Annual event shines spotlight on research conducted by postdoctoral associates and graduate students at Sanford Burnham Prebys.
“When I reflect on the most fun I’ve had during my career as a scientist, it was during my postdoctoral fellowship,” said Ye Zheng, PhD, Becky and Ralph S. O’Connor Chair and professor in the NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis at the Salk Institute, during his keynote address at the 23rd Annual Biomedical Research Symposium at Sanford Burnham Prebys on September 19, 2024.
“As a postdoc, every time I woke up, I would think about my scientific projects and then go to lab to work with interesting people and do exciting experiments. I had few, if any, distractions. It’s a unique opportunity, and I hope you treasure it.”
Zheng’s words of encouragement helped set the stage for a day filled with a variety of presentation formats to showcase the work of postdoctoral associates and graduate students at the institute. Peter D. Adams, PhD, director of the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys, underscored the event’s importance in his opening remarks.
“This is how science works. You all convening and discussing your work today provides a platform for building new and innovative collaborations.
“You are the next generation of biomedical researchers, and there is no greater pleasure for me as a scientist than to see postdocs and students partnering with one another and enjoying working together.”
The symposium featured three scientific sessions with keynote presentations, podium lectures and brief “flash talks” in which speakers were limited to two minutes and a single slide to entice attendees to visit their posters. Participants voted in a science art competition and for best podium and flash talks.
Following the scientific sessions, Alicia Llorente Lope, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Brooke Emerling, PhD, presented the 2024 Mentor of the Year Award to Alexandre Colas, PhD, the associate dean of admissions in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and associate professor in the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program.
Linda Bradley, PhD, a professor in the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program and the faculty advisor for postdoctoral training, provided the symposium’s closing remarks. She reminded the audience that the symposium was planned for this week because it was National Postdoc Appreciation Week from September 16-20.
“I want to thank our postdocs for their incredible efforts driving the research forward in our labs,” she said. “I hope we can continue to enhance our environment and provide the best possible opportunities for training and mentorship here at the Institute.”
The 23rd Annual Biomedical Research Symposium concluded with a poster session and happy hour reception. Postdoctoral associate and graduate school alumni were invited to these events to meet with current graduate students and postdoctoral associates and reconnect with their colleagues.
Symposium planning is coordinated by the Sanford Burnham Prebys Science Network, a group of postdoctoral associates and graduate students interested in professional development, networking and social events, and the institute’s Office of Education, Training and International Services.
The 23rd Annual Biomedical Research Symposium concluded with a poster session and happy hour reception. Postdoctoral associate and graduate school alumni were invited to these events to meet with current graduate students and postdoctoral associates and reconnect with their colleagues.
“It was a terrific experience working together to build this year’s program,” said Valeria Guglielmi, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Maximiliano D’Angelo, PhD, and member of the institute’s Science Network. “I’m especially grateful to our speakers, poster presenters and scientific artists for bringing excellent work that we could highlight.”
Additional awards given at the symposium included:
- Best podium talk – Judges’ selection
Valeria Guglielmi, PhD
Postdoctoral associate in the D’Angelo lab - Best podium talk – Popular vote
James Marchant, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow in the Colas lab - Best flash talk – Popular vote
Theophilos Tzaridis, MD
Postdoctoral fellow in the Adams lab - Best poster – Judges’ selection
Armin Aabish Gandhi, PhD
Pstdoctoral associate in the Adams lab - Best science art – Popular vote
Carolina Cano Macip
Graduate student in the Tian lab
Speakers at the symposium included:
Scientific Session I—moderated by Michaela Romero and Armin Aabish Gandhi, PhD
Participants at the symposium were able to submit votes for a science art competition and the best podium and flash talks. Carolina Cano Macip, a graduate student in the lab of Xiao Tian, PhD, won the science art competition with her piece called “Love is in your gut <3” featuring a heart-shaped section of a mouse colon.
- Cheng-Ju Kuo, PhD
Postdoctoral associate in the Kumsta lab
“Temporal and spatial regulation of the autophagy-regulating transcription factor TFEB/HLH-30 in hormesis and aging” - Ximena Diaz Olea
Graduate student in the Ronai lab
“Control of melanoma development by B. rodentium in germ free mice” - Huijie Huang, PhD
Postdoctoral associate in the Huang lab
“SORLA upregulation suppresses global pathological effects in aged taupathy mouse brain”
Scientific Session II—moderated by Katya Marchetti, Namratha Nadig and Chiara Nicoletti, PhD
- Adarsh Rajesh
Graduate student in the Adams lab, “A novel role of P21-CyclinD1-CDK6 complex in regulating interferon signaling in senescence and aging” - James Marchant, PhD
Postdoctoral fellow in the Colas lab, “Single-construct cardiac programming gene therapy for heart failure” - Valeria Guglielmi, PhD
Postdoctoral associate in the D’Angelo lab
“The nuclear pore complex component Nup358 regulates intestinal epithelium homeostasis” - Theophilos Tzaridis, MD
Postdoctoral fellow in the Adams lab, flash talk - Evodie Koutouan
Graduate student in the Pasquale lab, flash talk - Sviatlana Zaretski
Graduate student in the Adams lab, flash talk
Scientific Session III—moderated by Linda Chang and Theophilos Tzaridis, MD
- Gabriele Guarnaccia
Graduate student in the Sacco lab
“Serum amyloid protein A1 (SAA1) impairs myogenesis and myotube size in pancreatic cancer cachexia” - Jessica Proulx, PhD
Postdoctoral associate in the Adams lab
“Investigating the role and therapeutic potential of HNF4α in loss of hepatocyte cell identity with age” - Michaela Romero
Graduate student in the Colas lab, flash talk - Shanshan Yin, PhD
Postdoctoral associate in the Adams lab, flash talk - Guillem Lambies Barjau, PhD
Postdoctoral associate in the Commisso lab, flash talk