to the pandemic, Mallika’s happy place was the climbing gym. “It’s a great way to exercise both your body and mind, and I have found the climbing community to be really friendly and accepting,” she says.
Meet the new graduate student class at Sanford Burnham Prebys
AuthorMonica May
Date
October 20, 2020
Get to know the biomedical researchers of the future
Although Sanford Burnham Prebys has spent more than four decades fostering a reputation for excellence in basic biomedical research, our Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is relatively young. Founded in 2005, the program’s mission is to educate and train students to become the innovative biomedical scientists of the future.
“This year’s group of graduate students will work on ambitious projects that will help us learn about the biology of aging, the origins of cancer and more,” says Guy Salvesen, PhD, dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. “I look forward to seeing what these talented individuals will accomplish in the coming years under the guidance of our dedicated faculty.”
Meet this year’s incoming class of graduate students and learn about the bold projects they will undertake while at the Institute—and what drives them personally.
Sviatlana Zaretski (Hansen lab)
Sviatlana Zaretski began interning in the lab of Malene Hansen, PhD, as an undergraduate at University of California, San Diego. This led to a lifelong fascination with autophagy, a cellular recycling process that plays an important role in aging—the single greatest risk factor for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer and diabetes.
After graduation, Zaretski continued this work as a research assistant in the lab. Now, as a graduate student, she will build upon the knowledge she has gained to date to decipher the molecular changes that occur during aging and how they alter autophagy. This work could unlock new ways to slow the aging process and promote healthy aging.
“When I’m not in the lab, I can be found on the beach or in the park with my family.”
Rema Iyer (Deshpande lab)
Rema Iyer joins the graduate program with more than a decade of experience working in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries—including roles at Eli Lilly, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, GNF and AnaptysBio. Across these positions, her focus remained on preclinical drug discovery and drug engineering—with the goal of ensuring medicines are safe and effective in the human body.
As a graduate student in Ani Deshpande’s lab, Iyer will work to understand the role of epigenetics—chemical tags placed on DNA that alter gene expression—in cancers like acute myeloid leukemia. Her hope is that this work will lead to therapies that are meaningful to people with these cancers.
“What I love most about research is that I get to use my passion for science to help people. And with a PhD, I can have even more impact.”
Utkarsha Paithane (Bagchi lab)
Utkarsha Paithane obtained an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree in biotechnology from Amity University in India. She then went on to obtain a master’s degree at Keck Graduate Institute in California, where she worked to determine how non-small-cell lung cancer develops resistance to a targeted treatment called erlotinib.
As a graduate student in the lab of Anindya Bagchi, PhD, Paithane will work to uncover genetic mutations that contribute to cancer initiation, which could lead to treatments that prevent cancers from developing.
“One of my favorite moments in my life is when my first DNA experiment in my undergrad worked. I was so proud!”
Adarsh Rajesh (Adams lab)
Adarsh Rajesh first connected with Sanford Burnham Prebys when he worked as an assistant in the lab of Peter Adams, PhD, studying cellular senescence, a sleeplike state of aged cells. Now, as a graduate student in the Adams lab, Rajesh will investigate the impact of epigenetics—chemical tags placed on DNA that alter gene expression—on cellular senescence, aging and cancer.
Rajesh is interested in combining bioinformatics techniques and cell biology to unlock the cellular mechanisms that drive aging and age-associated diseases—which could lead to treatments that promote healthy aging or prevent age-associated diseases.
Rajesh is interested in combining bioinformatics and cell biology to understand aging.
Cedomir (Ceda) Stamenkovic (Sacco lab)
Ceda Stamenkovic completed his undergraduate studies at University of California, San Diego, where he majored in neuroscience and physiology. After graduation, he worked in several neuroscience research labs studying the brain’s response to opioids and reward behavior.
As a graduate student in the lab of Alessandra Sacco, PhD, Stamenkovic shifts his focus to muscle stem cells and how they degrade due to natural aging or muscular dystrophy. This work could lead to muscle-boosting treatments that help people maintain muscle mass as they age, or help people living with muscular dystrophy.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the living world. I was interested in both biology as well as ecology, but I chose biology because of its ability to advance health and medicine. That’s very important to me.”
Institute News
Meet neuroscientist Paloma Sánchez Pavón
AuthorMonica May
Date
October 7, 2020
Paloma’s research aims to protect premature babies from brain damage
Newborns have a new scientist in their corner: Paloma Sánchez Pavón, a graduate student in the lab of Jerold Chun, MD, PhD Paloma is working to find a medicine that could protect the still-developing brains of premature babies, which are incredibly delicate and prone to swelling. Called hydrocephalus, the condition is common—affecting one in 1,000 newborns—and repeated brain surgery is the only treatment.
We caught up with Paloma to learn more about what makes her tick, including why she decided to become a scientist and what she wishes people knew about research.
Did you always know you wanted to be a scientist? When you were a child, did you ever imagine you would be in the role you are today? I always knew I wanted to become a scientist, but I didn’t imagine I would be in the position I am today. Growing up, I was obsessed with the idea of becoming a marine biologist. I was fascinated by how much we didn’t know about the ocean. My plan was to move closer to the beach and enroll in a program that would allow me to learn more about it. Nevertheless, I soon realized that I was both mesmerized and terrified of the ocean (sharks, especially), and that I would never be able to spend enough time diving and exploring the water, which is what such a career would require. I was still passionate about biology and science in general, so I decided to study the most unknown (and equally unexplored) organ in the human body—the brain.
What do you study, and what is your greatest hope for your research?
I study hydrocephalus, a condition that often affects premature infants. These newborns are extremely fragile and often accumulate fluid in their heads, which can cause brain damage or death. The only treatment is invasive brain surgery, required multiple times throughout individuals’ lives, to insert a shunt in their brains and drain the excess fluid so it is reabsorbed somewhere else in the body. This procedure is extremely uncomfortable for the patients and, like any other surgery, is associated with several risks that endanger their lives. I’m trying to understand the disease so we can find a better, less invasive treatment.
When Paloma isn’t working in the lab, she can be found enjoying one of San Diego’s many beautiful beaches
What is one scientific question you wish you had an absolutely true answer to? To answer this question, I will step away from biology and turn to the universe. What is there beyond our galaxy? Will we be able to inhabit other planets? If we have so many things to still learn about the ocean and the brain, the universe is in a completely different category, with so many possibilities ahead of us.
What do you wish people knew about science? That it is fun. Experiments are about testing limits and going beyond what is known. I think that is really exciting. Also, science advances because we’re constantly asking new questions. Curiosity is what keeps this field in continuous evolution. And never be afraid to ask questions because science can be understood by everybody—it just needs to be explained well.
When you aren’t working in the lab, where can you be found? Where is your happy place? You will find me at the beach, walking along it or watching a sunset. One of the main reasons why I decided to move to San Diego is because I fell in love with its sunsets. You will also find me having brunch (my favorite American tradition) with my friends or enjoying a beer after work with them, especially around Encinitas or downtown San Diego.
What is the best career advice you have ever received? Never stop pushing the boundaries of knowledge. A curious mind is what keeps a scientist passionate about their job. Experiments usually don’t work the first time. You have to keep asking new questions and learning from your mistakes. Finishing a project takes time, but every day is unexpected and exciting because you don’t know what you’re going to find. That is the thrilling part about being a scientist.
What do you wish people knew about Sanford Burnham Prebys? What a great community Sanford Burnham Prebys is. I’ve never been in such a collaborative environment, where you work closely not only with students and postdocs, but also with faculty members. Everyone is always willing to help, whether that is lending reagents or advising about different techniques. As a student, this is what I value the most because it helps me develop as a scientist in an extremely enriching way.
19th annual Trainee Research Symposium is a virtual success!
AuthorSusan Gammon
Date
October 5, 2020
Sanford Burnham Prebys’ annual Trainee Research Symposium is dedicated to highlighting the research of postdoctoral scientists and advanced graduate students.
This year, nearly 40 early-career scientists presented their research during an engaging two-day, jam-packed Zoom call that went off without a hitch.
After opening remarks by Malene Hansen, PhD, professor and faculty adviser for Postdoctoral Training, the podium and poster presentations began. Faculty, trainees, staff scientists and other interested parties navigated through sessions that ranged from new approaches to conquer brain cancer to the molecular basis of aging. The event gives “up-and-coming” scientists an opportunity to receive feedback on their work, explore potential new collaborations and receive prize money to support career development activities.
“We’re fortunate to be starting our careers at Sanford Burnham Prebys where the scientific research is significant and diverse,” says Cynthia Lebeaupin, PhD, a best poster presentation award winner. “I’m grateful to be able to present my project, which is focused on the link between fatty liver disease and cancer, to colleagues from different disciplines, such as cardiac disease and immunology. Their questions about my research bring fresh perspectives and spark new ideas.”
Keynote speaker Martin Chalfie, PhD, a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and professor at Columbia University, opened day two of the event with a presentation titled, “GFP: Lighting Up Life,” detailing the journey that led to his discovery of GFP—a fluorescent protein that revolutionized how scientists look at the inner workings of living cells. Chalfie followed with an informal “Ask Me Anything” session where he shared his passion for mentoring early-career scientists.
C. Randal (Randy) Mills, PhD, CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys, closed the event with a happy hour exclusively attended by trainee presenters—an opportunity for everyone to get to know more about his experiences as a PhD student and how his career evolved to his current position as leader of our world-class biomedical research Institute.
Many congratulations to all who participated in the symposium, and thanks to the organizers at the SBP Science Network and the Office of Education, Training, & International Services (OETIS).
This year’s symposium winners are:
Best Podium Talk – Judges Selection
Natalie Kirkland, PhD Engler/Bodmer Labs Runner-up Stephen Sakuma D’Angelo Lab
A path to parity for Black PhD students in the sciences
AuthorMonica May
Date
August 18, 2020
Graduate school dean Guy Salvesen describes barriers he has seen for students who are Black and how we can make science fully inclusive.
Only 5% of graduate students in science and engineering are Black despite making up more than 13% of the U.S. population—and in spite of showing similar levels of interest in science as their peers. A PhD is required for career advancement in biomedical research—so this disparity impacts the number of faculty members, CEOs and scientific leaders who are Black. It will take persistent and bold efforts on the part of individuals, groups, institutions and society at large if we are to achieve anything close to equality.
To learn more about this topic, we spoke with Guy Salvesen, PhD, professor and dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Sanford Burnham Prebys about barriers that discourage students who are Black from applying to PhD programs—and how they can be dismantled to address disparities.
Why are you personally passionate about achieving racial equality in the biomedical sciences? Standing up for equality has always been a big part of my family’s values. I was born in South Africa during the era of apartheid. My mother always made it clear that she detested racism and the people who defended it. Before we moved away, she was part of a resistance organization called the Black Sash—a woman’s-only movement against apartheid. I come from a single-parent household, so my mother had an especially big influence on me.
Do you receive a lot of applications from PhD students who are Black? We receive many applications from Latinx students, but I have to say not as many from Black students. We know this is not due to lack of interest. There are systemic barriers at play, which as a graduate school we try to address to the best of our abilities. Our founding mission was to have a student population that mirrors California’s demographics, so we are committed to doing all we can to reach that goal.
Guy Salvesen, PhD, is the dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Sanford Burnham Prebys.
In your experience, what are the barriers that prevent students who are Black from applying to PhD programs? First, I believe the biggest hurdle is the monetary aspect of a career in science. The field is poorly rewarded financially, especially compared to a career such as pharmacy or medicine. You must commit to almost a decade of minimum-wage pay as you complete graduate-school and then postdoctoral studies. Scientists are some of the most highly trained individuals in the world—and for many years, they are paid close to minimum wage.
Even when you complete training and find a well-paying job, many students have educational loans to pay back—and Black students are more likely to have loans because of the racial wealth gap. The students who apply but don’t attend our graduate school typically accept positions in pharmacy, where they can more rapidly start earning a high salary. To pursue biomedical research as a career, you have to be incredibly passionate about science and be able to defer economic rewards. I wish it wasn’t like that, but that’s the reality.
I believe it’s important to get students excited about science early and sustain that enthusiasm. Once a student begins a PhD program, they are hooked. We need to make sure that kids who are Black are getting early, positive experiences with science. This can be accomplished through school or after-school programs. This also helps children see themselves as scientists—and that’s an incredibly important factor as students consider their future careers.
What solutions could overcome these barriers? Ideally, the National Institutes of Health would allocate funds to pay graduate students and postdocs better wages. This is also an area where philanthropy can play a big role. At Sanford Burnham Prebys, we are always grateful to the Fishman Fund Awards, which supplement the salaries of select postdocs. In a perfect world, we would be able to pay better wages to all graduate students and postdocs. Also, any actions that decrease student loan debt would help free students to choose science as a viable career option.
We need to ensure that we are proactively reaching out to schools that are serving students who are Black, especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities which award up to 30% of Black STEM PhDs; providing a safe and welcoming environment for graduate students who are Black; educating our Institute and especially faculty mentors about how to best support students from different racial backgrounds; and hiring faculty members who are Black. We also need to continue to listen and learn about additional actions we can take to achieve racial parity in our program.
Could you share some examples of actions the graduate school took that had particular success? A partnership we have with the Preuss School, a middle and high school for students who would become the first in their families to graduate from college, has been very successful. Preuss students spend time in our Institute’s labs during the summer and experience what it’s like to work side by side with scientists. We also try to bring parents into the mix by inviting them to our campus, because they have a tremendous influence on the careers their children pursue. Many of our Preuss students went on to select STEM majors in college. Right now, we are short on funds to continue this program. We need support to keep it going.
We also liaise with California state colleges that serve members of underrepresented groups, such as the California State University campuses in Fresno, Long Beach and nearby San Marcos. Through summer internship programs, students from these schools experience advanced laboratory research for the first time. Once these students realize how much fun it is do science in a state-of-the-art facility, they get very excited.
Where do we go from here? Are you hopeful about the future? It gives me hope that there is movement in society to redress wrongs that have occurred for more than 400 years. I’m optimistic that societal pressures will translate to real action. These issues are not new. It’s time that we listen, learn and take action. And that’s on all of us. No one is immune from systemic racism, and each of us has a role we can play to make positive change.
If you have any questions, comments or would like to share follow-up resources, contact us at info@sbpdiscovery.org.
Meet the 2019 Sanford Burnham Prebys graduate student class
AuthorMonica May
Date
September 23, 2019
For nearly fifteen years, Sanford Burnham Prebys has been honored to educate the scientists of the future through our Graduate Program. Today, more than 40 alumni are advancing biomedical research at esteemed institutions around the world.
Who are the scientists who will join this illustrious group of alumni? Read on to learn about our new students and the bold projects they will undertake as part of our 2019 incoming class.
Linda Chang
Hometown: Tainan City, Taiwan
Joins us from: UC San Diego, where she studied skin innate immunity and the host defense mechanism in the Department of Dermatology.
As a PhD student: She will study brain immune cells and molecules that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, under the guidance of Huaxi Xu, PhD
Zong Ming Chua
Hometown: Singapore
Joins us from: UC San Diego, where he worked on ENCODE, an ambitious project that aims to identify all functional elements in the human and mouse genomes.
As a PhD student: He will focus on better understanding the pathogenesis of the blood cancer acute myeloid leukemia (AML), under the guidance of Peter Adams, PhD
Jordan Friedlein
Hometown: Rockford, Minnesota
Joins us from: California State University, Fresno, where he completed his master’s degree in biology. While a student, he sought to understand how certain cancers become resistant to cell death signaling.
As a PhD student: He will search for vulnerabilities in how cancer cells proliferate and survive in order to develop new targeted therapies, under the guidance of Anindya Bagchi, Ph.D.
Michaela Lynott
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
Joins us from: San Diego startup CB Therapeutics, where she produced plant compounds from genetically modified yeast cells.
As a PhD student: She will work to find medicines that boost the heart muscle by mapping novel cardiac pathways and leveraging an automated screening pipeline under the guidance of Alexandre Colas, PhD
Steven Sakuma
Hometown: Shingletown, California
Joins us from: Sanford Burnham Prebys, where he studied the physiological importance of certain pieces of nuclear pore complexes—the gatekeepers to the cell’s nucleus, where DNA lives—in the lab of Maximiliano D’Angelo, PhD
As a PhD student: He will continue his research into the biology of nuclear pore complexes, including their role in aging and disease, under the guidance of D’Angelo.
Benjamin Van Espen
Hometown: Charleroi, Belgium
Joins us from: UC San Diego, where he researched the underlying causes of autoimmune diseases.
As a PhD student: He will research signaling pathways that regulate cellular stress response, under the guidance of Ze’ev Ronai, PhD
For more information about the Sanford Burnham Prebys’ Graduate Program, visit our website.
Institute News
Meet Clyde Campbell: A new PhD graduate
AuthorMonica May
Date
June 17, 2019
When Clyde Campbell was 6 years old, his life changed overnight.
“I went to sleep, and everything was completely normal. But when I woke up, my knee had swollen to three times its usual size and was stuck in a 90-degree position. I learned I had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, which then spread throughout my body—and no one knew why this had happened.”
Like the adult form, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system attacks healthy tissue. But much remains unknown—including the initial trigger that causes the body to misfire—and treatments are limited. This mystery sparked Campbell’s interest in science and desire to understand the ‘why’ behind disease—and thus create better medicines.
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from UC San Diego, Campbell applied to Sanford Burnham Prebys’ Graduate School in hopes of working with his scientific hero, Duc Dong, PhD, assistant professor in the Human Genetics Program.
“When I completed my work at UC San Diego, everyone spoke highly of Dr. Dong and the thoroughness of his science. I knew very early on that I wanted to work with him,” says Campbell. “Sanford Burnham Prebys’ graduate school was attractive to me because the program allows you to start working with your PhD advisor right away—so I met with Dr. Dong and began my research.”
Last month, Campbell completed his doctorate, the 40th PhD awarded by the Graduate School. His thesis, completed under Dong’s guidance, demonstrated his success in reprogramming developing cells within a zebrafish (mesoderm- and ectoderm-derived cells) into the cells that become the pancreas (pancreatic progenitors), an important advance for people with type 1 diabetes (insulin is released from cells in the pancreas). Current cell-based treatments rely upon cadaver-sourced cells, which are effective but are unable to meet patient demand.
Campbell will carry his training and knowledge of cellular differentiation to Iowa State University, where he’s accepted a position as an adjunct associate professor. There, he will continue his regenerative medicine work, with a new focus on blood cell differentiation. This work could lead to treatments for children with leukemia and people battling other blood disorders. As a father to a 3-year-old daughter, his research now takes on special meaning.
“As a society, one of the most important things we can do for future generations is impart new knowledge. With research comes powerful insights—which could lead to cures. One day, I hope no child or adult will have to go through my experience.”
Learn about Sanford Burnham Prebys’ Graduate School.
Check out our upcoming SBP Insights event, held on June 20, 2019, which features a doctor, scientist and patient discussing rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
Interested in keeping up with our latest discoveries, upcoming events and more? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Discoveries.
