Salk Institute

A research team working to unravel the secrets of the gut microbiome has happened upon a specific signature of bacterial species that can be used to detect liver fibrosis and cirrhosis with an accuracy of greater than 90 percent.

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common ailments of an aging population. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute have found that a combination of two experimental drugs appears to reverse the symptoms of the disorder in rats and in human cells.

Scientists at the Salk Institute have been researching some of the cellular processes triggered by chemotherapy treatments, uncovering a mechanism that could lead to new and improved treatments that prevent mitochondria hindering their effectiveness.

Scientists are homing in on exactly how two experimental Alzheimer’s drugs may be generating the anti-aging effects seen in animal studies. The discovery of a unique metabolic pathway offers researchers novel directions for future anti-aging studies.

Researchers at the Salk Institute are approaching gene-editing technology with some very big-picture thinking, looking to tweak the genes of humankind’s most commonly sown crops so they store more carbon dioxide underground as a way of fighting climate change

A team of genetic scientists at the Salk Institute have developed a new therapy using the CRISPR/Cas9 tool that takes a toxic protein out of the aging equation, with some promising results. ​

A study from researchers at the Salk Institute has uncovered a profound new insight into how our circadian rhythms are regulated through light-sensing mechanisms within our eyes. The research could lead to new ways to combat insomnia and help people with disrupted circadian rhythms.

Exciting research is highlighting a new subclass of anti-aging compounds hoped to extend lifespan, reduce the markers of aging, and slow the onset of diseases such as Alzheimer’s. The work is on the cusp of starting 2 human clinical trials investigating compounds derived from natural sources.

​Tapping into the machinery of a cell and rewiring it to take on another identity is an exciting capability that scientists are just beginning to explore.​ Now researchers at the Salk Institute report another groundbreaking advance, converting open wounds into healthy skin.

Fat may be a villain of our time, but it’s not fair to paint it all with the same brush. Researchers at the Salk Institute have identified the protein that allows brown fat to expend energy, opening up a new potential avenue for treating obesity and its related diseases.

A drug dubbed J147, developed by the Salk Institute, is a promising candidate to treat Alzheimer’s, but how it worked at the molecular level remained a mystery. Now Salk scientists have figured out the mechanism behind it, which could see J147 used to fight other age-related illnesses as well.

CRISPR-Cas9 shows incredible promise, but the long term effects of cutting DNA in living organisms isn’t known. Now scientists from the Salk Institute have modified it to work without cutting, switching targeted genes on and off instead, and used it to treat diabetes and muscular dystrophy in mice.