In Brief

Ardem Patapoutian Named HHMI Investigator

Ardem Patapoutian, professor in the Dorris Neuroscience Center at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has been named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, based on demonstrated potential to contribute significantly to biomedical science.

“I am immensely pleased for Ardem and what his selection says about him and TSRI,” said Michael A. Marletta, president and CEO of TSRI. “Ardem's work in mechanotransduction is transformative. Our expectations are even higher for him now.”

Patapoutian and 26 other top biomedical researchers from across the country were selected for HHMI’s flagship investigator program from among 1,155 applicants. The new HHMI investigators will begin five-year appointments in September, receiving the significant support necessary to drive their research in creative new directions.

The current group of 330 HHMI investigators includes 15 Nobel laureates and more than 160 members of the National Academy of Sciences.

Patapoutian and his team are investigating the molecular underpinnings of mechanotransduction, the process by which cells convert mechanical forces into chemical signals. Specifically, the lab is focused on identifying the molecules that sense force, determining how these sensors work, and elucidating their physiological roles in biological processes and diseases involving mechanotransduction, including sensing touch, pain and blood pressure.

George Koob Awarded Honorary Degree from University of Bordeaux

George Koob, chair of the Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders at TSRI, was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Bordeaux Segalen, one of the most prestigious distinctions given to a foreign scientist by a French university, according to the award announcement.

Introduced by Michel Le Moal, professor emeritus at the University of Bordeaux Segalan, as a “friend, colleague, and brother,” Koob proceeded to deliver his lecture, “Pleasure: from homeostasis to pathology—a physiopathology of addiction,” in French, which was greeted with a standing ovation, according to attendees.

Manuel Tunon de Lara, university president, presented Koob with the Doctor Honoris Causa. The University of Bordeaux Segalan campus, one of five in the institution, is the university’s center for medical, life and human sciences.

K.C. Nicolaou Elected to Royal Society of London

K.C. Nicolaou, the Aline W. and L.S. Skaggs Professor of Chemical Biology at TSRI, has been elected a Foreign Member of the Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge.

Founded in the 1660s, the Society’s fundamental purpose is to recognize, promote and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity. Its approximately 1,450 Fellows and Foreign Members include more than 80 Nobel laureates.

One of just eight newly elected foreign members, Nicolaou was cited for his “many original and outstanding achievements in the total synthesis of structurally complex and biologically important natural products,” achievements that have helped shape the frontiers of chemistry, biology and medicine.

SOF Vendor Show Scheduled for May 14

Featuring new research technologies, products and services from some 100 companies, the 23^rd annual Scripps California Society of Fellows (SOF) Vendor Show will be held Tuesday, May 14, from 9 AM to 2:30 PM in the Beckman and Immunology Gallerias and the Immunology Plaza. One of the largest life sciences industry shows in the area, the event is open to the public.

Attendees may enter a raffle to win a Kindle Touch e-book reader, $100 Amazon gift card or iPod Shuffle. Raffle forms will be available from SOF representatives at the event. Many vendors also are raffling prizes or distributing giveaways, according to Devin Sok, graduate student in the Burton lab who is organizing the event on behalf of the SOF with Sheena Saayman, research associate in the Morris lab, and Joey Garcia, senior research associate in the Gallay lab.

Profits from the Vendor Show fund SOF events and programs. Additional event information, including a list of participating vendors, is available on the SOF website.

Lunch & Learn: The Calming Benefits of Mindfulness

Basic techniques to achieve a state of calmness in busy, stressful times will be explained at the next Lunch & Learn Series presentation, “Mindfulness for Busy People: Simple Skills for Everyday Life,” to be held Wednesday, May 22, from noon to 1 PM in the Beckman Building’s Keck Amphitheater.

Psychologist, teacher and author Rebecca Williams will conduct the workshop, sponsored by the Counseling and Psychological Services Office. In addition to her private practice, Williams is a clinical director at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and is affiliated with the University of California, San Diego, and the University of San Diego. She also has a private practice.

Williams will present:

The benefits of practicing mindfulness
Use of the five senses to focus awareness and find inner peace
Simple mindfulness practices

For more about the Lunch & Learn series and other resources provided by the Counseling and Psychological Services Office, visit the office website.

CA ScrippsAssists Volunteers Staff Home Start Fundraiser

More than two dozen California campus ScrippsAssists volunteers helped staff the Home Start Annual Blue Ribbon Gala, held April 27 at the Estancia Hotel and Spa in La Jolla. Drawing 300 attendees, the event raised more than $150,000 for Home Start programs to prevent family violence and assist child victims of abuse.

Among other tasks, ScrippsAssists volunteers managed the gala’s silent and live auction events. ScrippsAssists project coordinators Marcia McRae and Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn, Tim Shinn, and Dee Huang served as volunteer leads, providing logistics and volunteer training.

TSRI’s Executive Vice-President and Chief Scientific Officer Peter Vogt donated several of his paintings to the auction. In addition, Denise Daggett from Environment Health & Safety, Cherie Ng, research associate in the Oldstone lab, and Patty Tu, research technician in the Yates lab, donated baskets for silent auction items.

For information on other ScrippsAssists community service projects, visit the group’s website.

CA Biosafety Committee June Meeting Materials Due

The TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, June 12, in the Faculty Club Tennis Court Room. To receive committee consideration, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety via email to rachellv@scripps.edu by Friday, May 31.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

Professor Ardem Patapoutian was selected from among 1,155 applicants to be one of 27 new HHMI investigators. (Photo courtesy of Huffaker/AP, © HHMI.)

TSRI Volunteers and Friends Assist Humane Society

ScrippsAssists volunteers operated the raffle table at the San Diego Humane Society’s recent “Walk for the Animals,” which raised more than $370,000 for the society’s homeless animal services. Shown here (left to right) are TSRI volunteers Suzette Hunter, Amelia Brown, John Crum and Peter Thuy-Boun.

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