Neurons use neurotransmitters and receptors as a universal signaling system in the brain. Unfortunately dysregulation of transmitters and their receptors both in neurological disorders during adult life and in normal aging seriously compromises brain function. Dr. Spitzer's previous research on the developing nervous system demonstrated that...
Senior and New Scholars Awards for University of California - San Diego
Dr. Davide Dulcis
University of California - San Diego
2010 senior Scholar Award in aging
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Dr. Michael Karin
University of California - San Diego
2010 senior Scholar Award in aging
Loss of muscle mass and degeneration of the fibers that make up skeletal muscle, a condition called sarcopenia, are major hallmarks of aging. Muscle loss and degeneration contribute to many other ill-effects of aging including frequent bone fractures and insulin resistance, a pre-diabetic condition. Using genetic analysis conducted in fruit fly...
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Dr. Nicholas Spitzer
University of California - San Diego
2010 senior Scholar Award in aging
Neurons use neurotransmitters and receptors as a universal signaling system in the brain. Unfortunately dysregulation of transmitters and their receptors both in neurological disorders during adult life and in normal aging seriously compromises brain function. Dr. Spitzerís previous research on the developing nervous system demonstrated that...
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Dr. Stefan Leutgeb
University of California - San Diego
2010 new Scholar Award in aging
For many individuals, cognitive decline with advanced age is gradual and relatively mild, but in others, the process can accelerate and rapidly progress to severe forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. While there are numerous markers that indicate an increased risk for later cognitive impairment, it has been difficult to identify the...
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Dr. Paul A. Insel
University of California - San Diego
2006 senior Scholar Award in aging
The old heart is a stiff heart and thus is less easily able to fill with blood and empty with each heart beat. The emphasis of this project is on studies designed to determine the basis for this increased stiffness of the heart in aging. Fibroblasts are the most numerous cells in the heart and are responsible for making the "scaffolding" that...
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Dr. Lawrence S.B. Goldstein
University of California - San Diego, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
2001 senior Scholar Award in aging
Neuronal degeneration and death are hallmarks of Alzheimer's Disease, but why they occur is still poorly understood. Most workers accept the hypothesis that degradation of a neuronal protein called Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) is an early event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Degradation of APP generates protein fragments... |
Dr. Ajit Varki
University of California - San Diego
2009 senior Scholar Award in aging
Many diseases are associated with chronic inflammation, an immune response that does more harm than good. We are studying two human-specific mechanisms of chronic inflammation. The first relates to the fact that compared with other primates, a larger fraction of human diet originates from red meats. These foods would have had high nutritional...
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Dr. Alexander Hoffmann
University of California - San Diego
2005 new Scholar Award in aging
To understand the complex processes underlying human aging, the study of cellular "senescence" may recapitulate some aspects. Senescence is a cell fate program that can be triggered by environmental stimuli and stress. We have recently discovered that the major stress-inducible transcription factor NF-kB regulates senescence. Using mouse... |
Dr. Jim Wilhelm
University of California - San Diego
2009 new Scholar Award in aging
Cellular DNA, RNA, and protein are under continual chemical assault from both endogenous and exogenous agents, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), alkylating agents, and UV light. The cellular responses to both DNA and protein damage and their importance in aging, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases have been extensively studied. By...
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Dr. Wulf Palinski
University of California - San Diego
2007 senior Scholar Award in aging
Substantial epidemiological evidence indicates that conditions in utero program the susceptibility to age-related diseases, in particular atherosclerosis, the underlying cause of most heart attacks and strokes. However, little is known about maternal factors responsible for such developmental programming and the mechanisms by which it...
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Dr. Jack E. Dixon
University of California - San Diego
2002 senior Scholar Award in gid
Our laboratory discovered that a pathogen bacteria that once caused one of the world’s most feared disease, the plague, and a pathogenic bacteria that causes several diseases in plants use a common family of virulence factors to attack their host (1). The fact that these virulence factors appear to use a common mechanism for pathogenesis... |
Dr. Michael D. Burkart
University of California - San Diego
2003 new Scholar Award in gid
Most virulent organisms produce small molecules that are essential for causing disease, usually toxins or signaling molecules. The machinery that makes these molecules is a promising target for antibiotic development. The Buruli ulcer is a tropical skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans that causes painless infections that lead to...
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Funded Institutions
The Ellison Medical Foundation fosters research by means of grants-in-aid on behalf of investigators to universities and laboratories within the United States. Institutions receiving awards must be tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations or U.S. colleges or universities.
The Ellison Medical Foundation