Joseph Herdy talks zombie cells, selfish genes, and Alzheimer's disease

While you might not appreciate a shipment of live, wriggling lamprey, Joseph Herdy, PhD, will tell you the parasitic fish can actually teach us quite a bit about our own genomes. Studying lamprey set Herdy off on a genomic journey, as he continued over the years to study the organization, flexibility, and instability of genomes. Today, he's a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Rusty Gage, PhD, where he researches how genomic plasticity influences Alzheimer's disease progression.

On October 30, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. ET, the Salk Institute holds a special live, video edition of our Beyond Lab Walls podcast as we explore why science can't wait. Salk's Vice President of Advancement Michelle Chamberlain will host an in-depth conversation with Chief Science Officer Jan Karlseder and Chief Financial Officer Marie Carter-Dubois about the urgent importance of foundational research—and how it depends on the vital partnership between federal funding and private philanthropy. Discover how current funding challenges are impacting scientific progress and why continued support is essential for breakthroughs that can change the world.

Tony Hunter, PhD, is a cancer biologist, professor, and holder of the Renato Dulbecco Chair at Salk. 2025 marks Hunter's 50th year at the Institute—a milestone that's apparent the second you walk into his office. Floor-to-ceiling archives reflect the many discoveries he's made, papers he's reviewed, people he's met, and knowledge he's gained along the way. His persistent curiosity has fueled incredible science and lifesaving medications, and continues to shape the future of cancer research.

Tony Hunter, PhD, is a cancer biologist, professor, and holder of the Renato Dulbecco Chair at Salk. 2025 marks Hunter’s 50th year at the Institute—a milestone that’s apparent the second you walk into his office. Floor-to-ceiling archives reflect the many discoveries he’s made, papers he’s reviewed, people he’s met, and knowledge he’s gained along the way. His persistent curiosity has fueled incredible science and lifesaving medications, and continues to shape the future of cancer research.

Aksinya Derevyanko is a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Nicola Allen's lab at Salk. For Derevyanko, recounting her journey from Russia to Spain to San Diego isn't just a practice in storytelling—it's an exercise in what she studies: memory. She watches the connections between our brain cells, called synapses, form, mature, and fail throughout our lifetimes and in diseases like Alzheimer's. Outside the lab? She tests her own synaptic strength by memorizing steps as a semiprofessional dancer.

What is my place in the universe? This question began Professor John Reynolds' introspective and philosophical journey into the world of neuroscience, where he now studies nebulous human feats like perception and consciousness. Reynolds constructs models and tools that allow him to lean into these intangible abilities and, in turn, make scientific sense of how our brains process the world around us.   See the transcript for further reading as you listen.

Joseph Swift is a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Joseph Ecker's lab at Salk, but has recently launched his own start-up called CropDiagnostix. Inspired by his parents, Swift has always embraced "crazy" choices—leading him to leave Australia to study plant genomics in New York City then San Diego. In this episode, you'll hear about everything from the microscopic similarities between plants and humans, to what it's like road-tripping with a car full of potatoes.

Jeff Jones is a staff scientist in the lab of Professor Rusty Gage. Jones' journey to science started on a dirt road in Florida and with a slew of questions about cancer. His tinkering hands and inquisitive mind led him to study life's basic building blocks to uncover how, why, and when our cells age—and whether we can prevent age-related dysfunction.

Beginning as a spark stirred by rainy day boredom in Galicia, Spain and encouraged by wanting to understand her grandfather's brain tumor, Irene Lopéz Gutiérrez became a neuroscientist. Now, she's a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Susan Kaech's immunology lab—searching for answers about Alzheimer's disease in the exciting new field of neuroimmunology.

Things are changing in Alzheimer's research. We've got new tools and new ideas, and we want you to know about them. To kick off Salk's "Year of Alzheimer's," hear how our scientists are bringing us closer to a more modern and personalized landscape of Alzheimer's diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.