Scripps Research

“The key to make drugs which have no side effects is actually to use the dynamic properties of a protein.” Dorothee Kern (@DorotheeKern) shows that protein motion after binding can influence selectivity, and insights from her lab are being applied to drug design, enzyme engineering and AI models of protein dynamics. Watch the full lecture now at: ow.ly/IKau50YAOwK

This is what studying gene function looks like in the Liu lab 🌱 In Yuzhong Liu’s lab (@Liulabscripps), researchers use tobacco plants to introduce genes from other organisms and observe how those genes behave in the plant. When leaves are “sleeping” or “awake,” scientists can see which genes are active. This research supports Liu’s work to develop medicines from natural products in a more sustainable, scalable and affordable way.

Great honor to celebrate Peter’s legacy at @MPFNeuro! Grateful for colleagues @scrippsresearch @HHMIscience, mentors pushed me think deeply about questions to pursue, outstanding collaborators, and my fantastic team. Feeling fortunate and reminded to pay it forward + sideways

Congratulations to Abigail Reeves on being named a #2026SchmidtScienceFellow by @SchmidtFellows! 🔬🌟 A graduate student in @HuangMia’s lab, Reeves studies cell-surface glycan–protein interactions, developing tools to reveal mechanisms underlying preeclampsia and miscarriage. More: ow.ly/R8FA50YyN3f

🚀 Congrats to Associate Professor Xin Jin! @xinjin has been named the 2026 Peter Gruss Young Investigator by @MPFNeuro, recognized for pioneering high-throughput in vivo Perturb-seq and illuminating how mutations shape the brain development and circuit function! @HHMI_science More: ow.ly/kiAO50Yyh9M

#NASmember Benjamin F. Cravatt (@scrippsresearch) is advancing chemical biology & drug discovery with activity-based protein profiling, which is revealing new therapeutic targets & transforming our understanding of protein regulation in disease. nasonline.org/award/nas-awar… #NASaward

These tiny organoids help scientists better understand the brain. 🧠 🧫 Inside the Lipton lab, researchers use them to study neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). By manipulating various factors during the culturing process, they can explore the causes of these diseases and potential treatments. #ScrippsResearch #Neuroscience #Organoids #Brain #BrainAwarenessWeek

🔬🌟 During #MentorshipMonth, we recognized graduate student Alex Salazar, recipient of the 2025 Award for Trainee Mentorship, and Asst. Prof. Shannon Miller (@_ShannonMMiller) and Assoc. Prof. Michael Constantinides (@Immuno_Mike), named 2025 Outstanding Mentor Award recipients! Read more: ow.ly/ww5f50YuWtu

Venomous snakes bite nearly 5 million people each year, killing more than 125,000 worldwide. Yet the century-old antivenoms used to treat them can sometimes trigger life-threatening allergic reactions. In a recent episode of There’s More to That, Irene Khalek, PhD, a staff scientist in the Jardine lab at Scripps Research, speaks about efforts to develop safer antivenoms using next-generation antibody technologies. 🎧 Listen now: ow.ly/72Ga50Yv2T8

"Like so many others, my family has been afflicted by cancer. It was my grandpa, who died from lung cancer, who started me on this journey." In a Q&A, Jacob (Jake) New of @ScrippsRTI shares how he’s advancing targeted cancer therapies by translating lab discoveries into personalized patient care. More: ow.ly/gTr150YitnN

Scripps Research scientists have received nearly $5M from @theNCI to study how RNA modifications—a hidden layer of gene regulation—may influence cancer growth. In collaboration with @HopkinsMedicine, the team will test how diet-derived nutrients reshape RNA chemistry. More: ow.ly/PpHu50YuTuv

How much sleep do you really need? Do naps count? Dr. Stuti Jaiswal of @ScrippsRTI studies sleep patterns using wearable tech through the REFRESH program. A recent study by @ScrippsDTC links irregular sleep schedules to an increased risk of sleep apnea and hypertension. #WorldSleepDay

Congrats to Prof. Christopher Parker (@_chrisgparker_), who has received the 2026 @AmerChemSociety Chemical Biology Early Career Award. His lab uses chemical proteomics to map druggable sites across human proteins, revealing new opportunities for therapeutic discovery. More: ow.ly/7K5f50YpPC0

In the Scripps Research Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility, Prof. Dorothee Kern uses high-field NMR spectroscopy to measure protein dynamics and conformational exchange across functional states. These measurements inform drug design, enzyme engineering, and AI models that predict protein motion.

Protein shape—not just protein levels—may help detect and track Alzheimer’s disease. In a new @NatureAging study, Scripps Research scientists used mass spectrometry and machine learning to identify structural signatures in plasma proteins linked to disease stage. More: ow.ly/gxEH50YrzkV

Stabilizing the hepatitis C virus E1E2 glycoprotein complex—long a barrier to HCV vaccine design—Scripps Research scientists displayed engineered proteins on self-assembling nanoparticles, eliciting immune responses in a new @NatureComms study. More: ow.ly/jqbu50YplwJ

More than a century ago, newspaper publisher Ellen Browning Scripps helped lay the foundation for what would become Scripps Research. This #InternationalWomensDay and #WomensHistoryMonth, we celebrate her enduring legacy and the scientists who continue that work today.

During #ScienceInAction, researchers from @Liulabscripps showed how g natural product gene clusters can be engineered into yeast and plants to biosynthesize complex molecules. These systems can then be scaled, purified and tested for bioactivity in the lab.

PIEZO2—unlike PIEZO1—is tethered to the actin cytoskeleton, enabling sensory neurons to detect localized mechanical forces such as light touch. Findings reported in @Nature from the lab of Ardem Patapoutian @ardemp link nanometer-scale imaging to sensory function. More: ow.ly/gJ1p50YpWBR