Silencing the HIV Reservoir: The ‘Block and Lock’ Approach
December 16, 2020
Some viruses avoid immune system antiviral attacks by going into deep sleep until the right moment to reemerge. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is one of the sneakiest. While anti-retroviral therapy works well to stop the virus, if people with HIV forget to take their medicine, the latent virus awakens and becomes a threat again. Research by Associate Professor Susana Valente suggests it’s possible to block the virus’ ability to reemerge (or wake up), locking it in a long-term dormant state. She is advancing a possible medicine derived from a marine sponge to do just that.
Can Medicines That Alter the Microbiome Prevent Cardiovascular Disease?
November 13, 2020
Promoting a healthy gut microbiome may be a powerful strategy for lowering cholesterol and other heart attack risk factors. In this Front Row lecture, Professor Reza Ghadiri will present research on molecules that can alter the bacterial population of intestines to a healthier state and how they have shown—through experiments in mice—that this reduces cholesterol levels and strongly inhibits the thickened-artery condition known as atherosclerosis.
Harnessing Chemical Biology for Cancer Drug Discovery
October 15, 2020
Gene regulation is the study of how cells turn certain genes on or off and plays a central role in the development and treatment of cancer. In this Front Row lecture, Assistant Professor Michael Erb will share his research applying chemical tools to study how chromatin, a molecular machine that plays a key role in transcription, becomes disrupted in cancer. He will discuss his research developing small molecule drugs targeting these genetic malfunctions.
Citizen Science: Empowering the Public to Help Solve Biomedical Challenges
September 10, 2020
Modern scientific research is primarily performed by individuals with specialized training and as their full-time careers. But in recent years, there has also been rapid growth in “Citizen Science”—engaging the general public as partners in research. In this Front Row lecture, Andrew Su, PhD, professor in Scripps Research’s Department of Integrative Structural & Computational Biology, will discuss recent discoveries that were only possible by leveraging the Citizen Scientist community. He will also highlight the many ways in which you, too, can contribute to cutting-edge scientific research, both at Scripps Research and elsewhere.
Preventing Opioid Addiction and Overdose Fatalities Through Novel Therapies
August 13, 2020
Addiction to opioids, including illicit substances and prescription pain medications, has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. In this Front Row lecture, Scripps Research Professors Laura Bohn and Kim Janda presented their latest research on innovative strategies for developing therapies to address opioid addiction and preventing related fatalities. They also discussed advances in understanding the body’s pain pathways that could lead to improvements in pain therapy.
Designing Universal Vaccines for Influenza and Coronaviruses
July 15, 2020
As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic edges up on the onset of flu season, the need for effective vaccines for these viruses and others is abundantly clear. In this Front Row Lecture, Ian Wilson, DPhil, chair of Scripps Research’s Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, discusses advances in designing and developing universal vaccines that could either treat or protect people against all strains of a virus. He focuses on progress developing universal vaccines against influenza and how research on flu has paved the way for current efforts to find a pan-coronavirus vaccine.
Intelligent Intervention Into Multiple Sclerosis With Next-Generation Therapies
July 1, 2020
As scientists learn more about the underlying causes of multiple sclerosis (MS), they are developing intelligent interventions that slow or halt the progression of the disease. In this Front Row lecture, Scripps Research Professor Hugh Rosen will share how he and his collaborators at Scripps Research created ozanimod (Zeposia), the first disease-altering MS therapy, recently approved in the United States and Europe. Luke Lairson, an associate professor at Scripps Research, will discuss how his research targeting another aspect of the disease is laying the groundwork for the next generation of MS therapies.