ISB News

2024 Year in Review

Reflecting on the past year, ISB has a lot to celebrate: groundbreaking research published in leading scientific journals, well-earned promotions, widespread media coverage, and more. Enjoy our year-in-review roundup highlighting some of the important, interesting, and impactful highlights of 2024.

ISB-Developed MetaboCore Offers Precision Cancer Care Faster Than Ever 

ISB Associate Professor Dr. Wei Wei and his colleagues have developed a promising new companion diagnostic tool called MetaboCore to help physicians quickly select the most effective systemic therapy for each cancer patient. 

Hack Your Health: An Evening with Anjali Nayar and Dr. Sean Gibbons

Netflix’s “Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut” is a documentary that merged gut microbiome experts, four individuals – including a well-known hot dog eating champion – facing personal battles with gastrointestinal health, and a unique, effective visual method of “showing” the gut microbiome in action. 

Systems Biology of Aging Virtual Workshop

A key question in the aging research field field is how to effectively integrate and utilize the wealth of omics data to advance our understanding of aging processes and potentially inform interventions. In May 2024, ISB hosted a virtual workshop in that provided practical tools for performing multi-omic systems biology analyses. 

Spatial Multi-Omics for Cancer Systems Biology

ISB hosted a free one-day Spatial Multi-Omics for Cancer Systems Biology virtual workshop. The event consisted of sessions on four topics: experimental methods, computational algorithms, applications of spatial multi-omics and a practical methods tutorial.

Reimagining Chronic Illness: A Conversation With Meghan O’Rourke

Author Meghan O’Rourke recently joined ISB President Dr. Jim Heath for a virtual fireside chat focused on reimagining chronic illness – also the topic of O’Rourke’s New York Times bestselling book. This event was the latest in the ISB-Town Hall Seattle Science Series.

Bugs vs. Drugs: How Our Microbiomes Can Explain Our Response to Statins

ISB Assistant Professor Dr. Sean Gibbons talked about the science behind statins in our most recent Research Roundtable virtual presentation. His talk was titled “Bugs vs. Drugs: How Our Unique Gut Microbiomes Shape Our Personalized Responses to Statins.”

Dr. Sui Huang on the Science Behind Masks

On April 7, 2022, Dr. Sui Huang spoke at a Research Roundtable event on the topic of “The Science Behind Masks.” In light of the recent changes to masking mandates, Dr. Huang explained the science behind how masks work and gave the tools to make an informed decision for yourself.

Reimagine: Your Immune System Event Generates $60,000 to Fuel Critical ISB Research

More than 300 people registered for Reimagine: Your Immune System, ISB’s annual virtual fundraiser, for an evening that included guest appearances Nobel laureate Dr. David Baltimore, immunology expert Dr. Mark Davis, ISB President Dr. Jim Heath, and a host of ISB researchers studying the human immune system.

Nir Barzilai on Health Span, Life Span and the New Science of Longevity

Longevity and aging researcher Dr. Nir Barzilai participated in a fireside chat conversation with ISB Co-founder and Professor Dr. Lee Hood. The two renowned scientists talked about Barzilai’s study of 750 centenarians, how aging research has changed over the years, and what exciting developments are coming. 

Tackling Lyme Disease with Immunity

It’s Lyme disease season in many areas of the United States, including the Northeast, the Midwest, and some places on the West Coast. In our latest Research Roundtable event, ISB Associate Professor Dr. Naeha Subramanian discussed the latest Lyme disease research conducted in her lab.

Dr. Temple Grandin and the Importance of Getting Kids Outside

Dr. Temple Grandin was the featured guest of the latest ISB-Town Hall Seattle Science Series. Grandin discussed her new book – “The Outdoor Scientist: The Wonder of Observing the Natural World” – and a variety of other topics. Following her talk, she joined ISB President Dr. Jim Heath for a wide ranging Q&A discussion. 

David Sinclair On Why We Age — And Why We Don’t Have To

Dr. David Sinclair, a Harvard Medical School professor and New York Times bestselling author, was the guest of honor for the ISB-Town Hall Science Series on Thursday. He joined genomics pioneer and ISB Co-founder Dr. Lee Hood for a conversation that covered the very latest in aging research.

Personalized Nutrition and Your Gut Microbiome

In ISB’s first-ever Research Roundtable event, Assistant Professor Dr. Sean Gibbons delivered a presentation titled “Gut-Check: Personalized Nutrition and Your Microbiome.” His talk covered a lot of ground, including recently published research showing how the health of our microbiomes can predict longevity, and how we can build and maintain a healthy gut microbiome. 

How Will Healthcare and Scientific Research Be Different in a Post-Pandemic World?

Providence President and CEO Dr. Rod Hochman joined ISB President and Professor Dr. Jim Heath for an hour-long conversation hosted by ISB and Town Hall Seattle about how healthcare and science will be different in a post-pandemic world.

Dr. Jim Heath and Dr. David Eagleman

David Eagleman and Creating New Senses for Humans

Dr. David Eagleman — bestselling author, TV personality, CEO of Neosensory, adjunct professor at Stanford, TED speaker, and more — was the featured guest at the ISB-Town Hall Seattle event focusing on brain health. His presentation was titled “Can We Create New Senses for Humans?”

Eric Alm and Sean Gibbons discuss understanding public health by harnessing sewage

Answering Nature’s Call: How Scientists Are Mining Sewage To Track Population Health

Everybody pees and poops. What if there was a way to use the byproducts of our everyday bodily functions to understand the general health of a population? That is exactly what MIT’s Dr. Eric Alm is pursuing. In an ISB-Town Hall Seattle live stream, Alm discussed the promise of this novel form of public health tracking. 

Reich, Heath on Vaccines

Dr. Jennifer Reich Talks Vaccines and COVID In ISB-Town Hall Seattle Livestream

Sociologist Dr. Jennifer Reich, author of “Calling the Shots,” was the featured speaker of a virtual event hosted by ISB and Town Hall Seattle. She discussed the complex and increasingly political world of vaccines, how vaccines are viewed as a personal consumption product vs. a public health solution, COVID-19 vaccine development, and more.