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Scientist Spotlight: Todd Michael
A love of science began for Todd Michael, PhD when his 7th grade teacher had him write a report on tree leaves. After collecting different leaves and looking up their tree type, he realized that although all of the trees were similar, they grew different types of leaves. He was certain there was a reason and was determined to figure it out. This moment was the spark that inspired Todd’s interest in reading and interpreting the genetic code that determines differences between...
Fighting Back Against Flu
The 1918 influenza pandemic, which affected 500 million people globally and caused 50-100 million deaths, was the most severe pandemic in recorded history. Over the course of the last 100 years, advances in science and medicine have provided the tools to address influenza much more successfully. However, despite vaccines and supportive medical interventions such as antivirals and antibiotics, influenza remains a public health problem and can be deadly for the very young, the elderly, and the...
Scientist Spotlight: Marcelo Freire
Marcelo Freire, an associate professor in the Genomic Medicine and Infectious Disease Department at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), is currently working on decoding immune-microbiome genes and interactions. Growing up in Brazil and a curious person by nature, he often found himself wondering how things work, how animals and plants interact, and why some people get sick and others don’t. He has always pondered what factors control these biological interactions and what role he...
Rainbow Around The Son Book Chronicles a Mother’s Love and the Mutant p53 Gene
Rainbow Around The Son, a new book by Marlo Gottfurcht Longstreet, is a memoir of her journey after her 11-year-old son Tanner is diagnosed with a Glioblastoma. The book, which is available in paperback and eBook format, became a bestseller on Amazon. Marlo Gottfurcht Longstreet’s world was turned upside down when her son was diagnosed with a brain tumor. That, it turned out was just the beginning. In her raw, emotional memoir, she describes the experience from a loving mother’s point of...
Tracking Enterovirus D68, Cause of a Polio-like Illness in Some Patients
The J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) has played a vital role in defining the diversity of contemporary strains of human enteroviruses by using state-of-the art sequencing technologies, bioinformatics analyses, and in vitro and in vivo modeling.
Help Take the Bite Out of Cancer
Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases people face. And oral cancers are some of the most vexing to treat. Oral squamous cell carcinoma or OSCC, a very common type of head and neck cancer, characterized by visible tumor lesions in the mouth, affects more than 450,000 people each year. Approximately 60% of new cases are diagnosed during its later stages when the cancer is already metastatic. These alarming statistics are motivating JCVI researchers to focus their efforts on this disease, and...
Every Day is World Food Day at JCVI
World Food Day is a global initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to ensure that people have access to enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives. After a period of decline, world hunger is on the rise again. Today, over 820 million people are suffering chronic undernourishment, according to the latest FAO 2018 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report. At JCVI we have several programs aimed at tackling world hunger. One...
Researchers look beyond BMI to predict obesity-related disease risk
Scientists at Scripps Research and collaborating corporate and academic partners have found a new way to use distinct molecular “signatures” from people with obesity to predict risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease, an advance that could broaden the way doctors and scientists think about diagnosing and treating disease. The research, led by Amalio Telenti, MD, PhD, professor of genomics at Scripps Research and previously a scientific leader at Human Longevity Inc....
Scientists Discover Genetic Basis for Toxic Algal Blooms
Scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego have discovered how certain types of algal blooms become toxic, producing a harmful substance known as domoic acid. Microscopic view of domoic acid producing Pseudo-nitzschia diatom in a seawater sample from Monterey Bay, Calif. This diatom species, when in active growth typically typically forms long chains of individual cells. Credit: G. Jason Smith at...
Domoic Acid Decoded: Scientists Discover Genetic Basis for How Harmful Algal Blooms Become Toxic
A team led by scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego and the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) has uncovered the genetic basis for the production of domoic acid, a potent neurotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms. Harmful algal blooms cause significant economic and environmental damage to coastal communities around the world. These blooms occasionally produce toxins that can sicken marine mammals and can threaten human health when...