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Sanford Burnham Prebys

For more information, visit us at sbpdiscovery.org.

Sanford Burnham Prebys is an independent biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding human biology and disease and advancing scientific discoveries to profoundly impact human health. Sanford Burnham Prebys is an independent nonprofit research organization that blends cutting-edge fundamental research with robust drug discovery to address unmet clinical needs in the areas of cancer, neuroscience, immunity and addiction. The Institute invests in talent, technology, and partnerships to accelerate the translation of laboratory discoveries that will have the greatest impact on patients. Recognized for its world-class NCI-designated Cancer Center and the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, Sanford Burnham Prebys employs more than 500 scientists and staff in San Diego (La Jolla), Calif.

12/03/2025

New research from Su-Chun Zhang, MD, PhD, and an international team of collaborators is shedding light on the biology behind Alexander disease—a rare and devastating neurodegenerative disorder.

In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers uncovered a surprising new role for a ropelike structural protein that helps maintain the shape and integrity of our cells.

Their work shows that this protein is essential for keeping mitochondria—the energy-producing “power plants” of our cells—healthy and balanced. When the gene that encodes this protein mutates, it disrupts the delicate cycle of mitochondrial splitting and merging. This imbalance may help explain why Alexander disease leads to progressive damage in the brain and nervous system.
https://sbpdiscovery.org/press/structural-support-protein-takes-center-stage-in-maintaining-mitochondria/

11/29/2025

👉Application Deadline is December 1, 2025!👈
With state-of-the-art technology, an entrepreneurial mindset and a highly personalized program, the Sanford Burnham Prebsy Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is dedicated to educating the next generation of outstanding biomedical scientists who will drive future cutting-edge basic and translational research.
Learn more at https://sbpdiscovery.org/education/graduate-school/

11/19/2025

In a new study published November 7, 2025, in Cancer Research, Cosimo Commisso, PhD, the deputy director of the institute’s cancer center and a professor in the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program and his colleagues advanced the possibility of age-based pancreatic cancer treatment by investigating how aging affects cancer cells and the environment surrounding them.

The research team began by comparing the progression of pancreatic cancer in mice that were about two months old and mice that were more than a year and a half old. The cancer cells implanted into the mice were genetically identical, yet the older mice had faster-growing tumors and more cancer cells spreading into other tissues to form metastases.

“It was clear to us that aging was accelerating cancer progression as the primary tumors were larger, and the metastases were larger,” said Priyanka Gupta, PhD, a staff scientist in the Commisso lab and lead author of the manuscript. “It shows the limitations of using young mice to test drugs and model diseases that mostly affect older patients.”

The scientists hypothesized that the change was due to aging altering the tumor microenvironment, the neighborhood of immune cells, connective tissue, blood vessels and a sea of proteins and carbohydrates that cancer cells hijack to avoid the immune system and support their growth.

The researchers began comparing the tumor microenvironment differences by studying gene expression in each group. Nearly 550 genes were either more or less expressed in the tumors of the young and older mice. The older mice’s gene expression indicated a decline in the function of T cells, one of the immune system’s primary tools for detecting and eliminating cancer cells. There also were fewer T cells found in the tumors of older mice.

This finding fit with the result of a follow-up experiment showing that the tumors in older mice featured more collagen, characteristic of a stiff tumor microenvironment that serves as a barrier blocking the entry of T cells.

“The presence of collagen is indicative of fibrosis near the tumors, which we found also was present in data from human patients with pancreatic cancer,” said Commisso. “We know that fibrosis is a driver of tumor progression and makes it harder to deliver drugs across different tumor types, including pancreatic cancer.”

The scientists also discovered that aging was associated with the remodeling of the jelly-like substance between cells called the extracellular matrix. This remodeling contributes to a more fibrotic tumor microenvironment, presenting further obstacles to T cells and promoting tumor metastasis.

“We then asked if it was possible to reverse this remodeling by restoring some of the characteristics in the tumor microenvironment of the older mice to what we observed in their younger counterparts,” said Gupta.

To test this, the scientists turned to cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), support cells surrounding the tumor that provide nutrition in the form of metabolites as well as growth signals. After implanting CAFs from young and older mice along with cancer cells, the researchers observed the effects on tumor growth and metastasis.

“In the older mice, we saw a revitalization of the tumor microenvironment when implanted with the young CAFs,” said Commisso. “It reversed the metastasis that we saw in the older animals.”

In the future, it may be possible to trigger this revitalization in human patients using a drug or gene therapy. This could slow down the progression of the disease and make tumors more susceptible to other treatments, including immunotherapies that rely on the immune system breaking through a more porous tumor microenvironment.

“This study supports the paradigm shift I believe we need in the field of pancreatic cancer,” said Commisso.

“If we take a more patient-centered approach, we can use preclinical models that factor in age to better reflect who bears the biggest burden of this disease. And that will give us a better shot at discovering and developing therapeutics that get through clinical trials and FDA approval because they work in the patients that most need them.”

https://aacrjournals.org/cancerres/article/doi/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-25-1904/767195/The-Aging-Microenvironment-is-a-Determinant-of

11/05/2025

Ever wonder how PCR got its start? 🧬
It all began with a heat-loving bacterium discovered in a Yellowstone hot spring in 1966.

That tiny microbe—Thermus aquaticus—was found by microbiologist Thomas Brock and his undergrad assistant Hudson Freeze, now director of the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys.
Their discovery paved the way for PCR, which has since proven to be an indispensable and ubiquitous tool throughout biomedical research and medicine.

This week, Nature featured it among “7 basic science discoveries that changed the world.” 🌍

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03474-x

11/02/2025

Our “A Conversation About” series brings together Sanford Burnham Prebys researchers, clinicians, and community members to explore how aging influences key health issues that affect older adults.

The latest event, 𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, featured experts discussing how metabolism changes with age—including the role of 𝐆𝐋𝐏-𝟏 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬—and how these changes influence diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Speakers also shared what science is revealing about how lifestyle and emerging therapies can support healthier aging.

Learn more and watch a recording of the event: https://sbpdiscovery.org/a-conversation-about-aging-and-metabolic-disorders-at-sanford-burnham-prebys/

10/22/2025

Using advanced CRISPR technology, researchers identify a protein that in overabundance is linked to Down syndrome and congenital heart disease.

In a new paper published in the journal Nature, a team of scientists, including first and co-corresponding author Sanjeev Ranade, PhD assistant professor in the Center for Cardiovascular and Muscular Diseases and Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Sanford Burnham Prebys, identify a nuclear binding protein as a key contributor to trisomy 21-related CHDs.

“What our paper did was address a major unresolved question: Yes, three copies of chromosome 21 causes DS, but why? What are the genes on chromosome 21 that are bad if you have them in three copies? How in the world do you try to find those genes?”

“We’re hoping that our approach in this paper lays out a roadmap for finding genes driving other kinds of defects, such as intellectual disability or in bone formation, seen in children with Down syndrome,” said Ranade. “Ultimately, once we find the players that drive disease, we believe we can use that information to find drugs that could help people with Down syndrome.”

https://lnkd.in/gygzGAia

10/15/2025

🧬 Interested in exploring the science behind human health and disease? The Sanford Burnham Preby Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences is looking for curious and driven researchers ready to tackle the most pressing questions in biology and medicine.

Join our active research community, access world-class labs and mentorship, and develop the skills to be a scientist who pioneers breakthroughs in biomedical sciences and shapes the future of human health.
📅 Deadline: December 1, 2025
🔗 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gxSst-vi

10/07/2025

📢 Exciting leadership news from Sanford Burnham Prebys:
We’re pleased to announce that Paul Boutros, PhD, MBA, has been named the new director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer center at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.

As the first computational biologist to oversee an NCI-designated cancer center, he will guide the center’s mission to advance discoveries from the lab to the clinic and improving outcomes for people affected by cancer worldwide.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Paul Boutros!
Read more: https://sbpdiscovery.org/press/paul-boutros-named-cancer-center-director-at-sanford-burnham-prebys/

10/02/2025

👏 Congratulations to Xueqin Sherine Sun, PhD, on receiving a $600,000 grant from the V Foundation for Cancer Research to study glioblastoma, one of the most common and deadly brain cancers.
Sun will use the award to follow up on her lab’s research regarding a hidden weakness in glioblastoma tumors that could lead to a new treatment strategies.
https://sbpdiscovery.org/xueqin-sun-awarded-600000-v-foundation-grant-to-study-one-of-the-most-common-and-deadly-brain-cancers/

09/25/2025

🎙️ New podcast episode!

What connects survival, science, and diabetes care? Adam Heller, PhD.

At 92, Dr. Heller — a Holocaust survivor, scientist, and engineer — shares how his innovations transformed how millions of people manage diabetes.

Episode 5 of The Discovery Dialogues Podcast podcast, From Holocaust to Diabetes Tech Hero, is available now.

👉 Listen on your favorite platform:
▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/TEhPlF29yl4?feature=shared
🍏 Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4nSAcUY
🎙️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4mFa2UH

09/19/2025

It’s National Postdoc Appreciation Week!

We’re celebrating the brilliant postdoctoral researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys who make research move forward. Their dedication and creativity are shaping the future of discovery.

Check out some of their stories here: https://sbpdiscovery.org/education/postdoctoral-training/postdoc-profiles/

08/20/2025

The sugar story you didn’t see coming. 🍬
From the aromas of toasted bread to the silent damage of diabetes, the same chemical reaction shapes both flavor and health.

Episode 4 of Discovery Dialogues uncovers the journey that led to the hemoglobin A1C test—now the gold standard for tracking long-term blood sugar. It’s a story of science, serendipity, and how one man’s tragedy transformed diabetes care worldwide.

🎧 Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7P1JCP5LlY

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About Sanford Burnham Prebys

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) is a preeminent, independent biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding basic human biology and disease, and advancing scientific discoveries to profoundly impact human health.

Our track record of pioneering research, anchored by our NCI-designated Cancer Center, spans more than 40 years, and has produced breakthroughs in cancer, neuroscience, immunology and children’s diseases.

• Our scientists are prolific in their pursuits, publishing nearly one peer-reviewed research article per day.

• SBP consistently ranks among the top 3 percent of research organizations worldwide in total number of publication citations, which attests to the quality and impact of its science.