Sanford Burnham Prebys

New research from Su-Chun Zhang, MD, PhD, and an international team of collaborators is shedding light on the biology behind Alexander disease—a rare and devastating neurodegenerative disorder. In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers uncovered a surprising new role for a ropelike structural protein that helps maintain the shape and integrity of our cells. Their work shows that this protein is essential for keeping mitochondria—the energy-producing “power plants” of our cells—healthy and balanced. When the gene that encodes this protein mutates, it disrupts the delicate cycle of mitochondrial splitting and merging. This imbalance may help explain why Alexander disease leads to progressive damage in the brain and nervous system. https://lnkd.in/gq5TQn_j

🧬 PhD Applications - December 1, 2025 📅 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. Join our active research community, access world-class labs and mentorship, and develop the skills to be a scientist who pioneers breakthroughs in biomedical sciences and shapes the future of human health. 🔗 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gxSst-vi

Spotlight on Alexandra Houser, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in Shengjie Feng’s lab. Alex is a structural biologist investigating ion channels to better understand how the brain works at the molecular level. Alex says" I love the support that’s here for postdoctoral researchers. Honestly, it’s been almost universally positive. I don’t think that is true everywhere. The postdoc community here is so active organizing standout events such as family day and holiday gatherings. We have tremendous opportunities for workshops and industry tours." I Another inspiring scientist featured in our Postdoc Profile series. Read more about Alex or view the whole series: https://lnkd.in/gkNwiUuy

One person’s side effect could be another person’s treatment if we expand our perspective on small molecule drug targets, according to a new study recently published in npj Precision Oncology. “Small molecules can have different targets and effects depending on the disease and cell type, and we can use this knowledge to repurpose more drugs to treat more patients,” said lead author Sanju Sinha, PhD, an assistant professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys. https://lnkd.in/gPdetGww

New research from scientists at the NCI-Designated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys explores how aging influences pancreatic cancer cells and their surrounding environment—advancing the possibility of age-based treatments for this devastating disease. 🧬 Published November 7, 2025, in Cancer Research. AACR Journals Priyanka Gupta, PhD, is the lead author of the manuscript and Cosimo Commisso, PhD, is the deputy director of the NCI-Designated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys and he is the senior and corresponding author of the study. https://lnkd.in/g5FAeA7S

Sanford Burnham Prebys science featured in the pages of Nature Magazine—highlighting discoveries from our researchers that are shaping the future of human health. 💊 GPCR signaling and drug design 🧬 Nature Research Briefing recognition ❤️ Gene discovery in Down syndrome heart defects 🔥 Hud Freeze’s foundational PCR discovery 👉 Learn more https://lnkd.in/gaXDdpxt

New research published from the lab of Andrei Osterman, with collaborators at Roche Pharmaceuticals, marks a milestone toward genomics-based predictions of antibiotic resistance and susceptibility—tools that could help hospitals and clinics prescribe more effective treatments. 🧬💊 The team views this study—and previous work on the evolution of resistance in A. baumannii and other bacterial pathogens—as key steps toward harnessing genomics to guide antibiotic use in clinical settings. Read more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gCayXwQ9

Meet Rouven Arnold, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Peter Adams, PhD, at Sanford Burnham Prebys. Rouven is a geneticist studying how aging affects the identity of individual cells. His goal is to protect people from common age-related diseases such as heart disease, cancer and dementia. Get to know what drives his work—and what inspired his journey into science. 📣 Read his story ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g5gt4FKB #PostdocSpotlight #SBPDiscovery

Basic research is sometimes misunderstood because its ultimate value to human society may not be obvious. Most modern advances in medicine, science and technology originated with basic research that created new knowledge and laid the path to greater health and prosperity. In the October 29 issue of Nature, the journal celebrates “7 basic science discoveries that changed the world.” Among them, the discovery of a heat-loving bacterium named Thermus aquaticus in a Yellowstone National Park hot spring by microbiologist Thomas Brock (1926-2021) and his undergrad assistant Hudson Freeze, PhD, (Freeze Hud) now director of the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys. “I was seeing something that nobody had ever seen before,” Freeze told the journal. “I still get goosebumps when I remember looking into the microscope.” The discovery of T. aquaticus in 1966 and the isolation of a key bacterial enzyme by Brock and Freeze began the scientific journey that led to the development of the polymerase chain reaction or PCR, a method for rapidly making thousands of copies of a single fragment of DNA. PCR has since proven to be an indispensable and ubiquitous tool throughout biomedical research and medicine. https://lnkd.in/gJbfyqSb

Every month, the Sanford Burnham Prebys newsletter brings you the people, science, and stories driving our mission to translate science into health. This issue features: ✨ Unlocking new drug targets: Sanford Burnham Prebys scientists have discovered a new way to tap into the drug discovery potential of the body’s largest receptor family—G protein-coupled receptors. 🧬 Down syndrome insights: Researchers have identified a gene linking Down syndrome and congenital heart defects, offering a roadmap for finding genes behind other developmental challenges. 💻 Leadership spotlight: Meet Paul Boutros, PhD, MBA—the first computational biologist to lead an NCI-designated Cancer Center.