Fourteen San Diego researchers have been awarded $500,000 each by the Prebys Foundation as part of a new “heroes” initiative established by philanthropist Conrad Prebys. This $7 million allocation, spread across various institutions, provides two years of support for groundbreaking medical research. The initiative aims to address the underrepresentation of women and minorities in leading research positions by providing substantial funding for innovative projects.

The foundation collaborated with the Science Philanthropy Alliance and the consultancy Open Impact to design the heroes program and select the initial awardees.

The recipients and their research projects include:

• Rachel Blaser, University of San Diego: Investigating healthy aging adults’ spatial perception and problem-solving abilities to develop early detection methods for cognitive decline, potentially transforming Alzheimer’s disease approaches.
• Dannielle Engle, Salk Institute: Developing a quick and easy diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer, akin to PSA tests for prostate or colon cancer screenings.
• Stephanie Fraley, UC San Diego School of Medicine: Advancing infectious disease detection technologies and identifying therapeutic targets for cancer metastasis.
• Mia Huang, Scripps Research: Studying pregnancy health risks, such as preeclampsia, to identify markers for early prediction of complications.
• Xin Jin, Scripps Research: Exploring the cellular principles of brain development to understand diseases like autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia.
• Razel Bacuetes Milo, University of San Diego: Examining the relationship between perceived well-being and stress in the Filipino community to improve health outcomes.
• Marygorret Obonyo, UC San Diego School of Medicine: Identifying genes that increase gastric cancer risk and developing effective treatments for early-stage cancer.
• Angelica Riestra, San Diego State University: Researching ways to counteract the impact of trichomoniasis and promoting student success in STEM and biomedical research.
• Erica Ollmann Saphire, La Jolla Institute for Immunology: Studying the interactions between pathogens and the immune system to identify virus vulnerabilities.
• Sonia Sharma, La Jolla Institute for Immunology: Investigating how blood molecules activate the brain’s immune system to design Alzheimer’s disease treatments.
• Tatyana Sharpee, Salk Institute: Conducting interdisciplinary research involving physics, mathematics, neuroscience, and other fields to unlock brain mysteries.
• Sujan Shresta, La Jolla Institute for Immunology: Protecting against viruses like dengue, Zika, and West Nile, which can cause long-term neurological issues.
• Lisa Stowers, Scripps Research: Studying brain functions to develop treatments for depression and dementia.
• Daniela Valdez-Jasso, UC San Diego School of Medicine: Identifying diagnostic markers and opportunities for new drug development for early disease intervention.

More details on the researchers and the heroes program can be found at PrebysResearchHeroes.org.