The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute

09/26/2025

From rainforest plants to ocean microbes, nature has played a role in inspiring more than one-third of today's FDA-approved drugs.

The Natural Products Discovery Center at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute serves as a national resource for scientists. The center's scientists have built a shared, state-of-the-art strain collection and resource hub to advance research and the development of natural products and their applications.

The 125,000-plus specimens housed there could hold the key to the next generation of antibiotics, cancer therapies and solutions to agricultural challenges.

Learn how these discoveries are driving innovation at the Outsmarting Cancer Public Lecture 2026 on Feb. 5, 2026:

Where scientists push the boundaries of human knowledge to solve humanity’s most pressing health challenges. Unique drug discovery tools enable researchers to go further, and seek potential treatments for diseases with unmet needs.

09/23/2025

Happy Tech Tuesday! Featured here is scientist Donna Zhang, Ph.D., who studies a system our bodies use to protect us from toxins and oxidative stress. It also plays a role in cancer, she's discovered.

09/16/2025

We’re proud celebrate the 16th annual National Postdoc Appreciation Week. This year’s theme, “Communicating Your Science and Research,” highlights the vital role postdoctoral researchers play in not only making discoveries, but making them accessible to multiple audiences, including other scientists and the public. Here at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute we started the week with an ice cream social to recognize and thank our postdocs for their invaluable contributions. Today, we’re enjoying a seminar led by Ann Searight Christiano, Director of the Center for Public Interest Communications University of Florida.

09/12/2025

The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute scientists focused on preventing cancer relapse, protecting children from HIV and understanding how brain cells communicate have been awarded state and federal grants worth up to $15.7 million over the next five years.

“Our focus is on bringing innovative new solutions to some of medicine’s most difficult challenges. These grants will ultimately benefit patients awaiting better options,” said Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.

Learn how these scientists hope to use their new awards to transform the future of medicine:

Wertheim UF Scripps Institute Research Garners $15.7 Million in New Awards Published On September 10, 2025 Social Media Facebook Twitter LinkedIn JUPITER, Fla. — Scientists at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology who research a wide range of diseases have been a...

08/18/2025

Fifteen outstanding high school students recently wrapped up their summer internships at a special symposium for family, mentors and community leaders—and we have photos!

The Kenan Fellows High School Internships at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute offer local students hands-on lab experience in cutting-edge biomedical research. "[We] consider this one of the most significant scientific grants that we give, across all of the territory that we cover," shared Dr. Nancy Cable, executive director of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust. "This is a big, rigorous program you have been a part of."

The students' summer projects ranged from studying the impact of social sensitivity on sleep to developing new cancer-fighting tools. See how these future scientists are already making an impact here: https://wertheim.scripps.ufl.edu/2025/08/07/2025-kenan-fellows-share-their-research-at-summer-symposium/

This program has long been supported by The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, part of our Glenn W. Bailey STEM Education and Outreach programs. Thank you to both of these foundations!

Special guests included Palm Beach County Vice Mayor Sara Baxter, Chelsea Reed City Council/Former Mayor City of Palm Beach Gardens, a member of our Ambassador Council, and the many friends, family, teachers and mentors of these wonderful students.

08/06/2025

If a prowler tries to break in, it’s natural to hide and call 911. Cells do much the same during viral attack. A new study from the lab of James Burke, Ph.D., at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute sheds light on the mysterious process cells can use to defend themselves: temporarily shutting off their metabolism. Read the full article: https://wertheim.scripps.ufl.edu/2025/08/06/how-cells-power-down-during-viral-attack/

07/31/2025

Important new publication from the Martins lab at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute, in the journal Nature.

JUPITER, Fla.— Delivering broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV-1 to newborns via gene therapy provided them with multi-year protection from HIV/AIDS…

07/30/2025

Check out this recent discovery!

A groundbreaking study in Nature shows that a single dose of gene therapy at birth can protect breastfeeding babies from HIV infection. Mauricio Martins, Ph.D., from The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute, led this innovative research that could protect vulnerable populations worldwide.

Learn more about the study here: https://wertheim.scripps.ufl.edu/2025/07/30/gene-therapy-may-block-hiv-transmission-during-breastfeeding-study-shows/

07/28/2025

Meet Alexander, a high school student at Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, and Kenan Fellow at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute.

This summer, he’s working in the laboratory of neuroscientist Gavin Rumbaugh, Ph.D., studying whether a SYNGAP1 gene variant known as the E19 allele may extend the brain's window for learning and adaptation.

Next week Alexander is joining 14 other hard working student interns who will celebrate their internship's completion with a special symposium for family, friends and mentors.

Thank you to the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust and the Glenn W. Bailey Foundation for making this opportunity possible. Read more about the institute's internships here: https://wertheim.scripps.ufl.edu/education/glenn-w-bailey-stem-education-and-outreach-programs/

07/24/2025

Ever wonder what an internship at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute looks like?

The Kenan Fellows High School Internship Program, held every summer, is part of our Glenn W. Bailey STEM Education and Outreach Initiatives.

Follow along with Shivangi, one of 15 outstanding high school students from Jupiter Community High School, who is interning with structural biologist Patrick Griffin, Ph.D., scientific director of the institute. From inflammation studies to RNA-based therapies, these future scientists are gaining firsthand experience at the forefront of discovery.

We are grateful to the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust and the Glenn W. Bailey Foundation for making this opportunity possible: https://wertheim.scripps.ufl.edu/education/glenn-w-bailey-stem-education-and-outreach-programs/

07/11/2025

Your tax dollars at work. Thank you!

Federal research grants, funded by public support, are powering groundbreaking science right here in Jupiter, FL.

From inflammation research that could transform treatments for chronic disease, to promising new therapies for rare brain disorders, these discoveries are made possible through NIH support and your investment in science.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to turn public funding into real-world impact.

Read more about our stand-out faculty productivity here: https://bit.ly/44UtFlT

07/02/2025

Great details here on the mechanisms underlying the experimental glioblastoma drug MT-125, invented here at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute.

Experimental myosin inhibitor MT-125 sensitizes glioblastoma to radiation and kinase inhibitors, prolonging survival in mouse models.