Signature line: Mario Aguilera
Newswise — Like clockwork, our natural biological systems are subject to public scrutiny twice a year when they adapt to or deviate from daylight saving time. Adapting our internal clocks to jet lag after crossing multiple time zones is another way we manage our circadian system, the 24-hour biological cycle that synchronizes with light-dark exposure.
Many important questions remain about how our circadian system coordinates with our health, especially when we are sick. This problem became apparent during the pandemic when COVID-19 vaccination was found to be more effective when given at certain times of the day. Nevertheless, a report published in chemistry (Dosing Time Matters) showed that there are few examples of mechanism-based circadian medicine. In fact, only four of the 50 most-prescribed drugs have recommended dosing windows on their FDA labels, the article points out.
A new initiative at the University of California, San Diego, backed by renowned philanthropists Irwin and Joan Jacobs will create endowed chairs and research funds to target largely unexplored fields related to circadian biology and human health is.
Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs donated one million dollars to honor Stuart Brody of the University of California, San Diego, a prominent leader in circadian biology, and his wife Barbara, a prominent researcher and teacher in public. With an endowment of US dollars, he founded the Stuart and Barbara L. Brody Endowed Chair in Circadian Biology and Medicine. health and community medicine.
Bringing expertise across campuses together, the Brody Chair will be run under the direction of Kit Polliano, Dean of the School of Biological Sciences, with the support of Stephen Garfin, Interim Dean of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
“When we look at the pharmacology of certain drugs, we know that they are more effective when taken at certain times and have no side effects,” he said, hosting the first conference on circadian biology at the University of California, San Diego in 1976. In 2009, he founded the campus’s Center for Circadian Biology (CCB). A year after his launch of CCB, he initiated an annual symposium on circadian rhythms, and now the center includes his 44 members are participating. and Scripps Research have partnerships with affiliates of several other institutions. “CCB researchers know how our circadian clock works, so with the help of Irwin and Joan, we decided to apply that knowledge to people in hospitals. Can we leverage our expertise in circadian biology to improve the patient experience?”
In addition, an additional $1.5 million from contributions from Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs will support the establishment of the Circadian Biology and Medical Research Fund, endowed by Stewart and Barbara L. Brody, to strengthen the research capabilities of President Brody. We support.
“We would like to honor our great friends in their respective fields, Stu and Barbara Brody, in integrating biological and medical research to ultimately benefit patient cures. We are delighted to be able to do this,” said Irwin Jacobs. “We look forward to discovering what this effort will bring to better study circadian rhythms and the treatment of disease.”
Together, Chair Brody and the supporting foundation aim to fill critical gaps at the intersection of research, circadian biology, and patient care. “This is believed to be the first chair to incorporate ‘circadian biology and medicine’ in its name,” said Stuart Brody. “Our colleagues in hospital care are excited about this initiative because they want to see how it improves the patient experience.”
“I am so excited and grateful to Irwin and Joan Jacobs for their support of this influential effort. It can be applied to improve human health,” said the graduate school. Biological Sciences Director Kit Polliano. “As one of our founding faculty members, Stu has been an invaluable contributor to our campus and a pioneer in circadian biology, and this new professor is the culmination of his and his wife Barbara Brody’s I couldn’t be happier that my contribution was recognized.”
Stuart remains active in the Faculty of Biological Sciences. In addition to his contributions to the CCB, he created the Paul D. Saltman Chair of the Science Education Division and the Distinguished Graduate Professor Award in the Department of Biological Sciences. Ms. Barbara is currently a Volunteer Clinical Professor at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Sciences at the University of California, San Diego, and has served in the fields of teaching, research, and community service at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and School of Urban Studies and Planning. has had an outstanding career in She has received many awards including the Chancellor’s Associate Award for Outstanding Teaching and the Chancellor’s Associate Award for Outstanding Community Service.