SEARCH NEWS & VIEWS


Team Finds New Calorie-Burning Switch in Brown Fat
Scientists Create Most Detailed Map Yet of Virus that Causes Colds, Pink Eye
Researchers Find Genetic Mutations Linked to Salivary Gland Tumors
TSRI Scientists Awarded $3.4 Million to Investigate the Secret Lives of Brain Cells

NEWS & VIEWS HOME
PAST ISSUES
KUDOS
SCIENTIFIC CALENDAR
CA AUDITORIUM EVENTS
CONTACT




FOLLOW US

In Brief


Memorial Symposium to Honor Carlos Barbas III

A memorial symposium honoring the late Carlos Barbas III, who was Janet and Keith Kellogg II Chair professor and member of The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), will be held Friday, August 15, from 1 to 5 PM at The Auditorium at TSRI on the California campus.

The symposium will celebrate Barbas’s great successes as a gifted scientist, mentor and colleague. (For more about Barbas, see http://www.scripps.edu/newsandviews/e_20140630/barbas.html.) TSRI Professors Phil Baran and Dale Boger will provide an introduction and a remembrance. Other TSRI speakers will be Richard Lerner, Institute Professor and Lita Annenberg Hazen Professor of Immunochemistry; Chi-Huey Wong, the Ernest W. Hahn Professor of Chemistry; and former Barbas postdoctoral fellow Christoph Rader, associate professor in the Department of Cancer Biology.

Also on the program will be former Barbas postdoctoral fellows Doron Shabat, professor of chemistry at Tel-Aviv University, Israel, and David Segal, associate director of genomics at the University of California, Davis, Genome Center and associate professor in the university’s MIND Institute, as well as Barbas colleague Don Siegel, director, Division of Transfusion Medicine and Therapeutic Pathology at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center and professor in the Department of Pathology & Lab Medicine.

A reception will follow the symposium in the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Building first-floor galleria. For further information, contact Taylor Cohen at taycoh@scripps.edu or x4-7370 and Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn at mshinn@scripps.edu or x4-2738.


David Gokhin Wins NIH Pathway to Independence Award

David Gokhin, senior research associate in the Fowler laboratory at TSRI, has received an National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. This five-year award supports promising postdoctoral researchers as they transition to faculty positions.

Gokhin’s project, “Structure and Remodeling of the Distal Segment of the Thin Filament,” focuses on the application of novel imaging tools to study the molecular mechanisms involved in the specification of actin filament length in skeletal muscle sarcomeres. The goal of the research is to help lay the foundation for therapies for congenital diseases such as nemaline myopathy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.


Joel Blanchard Receives Stem Cell Research Poster Award

Joel Blanchard, graduate student in the Baldwin lab, recently received the 2014 Betty Jean Ogawa Memorial Poster Award at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), a cross-disciplinary organization with more than 4,100 members dedicated to stem cell research.

One of six winners selected from 700 eligible posters, Blanchard’s poster was titled “Deprogramming, Reprogramming: Uncovering Mechanisms and Inducers of Pluripotency via Combinatorial Antibody Screening.” As part of the award, he will attend the 2015 ISSCR annual meeting in Stockholm next June.

Blanchard’s research, a collaboration with the Lerner lab, seeks to develop methods to convert (or reprogram) ordinary skin cells into embryonic stem cells solely using antibodies that act at the cell surface. The goal of the project is to better understand the biology of reprogramming and develop safer modes for generating patient-specific stem cells for use in transplantation therapies.


Send an Experiment to Space

Far above the Earth—some 270 miles—the weightless environment of the International Space Station offers a unique platform for biomedical research. Scientists at TSRI can take advantage of access, expertise and funding for their own laboratory studies in space working with a new initiative from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS). CASIS aims to “incite the imagination of entrepreneurs and scientists alike, accelerating and facilitating space-based research…and make space science more accessible to the world.”

During a recent visit to Scripps California, CASIS representatives described research opportunities on International Space Station. In the environment of microgravity, a wide array of changes occur in organisms from bacteria to humans, including:

  • Gene expression, affecting areas from cellular immune function to microbial growth and virulence.
  • Cell cultures, including differentiation and cell communication.
  • Three-dimensional tissue culture growth.
  • Body systems including bone density, immunity, vision, and skeletal muscle mass and strength.

To make the International Space Station accessible to individual scientists and their labs, CASIS offers seed money—some $3 million to help fund promising research projects and product development. CASIS can also connect researchers with third-party investors and financiers.

In addition, the agency offers a variety of services free of charge, including expertise to help develop payloads, integrate systems and analyze postflight data and administrative support  to cut through red tape and facilitate quick access to space. “CASIS will work with researchers to maximize the chance of success and adapt projects for International Space Station requirement,” said Elizabeth Valentine, research associate in the Williamson lab who hosted the CASIS visit to TSRI.

For additional information on sending an experiment to space, contact Cynthia Bouthot, CASIS director of business development, at cbouthot@iss-casis.org or visit the CASIS website and the CASIS biomedical sciences webpage.


Library Tip: Updated Chemistry Resources

The updated 95th edition of the classic reference, CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics is now online. It contains 22 new tables and major updates and expansions, including a new series showcasing major historical figures in chemistry and physics.

To access the handbook:

  • Browse the table of contents.
  • Search by keyword.
  • Search by substance or property (chemical name, formula or registry number).
  • Structure Search—draw your structure using the Marvin Sketch Java Applet.

The Dictionary of Natural Products is a comprehensive database of 170,000 natural products that is continuously updated online. Data provided include names and synonyms, formulae, chemical structures, CAS Registry Numbers, extensive source data, uses and applications, physical state, melting point, boiling point, pKa and key literature citations. The database is searchable by text or substructure.

For more chemistry resources, check out the Library’s Chemistry Subject Guide or for additional assistance, contact the Library at helplib@scripps.edu or x4-8705.


Career Workshop: Effective Oral Presentations

Postdoctoral fellows and graduate students on both TSRI campuses are invited to a workshop on effective oral presentations Wednesday, August 20, from 12:30 to 2:30PM Pacific time/3:30 to 5:30 PM Eastern time.

The workshop will outline a systematic way to prepare and deliver presentations, based on the book Trees, maps, and theorems by Jean-luc Doumont, a science communications trainer and speaker. Workshop topics will cover structure, slides and delivery, as well as stage fright.

Registration for the event, which will be held in the Beckman building’s Keck Amphitheater at Scripps California and in conference room A116 at Scripps Florida, is limited and may be made online. Additional details about this workshop and other upcoming events from the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office are available on the department’s website.


Industry Bridge Program Schedules Visits to Lilly, Acea

Two Industry Bridge Program (IBP) visits are planned in this month: the Lilly Biotechnology Center on Friday, August 15, and Acea Bioscience Inc. on Tuesday, August 19. Sponsored by the California campus’s Society of Fellows (SoF), IBP events are open to TSRI postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.

The Lilly event, scheduled for 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM at the pharmaceutical’s biotech center at 10300 Campus Point Drive, #200, San Diego, currently has an applicant wait list. However, since registrants may cancel, SoF organizers suggest signing up on the event list. Further information about Lilly is available on the company’s website.

The Acea Bioscience Inc. visit is scheduled for 9 AM to 1 PM at 6779 Mesa Ridge Road, San Diego. Information about the life-sciences research instrumentation company can be found on the Acea website.

Participation applications, procedures, guidelines and registration are available on the IBP webpage. Applications for 25 participation slots are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis with preference given to first-time IBP participants. Only fully completed applications, indicating the desired company visit, are eligible. Cancellation within 72 hours of the event will count as attending and will affect future IBP visits.


SoF to Celebrate Transitioning TSRI Researchers

Scripps California postdoctoral fellows and graduate students transitioning into new positions are invited as celebrated guests at the Society of Fellows’ August Networking Happy Hour, to be held on Friday, August 22, 5 PM, behind the Immunology building.

Prospective guests of honor should send a three-sentence summary of their new positions and the deciding factor for accepting the positions to Brian Lamb, research associate, at bmlamb@scripps.edu. Guests of honor will also be asked to share details of their career moves at the event.


CA Counseling and Psychological Services Relocates

The TSRI Counseling and Psychological Services department has moved to the Faculty Club building, top floor, 3300 Torrey Pines Court.

The counseling center provides free, confidential counseling services to benefits-eligible employees and their family members. Counseling is available for issues ranging from job stress to mood issues. The center offers individual and couples counseling, support groups, psychological consultation and community referrals. The office also arranges lunchtime presentations—the Lunch & Learn series—on wellness and mental health topics.

Licensed psychologist Daphne Lurie is the center’s director. Staff includes Diana Bull, counselor, and Holly Wheeler, administrative assistant. Information on the center’s services and resources is available on its TSRI website.


ScrippsAssists Supports Food Bank Benefit Concert

Scripps California faculty, staff and students are invited to enjoy the music while helping ScrippsAssists community partner, the San Diego Food Bank, stage its annual fundraiser—the AimLoan.com San Diego Blues Festival, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, September 6 and 7, at the Embarcadero Marina Park North in the city’s downtown waterfront.

The festival will feature 18 national and local blues acts on two stages from noon to 8 PM. Volunteers, who must be 21 years or older, will help with ticket and merchandising sales, ticket taking and donation collections. Four-hour shifts are available. To volunteer or for more information, contact ScrippsAssists project coordinator Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn at mshinn@scripps.edu. Additional festival ticket details are available on the food bank’s website.


Participate in CA ScrippsAssists Blood Drive

Appointments are still available for the ScrippsAssists Blood Drive scheduled for Thursday, August 14, from 9 AM to 2:30 PM, on the California campus. The San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) bloodmobile will be parked adjacent to the Skaggs/MBB building, 10596 N. Torrey Pines Road.

Eligible donors are asked to make an appointment on the SDBB website. Walk-in donors also will be welcomed. Guidelines and eligibility requirements are listed on the blood bank website. Donors should bring photo identification, a record of medications they currently take and a list of locations visited outside the United States in the past three years.

All donors will automatically be entered into a prize raffle. For further information on the blood drive, contact project coordinator Leslie Madden at lmadden@scripps.edu.


Onsite Clinic Scheduled August 20 on CA Campus

The next onsite immunization clinic on the California campus will be held Wednesday, August 20, 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.


CA IBC Meeting Materials Due August 29

The TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, September 19, 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 Friday, August 29.


At the Auditorium: SummerFest’s 20th Century Composers

The La Jolla Music Society will present a “Who’s Afraid of the 20th Century” concert on Sunday, August 17, at 2 PM. The program includes works by Leonard Bernstein, Igor Stravinsky, Ernő Dohnányi, Joaquín Turina, Olivier Messiaen and Francis Poulenc. Ticket and additional performance information is available on the society’s website.





Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

barbas
A memorial symposium honoring the late Professor Carlos Barbas III will be held Friday, August 15, from 1 to 5 PM at The Auditorium at TSRI. (Photo by Cindy Brauer.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

space
The weightless environment International Space Station offers a unique platform for biomedical research. (Photo courtesy of NASA.)