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In Brief


Stroke Drug from Griffin Lab Advances to Phase 2 Clinical Trials

A new drug for stroke that originated in the laboratory of TSRI Professor John Griffin and University of Southern California Professor Berislav V. Zlokovic will enter a multicenter Phase 2 clinical trial conducted by ZZ Biotech, a Houston-based pharmaceutical company, and supported by an $8 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and ZZ Biotech. 

“The variant of Activated Protein C, 3K3A-APC, which will be tested in stroke patients, is the result of more than a decade of passionate research on the part of a dedicated Scripps team of investigators that includes Drs. Mosnier, Gale, Fernandez and Xiao Xu and collaborations with Professor Zlokovic of USC,” said Griffin.

TSRI licensed development rights to ZZ Biotech for the experimental drug 3K3A-APC, which will be evaluated for use in combination with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to treat patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke. In animal studies, 3K3A-APC has helped decrease the risk of internal bleeding caused by the clot-busting tPA, currently the only drug approved to treat ischemic strokes shortly after onset.

Ischemic strokes block arteries, depriving the brain of oxygen. A synthesized variant of a naturally occurring enzyme that plays a role in the regulation of blood clotting and inflammation, 3K3A-APC is designed to protect the brain and cerebral blood vessels and stimulates growth of new neurons while reducing the risk treatment-related bleeding.

For more information, see the news releases from Cedars-Sinai and ZZ Biotech


Kristin Baldwin Receives Las Patronas Grant

Kristin Baldwin, associate professor in TSRI’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, has received a grant of nearly $12,000 from Las Patronas, a San Diego nonprofit group, to fund the purchase of a new biomedical freezer for her laboratory.

Baldwin’s research focuses on advancing stem cell technology to study genomes and the brain. The award will ensure that Baldwin’s research with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) will continue uninterrupted.

Established in 1946, the Las Patronas organization has donated more than $17 million to San Diego charitable causes in the areas of health, education, social services and cultural arts.


John Teijaro Selected as Baxter Young Investigator

John Teijaro, assistant professor in the TSRI Departments of Immunology and Microbial Science and Chemical Physiology, has received the 2014 Baxter Young Investigator Award, presented by the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation. The foundation, based in Carlsbad, California, supports medical research and higher education programs.

Teijaro’s research centers on “chemical immunology,” combining cell-based phenotypic screening and chemoproteomics to decipher how certain immune cell populations promote excessive inflammation or immune suppression, leading to autoimmune diseases, bacterial sepsis and cancer pathogenesis. The goal is to identify new immune biology targets and drug leads to treat diseases potentiated by inflammatory immune pathology.

The $100,000 Baxter Young Investigator award is designed to help prepare and support early-career scientists, providing seed funds to develop preliminary data and advance a research program toward eventual competition for federal or other external funding.

In addition to Teijaro’s award, the Baxter Foundation has provided TSRI a $60,000 grant to support two first-year graduate students. A TSRI supporter for 18 years, the foundation has contributed a total of more than $2 million to the institute.


Scripps Florida to Host Biology and Aging Symposium

The TSRI Department of Metabolism and Aging will present a Spring Symposium featuring more than 30 of the field’s leading researchers on May 4 to 7 in the Rodney Fink Educational Pavilion on the Scripps Florida campus. The event, themed “Therapeutic Approaches for Extending Healthspan: The Next 10 Years,” will focus on strategies to identify mechanisms of aging and develop therapeutics promoting healthy aging.

The symposium will begin Sunday, May 4, with registration at 4 PM and a welcome reception at 6 PM. The 7 PM evening session’s keynote speakers and their topics include:

  • Steven Austad, professor at the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies in San Antonio, Texas, “The History and Future of Aging.”
  • James Kirkland, professor at the Mayo Clinic, “Developing Therapeutics for Aging.”
  • Ron Kohanski, deputy director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging, “Aging Research in the Next Decade.”

The symposium organizers include TSRI’s Chair of the Department of Metabolism and Aging Roy Smith, Professor Paul Robbins, Associate Professors Courtney Miller and Laura Niedernhofer, and Assistant Professor Matt Gill. Others on the organizing committee are Ana Maria Cuervo, professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine; James Kirkland, professor at the Mayo Clinic; and Tom Rando, professor at the Stanford School of Medicine and deputy director of the Stanford Center on Longevity.

The event’s scientific session will cover a wide range of topics, including model systems of aging, mechanisms and pathways, stem cells, metabolic/inflammatory changes, biomarkers, anti-aging drug screening and the future of aging research. Additional program information is available on the symposium website.


Funding Fest Workshops: NIH Grant Process and Scientific Peer Review

Two upcoming workshops focusing on National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs are presented as part of the 2014 Grantsmanship and Funding Fest series by te Torrey Pines Training Consortium, a collaboration of TSRI, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Sanford–Burnham Medical Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego.

California campus

Postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to attend an informational workshop on the NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) is scheduled for Friday, May 2, noon to 2 PM, on the UC San Diego campus, Leichtag building, 9500 Gilman Dr., room 107, La Jolla, CA.

Florida campus

A workshop targeting young scientists, from graduate students to junior faculty, will explore the NIH grant process Tuesday, May 6, from 2 to 4 PM in Classroom B159. Bita Nakhai, scientific review officer at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), and Leroy Worth, scientific review officer at the National Institute of Environment Health Sciences (NIEHS), will conduct the session, focusing on the scientific review process at NIA and NIEHS and NIH fellowship and grant mechanisms. Workshop registration is available online.


Research Ethics Training Offered

Signups remain open for the seven-day science ethics course, Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR), scheduled for next month on the California campus. UC San Diego personnel will conduct the RCR course on May 5, May 13-16 and May 19, from 3 to 5 PM, in the Human Resources Training Room, 3377 building, suite 205.

In addition to fulfilling TSRI’s mission to foster a culture of research integrity, RCR training is required for researchers receiving government funding from such agencies as the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

A description of the California campus course is available at http://sdrec.ucsd.edu/courses/tsri/. Space is limited; advance registration is required. Priority is given on a first-come, first-served basis to trainees who have received fellowships, are on training grants or are in the TSRI Postdoctoral Training Program. Upon successful completion of the training, participants will receive a certificate for their records.

Ethics training is also currently under way on the Florida campus; remaining classes will be held May 12, 19 and 27, from 9 to 11 AM, in Conference Room A116.


CA NWiS Seminar: Journal Peer Review Issues

The obstacles, inefficiencies and potential solutions of the process of scientific publication is the topic of a seminar hosted by the Scripps California Network for Women in Science (NWiS), scheduled for Monday, April 28, 1 PM, in the Beckman building’s Keck Auditorium.

Cesar Berrios-Otero, outreach director for open science publisher F1000 Research, will conduct the seminar, introducing proposed innovations in the peer review and publishing process.

NWiS will also participate in Happy Hour sponsored by F1000 Research from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Candelas restaurant in San Diego. RSVP by April 26 at http://bit.ly/F1RSanDiego.


SF-SRF Travel Award Application Deadline: April 30

The application deadline for the Mark A. Hall Travel Award, open to Florida campus postdoctoral fellows, is Wednesday, April 30. Two awards will be presented by the Scripps Florida Society of Research Fellows (SF-SRF) to cover fees and expenses associated with attending a specified scientific conference.

Applicants must be full-time research associates providing an oral or poster presentation at the conference. One proposal per evaluation cycle—April and October—may be submitted. Previous SF-SRF or Sandelman travel award recipients are not eligible.

For questions, additional instructions and the application form are available on the SF-SRF website. Contact Reji Nair, SF-SRF president, at rnair@scripps.edu.


SCC Workshop: How to Build a Biotech

“Building a Biotech: The Business Behind Biotech Startups” is the focus of a workshop sponsored by the Scripps Consulting Club (SCC) on Thursday, May 1, from 1 to 2:20 PM in the Beckman building’s Keck Amphitheater on the California campus.

Dan Ross, president and CEO of IMS Health Capital Inc., a San Diego-based boutique life-science investment banking subsidiary, will conduct the workshop, discussing topics vital to a biotech’s start-up success, such as private financing transactions, licensing, partnering, mergers and acquisitions.

A networking reception will be held following the workshop. Registration is available online. The event is open to the entire TSRI community.

SCC is a TSRI graduate student and postdoctoral fellow organization, providing training and resources for careers in science management consulting or business.


CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due May 2

The TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee is scheduled to meet on May 14, from 3:30 to 4:30 PM, in the DAR Conference Room. To receive committee consideration, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety via email to rachellv@scripps.edu by May 2.


Onsite Clinics Scheduled for May 5 and 7 on CA Campus

The next onsite immunization clinic on the California campus will be held Monday, May 5, and Wednesday, May 7, from 9:30 to 11:30 AM, in building 3366, room 150. Appointments are not needed.

Conducted by Sharp Rees-Stealy staff, the clinic will provide hepatitis B vaccination free of charge to all TSRI employees. Environmental Health & Safety Occupational Medicine must pre-authorize all other procedures based on the employee's working conditions. These procedures include tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (Tdap) vaccines and other titers, immunizations and procedures.

TB testing is provided for employees who, in the scope of their TSRI positions, provide human health care, such as registered nurses, or who work with human subjects. For further details, contact Rachel Longville, rachellv@scripps.edu or x4-8457.





Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu