spring 2012

VOLUME 2 NUMBER 2 | SPRING 2012

S A N F O R D - B U R N H A M M E D I C A L R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

Translating ResearchInto Personalized CuresStanding Up to MelanomaThe Technology Behind the Talent

VICE PRESIDENTS, EXTERNAL RELATIONS

Elizabeth Birlet, M.A.Stephanie Boumediene, M.P.H.Edgar GillenwatersPhilip Graham, M.B.A.

VICE PRESIDENT, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Elizabeth Gianini

VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS

Andrea Moser, M.B.A.

PORTAL EDITOR

Kristina Meek, M.A.

CONTRIBUTORS

Heather Buschman, Ph.D.Sam ReedDeborah Robison

DESIGN

Creative Fusion

ON THE COVERAt Sanford-Burnham, hundreds of scientists, staff, and donors work together to discover personalized diagnostics, treatments and cures for disease.

A Message from Conrad Prebys 1Standing Up to Melanoma 2Talking with our Donors: Caroline and Nico Nierenberg 4Talking with a Scientist: Sara Courtneidge 5Upcoming Events 6Help us Get to the Finish Line 7The Technology Behind the Talent 8Recent Events 10Recent Grants 11Community Outreach and Trustee News 12Partners in Science Back Cover

FOUNDERSDr. William H. and Lillian Fishman

HONORARY TRUSTEESRoberta and Malin Burnham Joe Lewis Conrad T. Prebys T. Denny Sanford

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERSM. Wainwright Fishburn, Jr.CHAIRMAN

John C. Reed, M.D., Ph.D.CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERPROFESSOR AND DONALD BREN CHIEF EXECUTIVE CHAIR

Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D.PRESIDENTPROFESSOR AND PAULINE AND STANLEY FOSTER PRESIDENTIAL CHAIRJEANNE AND GARY HERBERGER LEADERSHIP CHAIR IN CANCER RESEARCHDIRECTOR, NCI-DESIGNATED CANCER CENTER

Gary F. Raisl, M.B.A., Ed.D.EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTCHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICERTREASURER

Margaret M. Dunbar, J.D.SECRETARY

Lorenzo Berho Arthur Brody Shehan Dissanayake, Ph.D. Daniel J. Epstein Pauline M. Foster Alan Gleicher David F. Hale Jeanne Herberger, Ph.D. Brent Jacobs James E. Jardon II Robert J. Lauer Stuart Lipton, M.D., Ph.D. Bernie Machen, D.D.S., Ph.D. Nicolas C. Nierenberg Douglas Obenshain Peter Preuss Duane J. Roth Jan Tuttleman, Ph.D., M.B.A. Andrew J. Viterbi, Ph.D. Allen R. Weiss Gayle E. WilsonEX-OFFICIOTodd Golub, M.D.SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD CHAIRMAN

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037 • 858-646-3100Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Lake Nona6400 Sanger Road, Orlando, FL 32827 • 407-745-2000Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Santa BarbaraP.O. Box 6849Santa Barbara, CA 93160 • 805-453-0259

www.sanfordburnham.org Toll-free: 1-877-454-5702

www.sanfordburnham.org | PORTAL 1

To learn more about the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics please visit www.sanfordburnham.org or call us.

Cancer is a powerful word. No doubt it stirs emotion for you. I know it does for me. I have lost several close friends to cancer, and that is why I invest in Sanford-Burnham. I believe that the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics will lead Sanford-Burnham researchers to the treatments and cures we are all desperately hoping will be found.

In case you are not familiar with the center, to which I pledged my support in 2009, it is truly a remarkable asset. Using fascinating robotic technologies, researchers there screen millions of chemical compounds in search of molecules that affect certain disease-promoting genes. The right chemical compound can tell a gene to act in a certain way, for example, to halt the effects of a disease.

Of course, I am over-simplifying. This work is highly complex and for a non-scientist, mind-blowing. The people at Sanford-Burnham have been very generous with their time in showing me and others how the discovery of new medicines is enabled by the center that bears my name. When they talk about their research, you feel their passion, you sense their excitement, and you witness their drive to find cures for cancer and other deadly diseases. I trust their expertise and I know that my investment is in good hands.

The beauty of basic research is that one never knows where it might lead. The discoveries made in the Prebys Center not only have applications for treating cancer, but for any and all diseases. Each discovery leads to a greater understanding of human health.

What is most promising is the ability of the Prebys Center to use robotic systems to screen for new medicines faster than

any lab could possibly screen by hand. In a typical year, they perform more than 15 million tests. This speeds the discovery of new medicines incredibly. Time is everything, when you or a loved one is suffering from disease. Easing the suffering of even just one individual, maybe even saving a life…that’s remarkable. The possibility of saving millions is priceless. I’m just proud to be a partner of Sanford-Burnham, and to play a role in aiding their efforts to find cures.

Sincerely,

Conrad Prebys

A Message from Conrad Prebys

What is most promising is the ability of the Prebys Center to use robotic systems to screen for new medicines faster than any lab could possibly screen by hand.


PORTAL | www.sanfordburnham.org2

Did you know, for instance, that the medications we rely upon today benefit less than half the patients who take them, due largely to our genetic differences? A chemotherapy drug used for treating cancer, might be very effective for some patients but not others, due to genetic differences among the patients and their tumors. This realization is changing how illness will be managed in the future, when our personal DNA sequence will be used to choose the right medicine at the right dose. The hope is to use genomics and other technologies to make the practice of medicine less of an art and more of a science, while also diminishing health care costs by reducing trial-and-error in the clinic.

Significant progress has been made in the fight against cancer over the past 40 years, but melanoma continues to elude medical science. One in 51 people born today will be diagnosed with melanoma—nearly 30 times higher than for people born in 1930—according to the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention. To tackle this

powerful threat, a national team of researchers is turning to personalized medicine.

GETTING PERSONAL WITH MELANOMAOne of those researchers is Dr. Kristiina Vuori, Sanford-Burnham’s president and director of our National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center. Dr. Vuori was recently named to a “Dream Team” by the high-profile charity Stand Up To Cancer and their partner, the Melanoma Research Alliance. The team will receive three years of funding to seek innovative new ways of fighting melanoma by using a personalized medicine approach.

“It’s our hope to be able to treat a patient with melanoma based on that person’s own molecular profile—an approach that’s likely to be more effective and have fewer side effects than current treatments,” said Dr. Vuori. “Most importantly, our approach may improve survival of melanoma patients by offering customized treatment strategies that are tailored to each patient and the uniqueness of his or her particular cancer. Considering

Personalized medicine is a concept that will change the future of health care. This new opportunity has arisen largely from the sequencing of the human genome, coupled with new technologies that are rapidly driving down the costs of DNA sequencing. We have known for decades that genes encoded in the DNA of our cells convey hereditary risks to us and our children. Today, we also recognize that our genes greatly impact our individual responses to medical treatments.

Melanoma cells

Standing Upto Melanoma


that one American dies of melanoma almost every hour, we have a strong incentive to discover more effective treatments.”

Dr. Vuori and her team will test tissue samples from living patients and observe how they respond to experimental cancer medicines that are already in the pharmaceutical pipeline—including many cancer medicines that are being tested for other types of cancer but not for melanoma. “Today, we choose which medicine to use for cancer based on the tissue from which the cancer arises, such as the colon, breast, prostate, or lung,” explained Dr. Vuori. “But, tomorrow, cancer medicines will be selected for patients based on the genetic changes that occurred in their tumors, irrespective of where in the body the cancer occurs.”

Dr. Vuori’s contributions to the collaborative project are an important component of the overall effort to tailor the choice of cancer medicines for melanoma patients based on the unique characteristics of each patient’s tumor, thus personalizing the therapeutic strategy. The Stand Up To Cancer project will not only explore personalized medicine as a potential approach to treating metastatic melanoma, but it could also lay the groundwork for fighting many other types of cancer in the future.

MORE ON MELANOMADr. Vuori is not the only Sanford-Burnham researcher seeking to defeat melanoma. Dr. Ranjan Perera and his team, based at Sanford-Burnham at Lake Nona in Orlando, are sequencing the genomes and epigenomes—all the inherited chemical modifications that can alter the genome’s structure—of melanoma patients and their tumors. They hope this work will illuminate molecular signatures that will allow them to divide melanoma into distinct subtypes. This re-classification might then allow physicians to personalize

treatments for each specific subtype of melanoma, improving outcomes for patients.

Dr. Ze’ev Ronai, associate director of Sanford-Burnham’s Cancer Center, studies melanoma responses to cellular stress, work that has led to the discovery of several new targets for devising novel therapies for the disease. Last year, he received an Established Investigator Award from the Melanoma Research Alliance. Dr. Ronai is also editor of the journal Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research, the official journal of the Society for Melanoma Research.

SEARCHING FOR NEW CANCER MEDICINESSanford-Burnham’s Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics makes it possible for the Institute to pursue new frontiers in personalized medicine—not only for melanoma, but for a variety of diseases. The talents and technology residing in this facility, spanning the La Jolla (San Diego) and Lake Nona (Orlando) campuses, allow our scientists to rapidly screen hundreds of thousands of chemical compounds for new medicines that target genetic defects in cancers. This means the right drug can be matched to the right gene for the right person—faster.

The hope is to use genomics and other technologies to make the practice of medicine less of an art and more of a science

To learn more about personalized medicine, melanoma, or the Stand Up To Cancer Melanoma Dream Team, please visit our blog at beaker.sanfordburnham.org.


“I’m a technology person,” says Nico Nierenberg, Sanford-Burnham Trustee and former Board Chair, “and technology is the thing.” He is indeed a technology expert, having built a stellar career in software development. The founder of several companies, he is currently CEO of Persyst Development Corp., maker of EEG software. He and his wife Caroline have been strong supporters of Sanford-Burnham for more than 10 years.

“Biology is exploding in this century as technology did in the last one,” Nico says. Friend and fellow

technology to develop the treatment,” says Nico. “Sanford-Burnham is creating the foundation for the treatments that will be commonplace in the future.” He believes that giving at the level of basic research makes for the greatest impact. “There are a lot of places we could give money or give time, but what we give here gets multiplied—there’s a greater return on investment.”

Caroline chaired Sanford-Burnham’s annual gala in 2009, and the couple has introduced many new friends to the Institute through fundraising events. “People have told me, the most fun thing about coming to the events is getting to meet the scientists,” Caroline recalls. “The events are fun, obviously, but there’s also a chance to learn something. There’s a sense of community, of being involved in something that can make a difference.”

There is no better time than now to join Sanford-Burnham in seeking the treatments and cures of tomorrow, whether you do it by attending Bring It! in San Diego in April, making a gift, or simply spreading the word. “All of the new developments, with what we now know about the human genome… it’s all accelerating,” Nico points out. “Biological research is going to change everything.”

There are a lot of places we could give money or give time, but what we give here gets multiplied—there’s a greater return on investment.

Trustee Wain Fishburn introduced the Nierenbergs to the Institute in 2001. “I saw that biology was rapidly advancing. I felt that a lot of the exciting changes to the human condition would come from biology.” After meeting CEO Dr. John Reed and learning about the Institute’s mission, he says, “It matched my entrepreneurial vision .”

Nico and Caroline live in La Jolla, the San Diego community where Sanford-Burnham is based, and they first thought of the organization as a “local gem.” But Nico later found himself helping shepherd the organization through a cross-country expansion. Nico was Chairman of the Board when the Institute announced plans to open its Lake Nona campus in Orlando, Florida.

“It was an awesome experience,” he recalls. “The Institute was much smaller when we first got involved. It does so many more things now, yet what’s really fascinating is that it maintains this highly entrepreneurial culture.”

Four shared technology centers, including the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, facilitate scientific research at Sanford-Burnham. Having the most advanced tools and the knowledge to use them is critical.

“Before you can treat a disease, you need the

Caroline and Nico Nierenberg:Investing in Technology

TALKING WITH OUR DONORS


You might be wondering exactly what we mean when we use the term “translational research.” Dr. Sara Courtneidge, director of the Tumor Microenvironment Program in Sanford-Burnham’s NCI-designated Cancer Center, provides a succinct definition: “Taking basic scientific findings and doing experiments with the intent to be relevant to a clinical situation.”

Though it sounds simple, the road from bench to bedside can be a long one. Our goal is ultimately to help people and save lives, but a healthy dose of curiosity can keep a researcher going down that road even in the face of frustration.

“Curiosity always drives cancer research,” Dr. Courtneidge says. Her lab focuses on cellular structures called invadopodia. These can be thought of as little feet that protrude from the surface of a cancer cell to help it “walk” around the body, facilitating metastasis. A dog lover who lives just north of San Diego in Solana Beach, Dr. Courtneidge speaks about her work with excitement. “I like to address the unanswered questions,” she says.

Like many researchers who have joined Sanford-Burnham’s faculty in the past decade, Dr. Courtneidge comes from the pharmaceutical industry. Expertise in drug development positions researchers to bridge the gap between laboratory research and treatments.

“When I came [to Sanford-Burnham] we were studying invadopodia from a basic science perspective, but it was quickly obvious to me that we could think about high-throughput screening strategies.” She has done just that. Together with her colleagues in the Institute’s Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, Dr. Courtneidge and her team are seeking new drugs that target invadopodia.

The Prebys Center provides the Courtneidge lab with extra expertise in chemical genomics, the robotic technology necessary to rapidly and reproducibly

screen more than 1,000 chemical compounds (the precursors to new drugs), and automated microscopy. Courtneidge and her team published two papers last summer on some promising findings. (More about these studies can be found on our blog at beaker.sanforburnham.org.)

Often when a patient with cancer arrives in the clinic, the disease has already metastasized, so knowing how cancer cells establish themselves in a new location is critical. “We’re finding that invadopodia are also needed for the cancer cells to grow when they’re in a secondary site. If we can think about drugs that stop invadopodia from being made in the first place, we believe we can treat people who already have metastatic cancer.”

Dr. Courtneidge has experienced the loss of a close family member to cancer and she doesn’t sugarcoat the emotions that accompany the disease. “When someone has cancer, there’s this pressure to be upbeat. But I think a person has every right to be angry…even depressed at times.” The good news is, fewer people are suffering and dying from cancer than ever before. “There have been remarkable strides just during my career,” she says. “I think back to when I was training as a postdoctoral fellow and it was unimaginable that we would be where we are today. Do we have to do better? Absolutely. But there have been big gains in survival.”

Dr. Courtneidge continues to follow her curiosity, moving ever closer to cures. “My feeling in doing research is always to be curious, and to do whatever it takes to answer those difficult questions.”

Sara Courtneidge:

From Curiosity to Cures

TALKING WITH A SCIENTIST



UPCOMING EVENTS

UpcomingApril 27, 2012 – 6-9 p.m.Bring It! San DiegoSanford-Burnham is partnering with HeadNorth for the fourth year to present Bring It! Event co-chairs Stath and Terry Karras challenge you to get real for stem cell research. Wow the crowd with your TV trivia knowledge and hidden talents, or just relax as part of the studio audience. Proceeds support stem cell research. Sanford-Burnham wishes to thank lead sponsor Life Technologies, along with all of our other sponsors: San Diego Magazine, Troutman Sanders, Cushman & Wakefield, Creative Fusion , CONNECT, Mintz Levin, Pegasus Building Services, DLA Piper, Dr. Lisa Haile, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Biomed Realty, BIOCOM, and Marleigh and Alan Gleicher.

Visit www.sanfordburnhamevents.org/bringit for tickets and sponsorship information.

May 20, 2012 — 5:30-7:30 p.m.Nanotechnology: Small is the Next Big ThingMembers of the Sanford-Burnham President’s Circle—supporters who contribute $1,000 or more annually—are invited to Small is the Next Big Thing at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Dr. Jamey Marth, director of Sanford-Burnham’s Center for Nanomedicine (CNM) and Dr. Erkki Ruoslahti, distinguished professor in both our NCI-designated Cancer Center and the CNM, will illuminate the infinite possibilities that exist when biology merges with technology.If you are a President’s Circle member, look for your invitation in the mail. For information on joining, please visit www.sanfordburnham.org/oursupporters or call (877) 454-5702.

June 5California Cancer Research ActIf you live in California, you have the chance to support funding of cancer research by voting in favor of Prop. 29, the California Cancer Research Act (CCRA) on the June 5 primary ballot. Unanimously endorsed by the Sanford-Burnham Board of Trustees, the CCRA will increase the state’s excise tax on cigarettes by $1 per pack, with an equivalent increase on other tobacco products. The measure is projected to save more than 100,000 lives and generate approximately $585 million per year for cancer and biomedical research in California. Similar legislation is under consideration in other states. If you live outside California, contact your state officials to encourage them to support initiatives to fund cancer research.


It takes a long time and great expense to advance a discovery from the laboratory through the process of developing a new medicine. It is a marathon. Our researchers steadfastly run this race each and every day. By cheering them on from the sidelines, you help inspire them to continue.

Sanford-Burnham has already developed three FDA-approved drugs, and advanced more than 10 others to clinical trials. But many are still waiting in the pipeline. In fact, we have eight more potential cancer drugs at various stages of development. With your help, we can move these drugs closer to the clinic, where they can help people in need.

The Finish Line Fund was established to help attract investment and, ultimately, bring drugs to market. By contributing to the Finish Line Fund, you help bring treatments and cures to patients suffering from cancer and other diseases.

Please consider making a gift to this fund by visiting www.sanfordburnham.org/oursupporters or by calling toll free at, (877) 454-5702.

Upcoming Call to Action:

Finish Line Fund


Sanford-Burnham CEO Dr. John Reed and Dr. Maurizio Pellecchia, seen here at the Walt Disney World Marathon, are both avid runners as well as talented cancer researchers. A chemical discovered as a result of research in the laboratories of Drs. Reed and Pellecchia is currently being developed by biotechnology company Oncothyreon Inc. as a potential new cancer drug—moving it one step closer to the finish line!

Do you want to explore all the exciting things happening at Sanford-Burnham at your own pace? Visit our new website at www.sanfordburnham.org and take a look around. The new site, launched in January, is easier to navigate and filled with easy-to-understand information on numerous diseases and what we’re doing to fight them. You will also find information about upcoming events, previous issues of Portal, and various ways that you can support our work. Visit today!

Sanford-Burnham’sNew Website


According to Sanford-Burnham’s CEO, Dr. John Reed, it takes three things to successfully accelerate basic laboratory discoveries into new therapies: teamwork, talent, and technology. Sanford-Burnham’s unique technology centers provide the sophisticated infrastructure and expertise that allows our talented scientists to follow their ideas without limitation and quickly advance their discoveries from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside.

“The resources that are available to us at Sanford-Burnham are second to none. I’ve worked for 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry and the facilities here are arguably some of the best,” said Dr. Greg Roth, director of medicinal chemistry. “Sanford-Burnham’s collaborative spirit, coupled with the technological resources available, add up to a dynamic package.”

Two of Sanford-Burnham’s technology centers—the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics and the Stem Cell Research Center—provide researchers at Sanford-Burnham, as well as those at institutions around the world, access to technologies such as robotic drug-screening platforms and stem cell-based resources that are being used to replace diseased and damaged tissue and to model diseases in the laboratory for testing new therapies.

The Institute’s Center for Nanomedicine uses its technological expertise to target drugs to specific cells using nanoparticles.

THE FLORIDA HOSPITAL - SANFORD-BURNHAM TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR METABOLISM & DIABETESAnother technology center, the Translational Research Institute (TRI), is a collaboration with Florida Hospital. At the TRI, volunteers participate in research with a focus on metabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and its cardiovascular complications. If the current trend of expanding waistlines continues, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that at least one in five Americans will be diabetic by the year 2050. The TRI’s goal is to alter this course by uniting scientists, clinicians, and advanced technologies to spur translational research and rapidly create new, more effective treatments.

In March 2012, the TRI, led by Dr. Steven Smith, Sanford-Burnham professor and director of the TRI, will open its new 54,000 square-foot state-of-the-art building in Orlando. The facility contains a “research kitchen” for nutrition studies, imaging technology (functional MRI), a biorepository with specialized space for biological sample processing, stem cell isolation, tissue processing, and RNA and

The Technology Behind the TalentTranslating Research Into Therapy Dr. Devanjan Sikder’s obesity research spans the divide between the

bench and the bedside.


RECENT EVENTS

DNA analysis, as well as a number of other one-of-a-kind resources for performing metabolic studies with humans.

But the TRI’s centerpiece is its calorimetry rooms—small dormitory-style rooms outfitted with a bed, treadmill, and restroom. These whole-room calorimeters allow the TRI staff to precisely measure energy expenditure as a person goes about his or her normal life—sleeping, eating, and exercising. The combined technologies of the TRI allow physician-scientists to analyze how diet, exercise, and drug treatments impact a person’s whole-body metabolism, aiding in our quest to create new strategies for combating obesity and diabetes.

PERSONALIZED MEDICINE AT THE TRITRI scientists are especially interested in personalizing diabetes and obesity therapies. For instance, instead of lumping all diabetics into one category and giving them all the same treatments, these researchers are hunting for molecular differences between patients that will allow them to divide diabetes into a number of different diabetes subtypes, each with its own, more targeted, therapeutic strategy. To do this, scientists will be analyzing the genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic profiles of patients who participate in clinical research at the TRI. They predict that integrating this approach into clinical practice will revolutionize health care delivery, with potential for enormous medical, social, and economic impact.

SANFORD-BURNHAM’S LABORATORY RESEARCH ADVANCES TO THE CLINICThe first Sanford-Burnham research project that will move to clinical testing in the TRI this spring was inspired by the research findings of Dr. Devanjan Sikder, assistant professor in Sanford-Burnham’s Diabetes & Obesity Research Center. Dr. Sikder and his team study orexin, an appetite-inducing hormone produced in the brain, which appears to combat obesity without requiring less eating or more exercising.

During the study at the TRI, physician-scientists will conduct clinical studies to assess the safety and efficacy of administering synthetic orexin in the human body. In particular, they will evaluate the hormone’s effect on energy expenditure. So far, orexin has only been tested in mice, where it reduces fat by about 50 percent, even when the animals are fed a high-calorie diet.

“Our research will focus on the ability of orexin to increase the metabolic rate by turning on calorie burning,” said Sikder. “We are very excited about the opportunity to move our research to the next level with clinical studies at the TRI, advancing the science from laboratory bench to patient bedside.”

Technology continues to open new doors in personalized medicine, and in medical research in general. Keep watching Sanford-Burnham and its researchers and discover the possibilities as they unfold.

To learn more about Sanford-Burnham’s technology, visit sanfordburnham.org/technologyTranslational Research Institute for Metabolism & Diabetes.

“I am impressed by Dr. Sikder’s determination and energy to understand the cause of obesity, which is closely tied to diabetes.”

– Marilyn Swan,Sanford-Burnham donor


RecentIn November, the supporters of the Institute’s Center

for Nanomedicine had the chance to meet Drs. John Reed and Jamey Marth at a private dinner hosted by

Debbie and Dan Kass at their stunning “Château Sur la Mer”

mansion in Montecito, Calif. Seen here L-R are Dr. Marth,

Dr. Reed, and the Kasses.

On November 29, the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine opened with a large celebration. T. Denny Sanford, whose $30 million gift helped bring this new “collaboratory” to fruition, spoke to the audience of researchers, patient advocates, and philanthropists about the importance of investing in basic research. Read more at beaker.sanfordburnham.org.

Carlton Fields sponsored an all-star President’s Circle event at

the Mezz in Orlando on February 23 to celebrate the NBA’s All-Star game and recognize our

elite donors who contribute $1,000 or more annually. Pat

Williams, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic, spoke

about the similarities in achieving success in sports and science. Seen here are Charlotte

Warren, Johanna Clark and Sanford-Burnham researcher

Judith Altarejos, Ph.D.


RECENT EVENTS


Recent RECENT EVENTS

As a supporter of Sanford-Burnham, you are in good company. Just look at a few of the organizations that have recently demonstrated their belief in our research by awarding us sizeable grants.

Health care company Novo Nordisk recently selected Dr. Layton Smith as a recipient of its Innovation Award. Dr. Smith is director of drug discovery at Sanford-Burnham’s Lake Nona campus in Orlando. Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes treatment, created the award to help scientists substantiate and translate early research efforts into new treatment options for diabetes and obesity.

The grant of just under

$500,000 will further Dr. Smith’s research into a novel protein called apelin. “Clearly, there is an urgent need to identify new and more effective drugs for treating diabetes,” he said. “If successful, this approach might lead to a better therapy for controlling glucose and treating the heart disease often associated with diabetes and obesity.”

In August, the Jean Perkins Foundation approved a grant to support the work of Dr. Carl Ware, director of the Institute’s Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center. This $250,000 grant will support Dr. Ware’s research into a novel therapy for pediatric

cancer patients that have been infected with cytomegalovirus as a side effect of chemotherapy treatments. This is the foundation’s first gift to the Institute.

The Hearst Foundations recently awarded a $100,000 grant to Dr. Jamey Marth, director of the Center for Nanomedicine, a collaboration between Sanford-Burnham and the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Marth will use the funds to develop a user-guided reconstruction of the human body that enables real-time analysis of cancer development, tumor formation, metastatic activity, and therapeutic treatment by nanomedicine.

Recent GrantsDr. Layton Smith at the Prebys Center in Orlando


Some of our researchers balance their scientific careers with involvement in the arts community. Dr. Daniel Kelly has been appointed a trustee of United Arts of Central Florida. He looks forward to helping promote the importance of the arts and sciences and the creative ways the two fields intersect. Dr. Jamey

Marth, director of the Center for Nanomedicine, serves on the board of the Santa Barbara Symphony.

Members of our faculty enjoy engaging with community groups. Dr. Sheila Collins spoke at the Heathrow Women’s Club luncheon in November. The event’s organizer said, “she is the best speaker we’ve ever had!”

Opening our Doors to the Community

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Participating in community organizations and events gives Sanford-Burnham faculty and staff a chance to meet fascinating people, share news of the work we’re doing, and most importantly, give something back.

Dr. Sikder talks with some Evans High School students

Linda Landman Gonzalez, Orlando Magic Vice President, Community Relations and Government Affairs, and Vice Chair, United Arts of Central Florida with Dr. Daniel Kelly, Scientific Director of Sanford-Burnham at Lake Nona

Dr. Gregory Roth (center) with teachers and students from Florida Technical College

In January, CEO Dr. John Reed spoke to a group of residents in the Rancho Santa Fe community of San Diego about the coming era of personalized medicine and advances in stem cell technologies. Dr. Devanjan Sikder spoke about his obesity research with students attending the opening celebration of Evans High School in Orlando.

In Lake Nona, Dr. Gregory Roth recently welcomed teachers and students from Florida Technical College to talk about life science careers. Dr. Layton Smith and Dr. Philip Wood were among the researchers who explained some aspects of their work to Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs during her first visit to Sanford-Burnham at Lake Nona. Mayor Jacobs was impressed by the pace of economic development at Lake Nona’s Medical City.



Sanford-Burnham congratulates several of our trustees who are being honored for their contributions to the community, and welcomes a new trustee.

Trustee Jeanne Herberger has been named one of “Arizona’s 48 Most Intriguing Women” by the Arizona Legacy Project, which celebrates the centennial of Arizona’s becoming the 48th state. Dr. Herberger and her husband, Gary, are significant and longstanding contributors to the greater Phoenix area and generous supporters of Sanford-Burnham.

Trustee Allen R. Weiss, recently retired from Walt Disney Parks and Resorts after nearly 40 years with the organization, has been inducted into the Central Florida Hospitality Hall of Fame—one of the first 10 people to ever receive the honor.

Honorary Trustee T. Denny Sanford, whose philanthropic investments in South Dakota now total well over half a billion dollars, received the 2012 Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals South Dakota Chapter.

Finally, we welcome Dr. Bernie Machen to the Board of Trustees. Dr. Machen has served as President of the University of Florida (UF) since 2004. Under his leadership, UF’s

Board of Trustees News

annual research funding has soared to $678 million. Dr. Machen has also presided over a major expansion of research facilities at UF, which is currently building its Academic and Research Center adjacent to Sanford-Burnham in Lake Nona’s Medical City.

Sanford-Burnham is proud and grateful that these celebrated individuals are committed to supporting our mission. Thank you!

Dr. Bernie Machen, president of the University of Florida, joins Sanford-Burnham’s Board of Trustees.

We are excited to announce a new partnership that will lead to the development of personalized therapies.

Sanford-Burnham has partnered with Moffitt Cancer Center and Florida Hospital to create the Personalized Medicine Partnership of Florida (PMP Florida). The partnership will conduct collaborative research to accelerate discovery and develop new treatments in the areas of cancer and metabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

“PMP Florida is a multi-institutional model

for combining research and clinical care expertise to advance personalized medical care. Sanford-Burnham will deploy our most advanced technologies to discover molecular signatures of disease that can provide insight for determining appropriate therapeutic interventions,” said Dr. Reed, CEO of Sanford-Burnham. “The technology, provision of patient samples, and information sharing create a powerful combination for improving clinical outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.”

Learn more at sanfordburnham.org/pmpflorida.

Announcing a New Partnership



Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDSanford-BurnhamMedical Research Institute

10901 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037

PARTNERS IN SCIENCE

Jeanne and Gary Herberger recently made a substantial gift to endow the Jeanne and Gary Herberger Leadership Chair in Cancer Research, which will be held by Dr. Kristiina Vuori, Sanford-Burnham’s president and director of the Institute’s Cancer Center. As president, Dr. Vuori also holds the Pauline and Stanley Foster Presidential Chair. Jeanne and Gary are longtime supporters of the Institute in general, and Dr. Vuori’s work in particular. “Kristiina’s leadership is exceptional,” Jeanne says.

Jeanne and Gary Herberger and Dr. Kristiina Vuori

Jeanne and Gary Herberger and Dr. Vuori (right) at the 2010 Sanford-Burnham gala

spring 2012

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