unfolded protein response (UPR) Archives - Sanford Burnham Prebys
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Randal J. Kaufman among the world’s most influential scientists

AuthorSusan Gammon
Date

November 15, 2023

Over the last decade, the publications of Randal J. Kaufman are among the top 1% in the world by number of citations

Sanford Burnham Prebys professor Randal J. Kaufman, PhD was included on Clarivate’s 2023 Highly Cited Researchers list, a global ranking of influential researchers based on the number of times their work has been cited in peer-reviewed publication over the last decade. Launched in 2014 by Clarivate, a global research analytics company, the list identifies scientists who have demonstrated exceptional influence in their respective fields.

“The Highly Cited Researchers list identifies and celebrates exceptional individual researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys who are having a significant impact on the research community as evidenced by the rate at which their work is being cited by their peers,” says David Pendlebury, head of Research Analysis at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate. “These individuals are helping to transform human ingenuity into our world’s greatest breakthroughs – and it is an honor to celebrate their achievements.”

The 2023 list includes 7,125 individuals from 67 countries. With 2,669 American researchers named to the list, the United States had the greatest number of highly cited researchers compared to any other country, representing 37.5 percent of the complete list.

Randal J. Kaufman, PhD  – Discovering how proteins fold

Randal J Kaufman has a legacy of scientific contribution that extends across academia and industry alike. His landmark studies in the 1980’s contributed to the discovery of the unfolded protein response, a ubiquitous cellular stress response that occurs when misfolded proteins accumulate in cells. This response has been associated with an enormous array of human disease, including cancer, neurological, metabolic, genetic and inflammatory disorders, as well as the symptoms associated with aging. Today, his work continues to focus on explaining how and why misfolded proteins contribute to cell malfunctions and death, and his findings continue to shape the research of others through his highly cited publications.

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New study honors SBP scientist Marcia Dawson

AuthorSusan Gammon
Date

June 11, 2018

Professor Marcia Dawson was a fixture at Sanford Burnham Prebys for more than 25 years. The Stanford-educated biochemist was particularly interested in synthesizing compounds that induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in tumors. Dawson passed away in 2016, but her work has continued.

Recently, researchers investigated several variations of a compound produced in the Dawson laboratory, called DIM-Ph-4-CF3. This molecule is designed to modulate a nuclear receptor protein called NR4A1. In this paper, published in the journal Oncotarget, the multi-lab team investigated whether oxidized versions of the compound could be even more potent against cancer.

“We tested a number of analogs, and I think the most interesting thing is that the oxidation products were more potent than their parent form,” said Marisa Sanchez, a PhD candidate in the lab of Dieter Wolf, PhD, and the first author on the paper. “This potency was exhibited by a significant decrease of cell viability in multiple cancer lines. They kill cancer very well.”

The NR4A1 receptor is usually found in the cell’s nucleus and cytoplasm. When modulated by the DIM-Ph-4-CF3 products, the cytoplasmic fraction appears to trigger the unfolded protein response, a cellular stress mechanism that often leads to apoptosis. The anti-cancer molecules showed particularly strong activity in prostate cancer and exhibited no obvious side effects.

As work continues on these molecules, they could potentially be used to augment the cancer-killing impact of chemotherapy or other treatments. Over time, cancer cells can evolve the ability to resist apoptosis, and this approach might work synergistically with existing therapies to overcome that resistance.

“They target those pathways in a different way to induce cell death,” says Sanchez. “It might be harder for cancers to develop resistance.”

Still, it’s quite early in the discovery process, and much more work needs to be done. Sanchez feels that further investigation could confirm the mechanism of action and perhaps make the molecule more specific.

In addition to being a rewarding effort to develop and test new anticancer molecules, this was a labor of love for the research team, several of whom had worked with Dawson for decades.

“We finished this in Marcia’s memory,” says Sanchez. “We really wanted to honor her.”

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Research points to new way to prevent optic nerve degeneration in glaucoma

AuthorJessica Moore
Date

June 2, 2016

Over 3 million Americans have glaucoma, the group of eye diseases that damage the nerve that carries information from the eye to the brain. This damage slowly degrades patients’ vision, even with treatment. Current glaucoma drugs lower the pressure in the eye, which lessens the injury to the nerve, although it is not eliminated. Finding ways to protect the optic nerve could lead to treatments that are much more effective in preserving or restoring sight in glaucoma patients. Continue reading “Research points to new way to prevent optic nerve degeneration in glaucoma”

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Randal Kaufman among world’s most influential biologists

Authorkcusato
Date

February 4, 2016

Thomson Reuters has announced the world’s most influential scientific minds, and for the second time since 2014, Randal Kaufman, Ph. D., professor and director of SBP’s Degenerative Disease Program, is on that list. Thomson Reuters created the list based on scientists who write the most reports that rank among the top 1 percent cited by other scientists between the years 2003 and 2013. Analysts looked at more than 120,000 papers and recognized close to 3000 scientists.

Continue reading “Randal Kaufman among world’s most influential biologists”