All events are held at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute, 120 Scripps Way, Jupiter, Florida 33458.
Please join us for the second of The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute’s 2025 Innovation Lectures focused on brain health.
On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, scientists will give an update on the fight against one of the most aggressive brain cancers, glioblastoma.
Please reserve your seats now by adding your name to the form below, or by calling (561) 228-3000 and leaving a message with your name, contact, and number of tickets needed.
The event is free. Your donation to support research at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute is greatly appreciated. Read more about our mission and how your gifts support science and the quest for a healthier future.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Meet the Speakers
Outsmarting Cancer II: Defeating Brain Cancer | Wednesday, April 23, 2025 | 6 p.m.
frontiers of drug discovery
Patrick Griffin, Ph.D.
It takes many types of experts and leading-edge technologies to devise new types of treatments. Scientific Director Patrick Griffin explains why this campus is uniquely positioned to discover new medicines.
the cancer microenvironment
Michalina Janiszewska, Ph.D.
Brain cancer outruns some of the best treatments because different cell types, healthy and unhealthy, sometimes cooprerate to conceal it. Data science is helping scientists crack this complexity.
potential new treatment
Courtney Miller, Ph.D.
Glioblastoma is one of the most aggressive cancers, using molecular machinery to rapidly grow and spread throughout the brain. A completely new therapeutic approach works by stopping that molecular machinery in its tracks, preventing tumor growth.
science at scale
Louis Scampavia, Ph.D. and Timothy Spicer, Ph.D.
Co-directors of the institute’s robotic drug screening center explain how they rapidly test hundreds of thousands of compounds against cancers to find new options for patients with glioblastoma and other cancers.
Healing the Brain | Wednesday, February 12, 2025 | 6 p.m.
Long-term memory
Sathya Puthanveettil, Ph.D.
Experience sculpts our brains and creates long-term memories. How does this process work? How does it change in Alzheimer’s and dementia? Dr. Puthanveettil’s research illuminates these mysteries at the molecular level, in pursuit of better brain health.
Brain development
Gavin Rumbaugh, Ph.D.
Genetic mutations can have profound effects on brain development. Dr. Rumbaugh’s work on a genetic cause of autism is leading to new insights about brain circuitry, and illuminating possible strategies to improve recovery from brain injury through adulthood.
Dementia, Parkinson’s
Bhavana Patel, D.O.
A diagnosis of Parkinson’s or dementia can be life-altering. Dr. Bhavana Patel joins us from UF’s Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, and UF’s
Department of Neurology, to discuss her work improving patients’ quality of life.
guest moderator
Tiffany Kenney
Moderating the brain health discussion and taking your questions will be veteran journalist Tiffany Kenney, WPBF 25 news anchor.
Additional Sponsorship Opportunities are Available
Please contact Tracy Kerwin, Executive Director of Advancement, at 561-228-2055 or tracykerwin@ufl.edu for details on how to become a sponsor. To make a donation, click here.
the 2025 innovation lectures
Read the Media Advisory
Media are welcome. Details here.
Read Research Updates From The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute
alzheimer’s disease
Neurons’ Couriers Deliver Cargo to Set Up Long-Term Memories
The mechanics underlying neurons’ synaptic plasticity have become clearer, thanks to new research from the lab of Scripps Research neuroscientist Sathya Puthanveettil, PhD.
huntington’s disease
Nanotubes Aid Progression of Huntington’s, Study Finds
Scientists at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute have found that nanotube tunnels act like roadways capable of transporting cargo between cells, transmitting a toxic protein linked to Huntington’s disease from neuron to neuron.
Mental health
Depression Signal Offers a Surprise
Asking a basic question leads scientists to a surprise discovery about depression signaling: How do sensors on brain cells receive and transmit signals into the cells, and then change the cells’ activity?Â
transformative research award
NIH Awards $4.1 Million for Unconventional Idea for Fighting Cancer
The proteasome resembles a paper shredder that chews up protein molecules. Its normal job in cells is to destroy proteins the cell no longer needs.Â
cancer research
Scientists Reawaken Cancer’s Self-Destruct Program With RNA Degrading Strategy
Challenging cancer genes are neutralized by mobilizing the cell’s RNA recycling enzymes against them.
Antibody drug conjugates
Cancer-Killing Natural Product added to Antibodies to Create a Precision System
A natural compound that kills cancer cells, tiancimycin, becomes payload for an antibody-drug conjugate, a method to deliver it only to cancer cells.
cancer microenvironment
Two Mutations Cooperate to Hide Brain Cancers from the Immune System, Study Finds
In Glioblastoma, cancer genes EGFR and CDK4 work together to thwart immune attack, researchers find.
Drug resistance
Estrogen-Sensitive Breast Cancer Cells Hit With Dual Compound Approach
The compounds work together to interfere with estrogen activity in cancer cells.
mental health
Study Shows Structure of Possible Treatment Target for Depression
Scientists at The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute have determined the near-atomic-scale structure of an unusual brain-cell receptor called GPR158, which has been linked to depression and anxiety.
