In Brief

Nobuyoshi Suto Awarded Grant to Develop Method for Exploring Drug Relapse Treatment

Nobuyoshi Suto, a faculty member at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has been awarded a grant of more than $500,000 over two years from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

The funding will support research to develop a new method for functional gene expression profiling of a medicinal compound. For this initial investigation, Suto and his colleagues will focus on the epigenetic mechanism behind the promising anti-relapse action of cannabidiol—a naturally occurring compound found in the marijuana plant.

“Drug addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder with extensive societal ramifications,” said Suto. “Naturally occurring compounds, such as cannabidiol, tend to have many biological targets that may or may not be functionally relevant to their therapeutic effects. It is therefore critical to determine the precise mechanisms for the anti-relapse action of cannabidiol as comprehensively as possible.”

Once established, the method can be applied to determine the gene expression profiles uniquely linked to the therapeutic action of other types of medicinal compounds and medications. “The knowledge gained through such studies then can be utilized to improve the efficacy of medications via precise identification of on- and off-target effects, and also to identify novel druggable targets,” Suto added.

Suto emphasized the collaborative nature of the study, which will involve TSRI faculty members Pietro Sanna and Friedbert Weiss, scientists at NIDA and the University of California, San Diego, as well as experts at the TSRI Flow Cytometry and DNA Array Cores.

SER-CAT Symposium to Be Held at Scripps Florida April 7

TSRI faculty, staff scientists, trainees and students are invited to attend the Southeast Regional Collaborative Access Team (SER-CAT) Symposium, scheduled for April 7, 2017, on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). SER-CAT is an organization consisting of 21 member and four associate institutions, formed in 1997 to provide third-generation x-ray capabilities to macromolecular crystallographers and structural biologists in the southeastern region of the United States.

The symposium will be hosted by Symposium Chair and TSRI Associate Professor Tina Izard. For more information or to register, go to http://www.scripps.edu/izard/sercat2017/index.html.

CA Blood Drive Scheduled for April 13

ScrippAssists will hold a San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) blood drive on the California campus on Thursday, April 13, from 9 AM to 2:30 PM.

Donors are asked to make an appointment on the SDBB website. Walk-in donors will be welcomed. Guidelines and eligibility requirements are also 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.

The SDBB bloodmobile will be located in the parking lot adjacent to the Skaggs/MBB building, 10596 N. Torrey Pines Road. 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.

CA ScrippsAssists Calls for Volunteers

Epilepsy Foundation Fundraiser April 2

Join ScrippsAssists in supporting the Epilepsy Foundation of San Diego County by volunteering at the 18th Annual Sharon’s Ride.Run.Walk. for Epilepsy, the largest epilepsy awareness event in San Diego. The event will be held at De Anza Cove in Mission Bay Park on April 2, 2017, from 6 AM to 2 PM.

Volunteers have several shifts to choose from:

Registration: 6:30 to 10:30 AM
Registration & Food Serving: 6:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Food Serving: 10 AM to 1 PM
Face Painting: 9:30 to 11:30 AM and/or 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Expressive Arts: 7 AM to 2 PM (this usually ends by 12:30 PM, but listing 2 PM just in case)
Finish Line Time Keeper: 8:30 AM to noon
T-shirts: 7:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Water Booth: 8:45 AM to 11:30 AM

All volunteers will receive a complimentary lunch. To volunteer, please email ScrippsAssists Project Lead Kai-Chun Chen at kaichun@scripps.edu with your name(s) and preferred volunteer roles/times.

Home Start Gala April 22

In support of its ongoing partnership with Home Start, ScrippsAssists is seeking volunteers for Home Start’s biggest fundraiser of the year, their gala on Saturday, April 22. The gala benefits the organization’s programs to prevent child abuse and strengthen families. No experience is required, just a desire to lend a helping hand!

Shifts include

Setup: 12 to 4 PM
Photobooth Assistance: 5:30 to 7:30 PM or 9:15 to 10:15 PM
Check-in/Clerks: 5:00 to 7:30 PM
Silent Auction Table Monitor: 5:30 to 7:30 PM
Live Auction/Ask Monitor: 8:50 to 9 PM
Checkout: 9:15 to 10 PM
Cleanup: 9:30 to 10:30 PM

If you are interested in volunteering at any shift or have any questions, please contact Project Lead Samantha Spierling, at samspier@scripps.edu.

FL Earth Day Cleanup April 22

Scripps Florida colleagues and family members are invited to join the 2017 Earth Day Cleanup on April 22 from 9 AM to noon. Volunteers will help clean the Scripps Florida “Adopt-A-Spot” in Palm Beach County. For more information, contact Scripps Florida Green Team member Peter Norris at pnorris@scripps.edu or x2041.

At The Auditorium: Chamber Music, Jazz and Piano

San Diego music lovers have three events to choose from this April at The Auditorium at TSRI.

On April 2 at 7:30 PM, join the San Diego Symphony for their “Viva La France!” chamber music concert series. The symphony will be performing Philippe Gaubert’s “Cantabile et Scherzetto,” Jean Françaix’s “Quartet for English Horn and Strings” and Maurice Ravel’s “String Quartet.” For more information, go to the San Diego Symphony website.

On April 7 at 7:30 PM, explore the rich history of mainstream jazz with the Joe Lovano Classic Quartet. The group includes Grammy-winning tenor saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano, Leo Genovese on piano, Peter Slavov on bass and Lamy Istrefi on drums. For more information, go to the Atheneaum Jazz website.

And on April 29 at 8:00 PM, the La Jolla Music Society welcomes the return of Russian pianist Nikolay Khozyainov. Winner of the 2012 Dublin International Piano Competition, Khozyainov will play pieces by Beethoven, Stravinsky and Schumann. Visit the La Jolla Music Society website for more information.

The Auditorium at TSRI is located at 10620 John Jay Hopkins Drive, San Diego, 92121. Directions and parking information are located on The Auditorium’s website.

Send comments to: press[at]scripps.edu

suto
Assistant Professor Nobuyoshi Suto

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