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, ne
uroscience, 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.
08/20/2025
The sugar story you didnโt see coming. ๐ฌ
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 testโnow the gold standard for tracking long-term blood sugar. Itโs a story of science, serendipity, and how one manโs tragedy transformed diabetes care worldwide.
๐ฏ๐ฏThe future of U.S. research is on the line.๐ฏ
๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ณ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ: The proposed FAIR model would ensure continued U.S. preeminence in science and medicine while providing unprecedented transparency, accountability and flexibility.
๐ Read a statement of support from David A. Brenner, MD, president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, and learn more about how you can help. https://sbpdiscovery.org/research-in-crisis/
08/13/2025
For more than 30 years, scientists have studied how the myogenic determination gene number 1 (MYOD) protein binds DNA to modify the gene expression of muscle stem cells. MYOD is a transcription factor that attaches to muscle stem cell DNA and reprograms the cells to build muscle.
Like Spiderman hiding in plain sight as the unassuming photojournalist Peter Parker, this activator of genes specific to muscle has been harboring a secret identity. Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys and their international colleagues published findings August 6, 2025, in Genes and Development demonstrating that MYOD has its own Jekyll-and-Hyde twist, turning from a gene activator to a gene silencer. https://sbpdiscovery.org/press/muscles-master-regulator-moonlights-as-gene-silencer/
08/04/2025
Sanford Burnham Prebys was honored to host Preuss School interns for an immersive research experience. ๐
From preparing experiments with fruit flies ๐งฌ to presenting their findings on how diet affects health, these future scientists dove headfirst into the world of biomedical research.
Weโre proud to support the next generation of researchersโthank you to Peggy and Peter Preuss, and Debby and Wain Fishburn, for making this program possible.
The levels of the more than a thousand different glycoproteins in your blood vary widely, with the ten most abundant accounting for 90 percent of the total mass. Finding a protein outside of this top ten is a bit like searching for Waldo when only one version of him is left hidden in a stack of every Whereโs Waldo? book ever printed.
The lab of Jamey Marth, along with co-lead authors Mayank Saraswat and Damien Restagno, and collaborators at Scripps Research, recently published a study in Nature Communications demonstrating a strategy for identifying less-abundant proteins that bind with a specific type of receptor termed an endocytic lectin, and namely the mannose receptor Mrc1. This approach enabled the research team to uncover hundreds of binding partners that together predicted Mrc1โs roles in our health.
Read more: https://sbpdiscovery.org/press/signal-boost-uncovers-hundreds-of-hidden-binding-partners-for-blood-protein-receptor/
07/30/2025
Scientists from the lab of Cosimo Commisso, PhD, at the NCI-Designated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebysโled by first author Yijuan Zhang, PhDโrecently published findings in Cancer Cell showing that blocking macropinocytosis can reshape the tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer.
These changes made and more effective in treating pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumors in mice.
๐ฌ Meet Ranajit Das, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Cosford Lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys. As an organic chemist, heโs working to design and develop new molecules that could one day become treatments for cancer.
This is the second profile in our postdoc spotlight seriesโcheck out the full Q&A to learn what fuels his curiosity, how he stays motivated, and why he finds inspiration. ๐
๐งฌ ๐๐๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฅ, ๐๐ก.๐.โ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐
Weโre launching our new postdoc profile series with Sara Ancel, a postdoc in the Wang lab at Sanford Burnham Prebys. Originally from Switzerland ๐จ๐ญ, Sara blends engineering and stem cell biology to explore how tissues change and diseases unfold.
Get to know what drives her curiosity and what brought her to the Institute. https://sbpdiscovery.org/q-and-a-with-postdoctoral-researcher-sara-ancel-phd-from-the-wang-lab/
Stay tunedโmore inspiring researchers coming soon!
07/09/2025
๐ A warm welcome to our high school interns from The Preuss School!
These bright young minds are spending three weeks at Sanford Burnham Prebys, learning research techniques and contributing to real biomedical projects alongside our scientists.
This impactful program is made possible by the generous support of Peggy and Peter Preuss, and Debby and Wain Fishburn. Weโre excited to have the students with us this summer!
07/01/2025
๐ฃ ๐ช๐ฒ๐น๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฒ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป, ๐ฃ๐ต.๐., ๐๐ผ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ต๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐๐! ๐ฃ
Dr. Karin joined the Institute on June 30, 2025, where he will continue his groundbreaking research into how chronic inflammation promotes tumor formation. He will also lead the newly established ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐.
Karin will direct the Center for Metabolic and Liver Diseases and continue his studies on inflammation and cancer.
06/24/2025
In his latest essay in The San Diego Union-Tribune, David Brenner, President and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys, highlights the immense potential of clinical databases: all the electronic health records currently sitting untapped by researchers. These records could hold vital insights, answers, and entirely new avenues for scientific discovery.
Unlocking these resources is one of the Instituteโs top priorities. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/23/opinion-health-database-could-provide-key-insights-to-improve-care/
In every body and in everybody, there is an enormous, diverse and changing array of medical and health information, from longitudinal data like our weight and blood pressure over the years to the bโฆ
06/16/2025
๐ Thank you to The Prebys Foundation for your founding support of our LEAP (Lab Experience As Pathway) program. Last week, our inaugural scholars presented their capstone projects and shared their research postersโmarking the culmination of a year of hands-on learning, mentorship, and growth.
๐ฌWe canโt wait to see where their journeys take them next. https://sbpdiscovery.org/leap-scholars-share-research-and-celebrate-a-year-of-growth/
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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 childrenโs diseases.
โข Our scientists are prolific in their pursuits, publishing nearly one peer-reviewed research article per day.
โข 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.
โข SBP ranks among the top three independent research institutes in the amount of NIH funding it receives, and in 2017 alone, increased NIH grant revenue 15 percent over the previous year.
Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and one of the most advanced nonprofit drug discovery centers in the world, we harness breakthrough discoveries to develop prototype therapies with the potential to improve human health and save lives.
Supported by a deep culture of collaboration, generous benefactors and a global network of partners, weโre also committed to educating and training the next generation of scientific leaders to ensure our legacy continues.
