La Jolla News Nuggets: Medical news, honors, pies

$4M grant will help Scripps researcher combat dysfunctional critical gene

With a $4 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, neuroscientist Giordano Lippi of Scripps Research in La Jolla is set to take a deeper dive into haploinsufficiency.

In that condition, just one copy of a critical gene is considered functional. As a result, many neurodevelopmental disorders such as severe epilepsy can occur.

Lippi will team with molecular biologist Gene Yeo and pediatric neurologist and epileptologist Dr. Olivia Kim-McManus as co-investigators over three years. During that span, they will create cortical organoids — structures that mimic brain cell networks’ functions — with pluripotent stem cells.

Cannabis-using young people more likely to use tobacco regularly, UCSD study says

A new study by researchers at UC San Diego in La Jolla indicates that teenagers and young adults who use cannabis are more likely to make the jump to tobacco than those who don’t.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Tobacco Control, says about 13% of new tobacco use can be attributed to cannabis use.

The authors used a Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health, or PATH, survey of U.S. households to observe such a link between 2017 and 2021.

The researchers stated that their findings, as an observational study, have limitations and that a cause-and-effect relationship cannot yet be firmly established. But they concluded that cannabis use is “a major risk factor” for future tobacco use and should be considered in tobacco control programs.

Salk scientist gets McClintock Prize for plant genetics work

Joseph Ecker, a scientist at the La Jolla-based Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has been awarded the Barbara McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies from the Maize Genetics Cooperation, a global nonprofit organization of corn geneticists and breeders.

The prize, honoring “the most outstanding plant scientists working on both genetics and genomics in the present era,” is named after McClintock, a plant biologist whose work in maize genetics earned her the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Ecker is a professor and director of the Genomic Analysis Laboratory at Salk. He also is a key adviser to Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative, which aims to optimize plants’ natural traits to produce more productive, resilient crops.

Ecker’s research has revealed more intricate details about plant immunity, drought recovery and evolution of modern photosynthesis. His insights may be used to pinpoint genes that help plants adapt to environmental stressors, such as disease or extreme weather, which scientists could then work to enhance in vulnerable species.

Three La Jolla lacrosse players earn national recognition

Three La Jolla students were honored by USA Lacrosse for their accomplishments during the 2025 high school boys lacrosse season.

La Jolla Prep player and Bishop’s School student Eddie McElroy and Bishop’s student Jack Ryan were named to the All-Americans list, which honors more than 500 of the nation’s best players for their accomplishments. Selections are based on voting by coaches in each geographical area.

La Jolla High School player Nate Takata made the All-Academic list of players who exhibit “exemplary lacrosse skills, good sportsmanship on the field and … high standards of academic achievement in the classroom.”

Takata, who also is a varsity soccer player and golfer for La Jolla High, has a 4.65 grade point average and will be attending UCLA.

UCSD wins Innovation Award for AI-based bike and bus lane enforcement

A project located on the UC San Diego campus in La Jolla won an Innovation Award from Circulate San Diego during its 2025 Momentum Awards. The ceremony recognized achievements that made an impact on mobility, safety, housing and/or environmental sustainability in the San Diego region.

UCSD won its award for its automated bike lane, bus stop and bus lane enforcement pilot project with Hayden AI. As part of the program, “the UC San Diego Transportation Services team became the first university in the nation to pilot AI-powered, bus-mounted cameras to detect illegal parking in bike lanes and bus zones,” according to Circulate San Diego.

During a 59-day test, the system recorded more than 1,100 violations — nearly 90% of them blocking bike lanes — providing data that is now shaping safer and smarter street design, the organization said.

UCSD tests drug for spinal cord injury treatment

Spinal cord injuries often result in permanent paralysis and disability, with no effective treatments. Now, researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine in La Jolla say they have harnessed bioinformatics to fast-track the discovery of a promising drug for such injuries.

One of the reasons spinal cord injuries result in permanent disability is that the neurons that form our brain and spinal cord cannot effectively regenerate. Encouraging neurons to regenerate with drugs offers a possibility for treating the injuries.

The researchers found that under specific experimental conditions, some mouse neurons activate a specific pattern of genes related to neuronal growth and regeneration. To translate this discovery into a treatment, the scientists looked for drugs that could activate those genes and trigger neurons to regenerate.

Their approach identified Thiorphan — a drug previously tested in humans for non-neurological conditions — as a top candidate. The researchers said they successfully tested Thiorphan in adult human brain cells and found that it increased neurite outgrowth, a key metric of regeneration.

Mouse models also showed an increase in recovery with Thiorphan compared with untreated animals, and even more so when Thiorphan was combined with a neural stem cell implant.

The researchers are now considering combining Thiorphan with stem cell technology in clinical trials planned for the near future.

Because it has already undergone safety testing in humans, Thiorphan could quickly advance into clinical trials for spinal cord injuries.

Mama’s Pies for sale to help meal deliveries

Some La Jolla bakers joined in for the 2025 Mama’s Pies Thanksgiving sale that continues across San Diego County through Friday, Nov. 21 (or when the pies sell out).

Proceeds help the organization Mama’s Kitchen deliver meals and nutrition counseling to homebound people with HIV, cancer, Type 2 diabetes and heart or kidney disease.

This year’s sale features more than a dozen area culinary professionals who baked and donated pies. Among them are La Jolla-based Sugar and Scribe and the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine hotel.

Pumpkin, apple, pecan and Dutch apple pies can be purchased at mamaspies.org. A pie with a mystery flavor also is available. Each $35 pie sold can fund 12 meals, according to Mama’s Kitchen.

Pie pickups will be available Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 10 sites around the county.

— San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Paul Sisson contributed to this report.