Researchers identify new genetic disease that interferes with brain development - Sanford Burnham Prebys Study from the Freeze lab finds that a mutation destabilizes proteins involved in how children grow and mature.

The Freeze lab and an international team of collaborators discovered a new rare genetic disease that interferes with brain development. They published findings in @hggadvances.bsky.social that identify the faulty mutated gene and show how it interferes with normal cellular function.
bit.ly/4vul3h3

Skip to content Sanford Burnham Prebys Research Scientists Education News Philanthropy About Open Search Donate Press Release Living LARP6: How a protein plays an oversized role in liver fibrosis Author Communications Date March 9, 2026 Share In this stained sample of liver tissue with cirrhosis, bands of fibrotic scarring are shown in blue. In this stained sample of liver tissue with cirrhosis, bands of fibrotic scarring are shown in blue.

Nearly 40% of U.S. adults have metabolic syndrome, a condition that can lead to liver damage and fibrosis.

A new study from Sanford Burnham Prebys highlights LARP6, an RNA-binding protein that helps drive fibrosis and may be a promising therapeutic target.

sbpdiscovery.org/press/living...

‘A novel approach’: Sanford Burnham Prebys celebrates 50 years of medical exploration The La Jolla-based research institute continues its founding principle of collaboration across multiple fields

Thank you to The San Diego Union-Tribune for helping share the story of Sanford Burnham Prebys as we mark 50 years of discovery and impact. We’re grateful for the spotlight on the people, science and community that have shaped our Institute since 1976.
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/02/27/a...

An international team including the Kaufman lab published in Nature.com showing that liver cell stress can both drive cancer and make tumors less resistant to immunotherapy. The findings may help physicians identify which patients are most likely to benefit from existing treatments.

Today, on International Day of #WomenAndGirlsInScience, we gathered for the latest Women in Science Lecture Series.
Thank you for the thoughtful and engaging conversation
Cheryl Anderson, PhD, MPH, MS and Angela Liou, MD.
Grateful to everyone who joined us. #InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience

Cells that are dysfunctional due to aging or mutation are removed through a process of programmed cell death, known as apoptosis. Image credit: Kateryna Kon/Sanford Burnham Prebys. https://sbpdiscovery.org/press/metallic-markers-make-direct-measurement-of-protein-activity-possible/ Study shows how new chemical probes can count individual enzymes and discern their activity levels, may inform discovery of new treatments Cells operate on rules not vibes, including when on the precipice of persisting or perishing. Yet, with prior research methods, scientists studying this phenomenon had to infer how cells choose to sustain themselves or self-destruct based on the output of their protein factories. While much more advanced than a pundit’s vibe check, these analyses were constrained by the inability to account for the activity of these proteins after their construction. Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and Wroclaw University of Science and Technology published findings January 10, 2026, in Cell Reports demonstrating a new approach for measuring their activity. The researchers also revealed a more complicated picture in which protein activation cannot always be presumed by protein production. Many cells in our bodies are routinely monitored for signs that they need to be removed. Like a gardener pruning dead or diseased branches, cells that are dysfunctional due to aging or mutation are removed through a process of programmed cell death, known as apoptosis. One of cancer’s calling cards is that cancerous cells ignore apoptosis and grow to become harmful tumors. “Scientists have defined a lot of the cellular signals involved in apoptosis,” said Guy Salvesen, PhD, professor emeritus at Sanford Burnham Prebys and senior and co-corresponding author of the manuscript. “To better understand how these signals work, we need to know how many active copies of an enzyme it takes to trigger apoptosis in a cell.” The research team needed to trac…

Sanford Burnham Prebys scientists published in @cp-cellreports.bsky.social showcasing a new approach for measuring the activity of enzymes linked to cell death and a more complicated picture where protein activation cannot always be presumed by protein production.
sbpdiscovery.org/press/metall...

Women in Science Lecture Series - Inspiring the Next Generation of Leaders in Biomedical Research

Join us on February 11 for the next event in the Women in Science Lecture Series at Sanford Burnham Prebys, featuring a lecture and fireside chat that highlight the groundbreaking work and perspectives of women leaders in biomedical science.
Must RSVP to attend:
lnkd.in/gzkXQRrm

Two scientists looking at a petri dish. Celebrating 50 Years of Sanford Burnham Prebys - For 50 years, bold ideas, dedicated scientists, and a shared commitment to discovery have shaped who we are today. Join us as we celebrate this milestone year and look ahead to the next 50.

Advancing Together: 50 Years of Sanford Burnham Prebys - For 50 years, bold ideas, dedicated scientists, and a shared commitment to discovery have shaped who we are today. Join us as we celebrate this milestone year and look ahead to the next 50.
youtu.be/Q4hNMzBq7N0?...

In this episode of the Epigenetics Podcast, we talked with Will Wang from @sbpdiscovery.bsky.social about his work on muscle stem cell repair, regeneration, and aging, exploring spatial-omics and machine learning. #podcast #epigenetics

Listen here: activemotif.com/podcasts-wil...

DeepTarget’s predictions are based on the principle that removing a gene encoding the protein target of a given drug through CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing can mimic the inhibitory effects of that drug. The tool was built by leveraging large-scale genetic and drug screening experiments with comprehensive data for 1450 drugs across 371 cancer cell lines. Image credit: Sanju Sinha, Sanford Burnham Prebys.

New research from Sanju Sinha, PhD, introduces DeepTarget, a tool that predicts both primary and secondary targets of cancer drugs. It could help repurpose existing medicines for more patients. sbpdiscovery.org/press/comput...

Q & A with Postdoctoral Researcher Rouven Arnold, PhD, from the Adams Lab - Sanford Burnham Prebys Meet one of our early-career scientists: Rouven Arnold, PhD

Meet Rouven Arnold, PhD, a postdoc in Peter Adams’ lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys. He studies how aging changes our cells—with the goal of preventing diseases like heart disease, cancer, and dementia.

Learn what drives his work and his path into science.
➡️ https://bit.ly/47PtecX

“People have understood the need for bias in drug design for a long time,” said Lauren Slosky, PhD, an assistant professor of Pharmacology at the University of Minnesota, and the corresponding author of the study. @laurenslosky.bsky.social

“Out of 826 GPCRs, approximately 165 are validated drug targets—so many of them have not been drugged,” says Steven Olson, PhD, executive director of Medicinal Chemistry at Sanford Burnham Prebys.

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys, the University of Minnesota and Duke University report in Nature that “biased modulators” can target GPCRs more precisely—expanding potential drug targets and reducing side effects. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Sanjeev S. Ranade, PhD

In this colorized karyotype of chromosomes, the three copies of chromosome 21 are indicated. Trisomy 21 causes Down syndrome, and half of all such cases also involve congenital heart defects.

“Once we find the players that drive disease, we can find drugs to help,” says Sanjeev Ranade, PhD. New study reveals a key protein linked to heart defects in Down syndrome. 🧬❤️
sbpdiscovery.org/press/huntin...

Applications are now open for Sanford Burnham Prebys Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The Deadline is December 1, 2025.

🧬 Biomedical Sciences PhD Applications Now Open!
Do you want to explore the science behind human health and disease? Our program is looking for curious and driven researchers ready to tackle the most pressing questions in biology and medicine. sbpdiscovery.org/education/gr...

Paul Boutros, PhD, MBA

We’re pleased to announce that Paul Boutros, PhD, MBA, has been named the new director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer center at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.
Read all about it! sbpdiscovery.org/press/paul-b...

Xueqin (Sherine) Sun, PhD

👏 Congratulations to Xueqin Sherine Sun, PhD, on receiving a $600,000 grant from the V Foundation for Cancer Research to study glioblastoma, one of the most common and deadly brain cancers.
sbpdiscovery.org/xueqin-sun-a...

Untold Stories (Diabetes) - Episode 5 Sensing Sugar Spikes YouTube video by Discovery Dialogues

🎧 Listen here:
▶️ YouTube: youtu.be/TEhPlF29yl4
🍏 Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/4nSAcUY
🎙️ Spotify: bit.ly/4mFa2UH

Sensing Sugar Spikes and the man who made the invisible visible. Episode 5 of The Discovery Dialogues podcast

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute scientists Ani Deshpande, PhD, and Pamela Itkin-Ansari, PhD,

What connects survival, science + diabetes care?
Adam Heller, PhD.

At 92, this Holocaust survivor, scientist + engineer shares how his innovations changed how millions manage diabetes.

🎙️Hear his remarkable story in Episode 5 of the podcast.
👀On YouTube: youtu.be/TEhPlF29yl4?...

HPV vaccination prevents 6 types of cancer. Get vaccinated and share the facts.

Today, 62 National Cancer Institute (NCI)–Designated Cancer Centers issued a joint statement underscoring the importance of HPV vaccination.
#HPVvaccine #HPVvax #EndHPVCancers

Sizing up a weakness in synovial sarcoma’s genes

🔬 New research from the @anideshpande.bsky.social Deshpande lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys.
The study demonstrates how public genomic screening data can be used to uncover a new genetic vulnerability in synovial sarcoma.
👏 Shout out to Rema Iyer, PhD lead author of the manuscript.

Myogenic determination gene number 1 (MYOD) protein immunofluorescence in myofibers.

For decades, scientists thought MYOD was just a muscle-builder. But new research from Sanford Burnham Prebys shows this gene has a Jekyll-and-Hyde side—able to switch from activating muscle genes to silencing them.
sbpdiscovery.org/press/muscle...

Preuss School interns wrap up unforgettable research experience - Sanford Burnham Prebys Aspiring biomedical researchers and health care professionals gained hands-on research training at Sanford Burnham Prebys.

Proud to host six high school interns from the Preuss School for a hands-on research experience at Sanford Burnham Prebys. 👏

Thanks to Peggy & Peter Preuss and Debby & Wain Fishburn for making it possible!
sbpdiscovery.org/preuss-schoo...

After comparing proteins in the bloodstreams of normal mice and mice lacking Mrc1, the team found the accumulation of 244 mannosylated blood plasma proteins to double or more of the amounts found in normal mice due to Mrc1 no longer keeping the levels in check. The scientists then took a closer look at the newly identified ligands. They used bioinformatics to review and depict these hundreds of proteins by their functions. Image credit: Jamey Marth and Mayank Saraswat, Sanford Burnham Prebys.

New research from the Marth Lab: Most blood glycoproteins are easy to spot—but finding the rare ones is like searching for Waldo across every book. 🧠🧬

🔗 Read more: sbpdiscovery.org/press/signal...

#Biomedicine #SanfordBurnhamPrebys #NatureCommunications #Science

Q & A with Postdoctoral Researcher Meena Sudhakaran, PhD, from the Kersten Lab - Sanford Burnham Prebys Meet one of our early-career scientists: Meena Sudhakaran, PhD. She studies cancer immunology to improve immunotherapy for breast cancer.

Meet Meena Sudhakaran, PhD, a postdoc in the Kersten Lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys. She’s advancing cancer immunology to improve immunotherapy for breast cancer. Read more about her journey into science: sbpdiscovery.org/q-and-a-with...
#CancerResearch #PostdocLife

Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor Agonist IVA337 Alleviates Inflammation and Fibrosis in MASH by Restoring Lipid Homeostasis Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), an advanced stage of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is characterized by significant hepatic fibrosis and inf...

#ArticleinPress: Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor Agonist IVA337 Alleviates Inflammation and Fibrosis in MASH by Restoring Lipid Homeostasis. @ucsandiego.bsky.social and @sbpdiscovery.bsky.social.

#OpenAccess text: ajp.amjpathol.org/article/S000...

A promising advance for pancreatic cancer published Cancer Cell: Blocking macropinocytosis reduces fibrosis around pancreatic tumors, improving immune cell access & boosting response to chemo & immunotherapy in mice. sbpdiscovery.org/press/reshap... @cosimocommisso.bsky.social @yijuan.bsky.social

Aashna Lamba - Lamba is investigating the use of genetic reprogramming to help the heart heal after being injured.

Ashley Neil - Neil is studying a neurotransmitter that influences brain cell inflammation and activity in Alzheimer's disease.

Big congrats to grad students Aashna Lamba & Ashley Neil at @SBPdiscovery—named 2025 CIRM Predoctoral Fellows! 🌟

Lamba’s research could help hearts heal after injury ❤️
Neil is exploring brain inflammation in Alzheimer’s 🧠

#SanfordBurnhamPrebys #RegenerativeMedicine #CIRM #STEM

Leading cancer and metabolic disease expert Michael Karin joins Sanford Burnham Prebys - Sanford Burnham Prebys Karin will direct the Center for Metabolic and Liver Diseases and continue his studies on inflammation and cancer.

📣 Welcome Michael Karin, Ph.D., to Sanford Burnham Prebys!
He joins as director of the new Center for Metabolic and Liver Diseases and will continue his pioneering work on chronic inflammation and cancer.
sbpdiscovery.org/press/leadin...