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Institute News

Leading cardiometabolic researcher to join SBP

Authordrobison
Date

November 5, 2015

The cardiovascular researcher who pioneered visualizing the function of the human heart using the most powerful magnetic resonance available will soon join SBP’s Florida campus. E. Douglas Lewandowski, PhD, will become professor in the Cardiovascular Metabolism Program and director of Cardiovascular Translational Research starting December 2015. He is among the most preeminent investigators in the world who specialize in the metabolic basis of heart failure, including ischemic heart disease and diabetic cardiomyopathy.

“Doug Lewandowski’s pioneering work has unveiled new concepts and therapeutic strategies aimed at improving the treatment of heart failure, a worldwide health problem. He will continue this work at SBP, leading an innovative bench-to-clinic research program at SBP and the Florida Hospital Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes (TRI-MD). His recruitment is transformational for our translational research efforts in the cardiovascular arena,” said Daniel P. Kelly, MD, Tavistock Distinguished Professor and scientific director, Center for Metabolic Origins of Disease at SBP Lake Nona.

Lewandowski’s contributions to understanding metabolic pathways and fuels that may protect against the high-morbidity, -mortality, and economic health burden of heart failure are recognized as among the most rigorous and field-advancing. He is renowned in the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to visualize and measure metabolic activity in the intact beating heart in health and disease. His expertise in medical imaging techniques involves manipulation of metabolic activity in the ailing heart with pharmacological agents and targeted gene manipulation.

He will hold a joint appointment at Florida Hospital as senior principal investigator at the TRI-MD. He views the partnership between SBP’s basic research and the TRI’s clinical investigations as an attractive and effective research model that will accelerate the translation of the fundamental mechanisms of heart disease and therapeutic targets toward patient-based studies to identify new treatments, therapeutics, and cures.

“With Lake Nona’s emphasis and existing expertise in cardiometabolic disease, I feel that I can immediately contribute to team science approaches to elucidate fundamental mechanisms of heart and metabolic disease. My focus will be to translate findings in SBP’s laboratories to human studies of the metabolic basis of heart disease at the TRI,” said Lewandowski. “It is this partnership that I anticipate will be a game changer in the way I will be able to implement the translation of my laboratory investigations, and I find this very, very exciting.”

Prior to joining SBP, Lewandowski held the position of professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, in the Department of Medicine, and director of the Program in Integrative Cardiac Metabolism at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Previously, Dr. Lewandowski spent a decade on the faculty at Harvard Medical School with hospital appointments at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Mass.

Institute News

A day in the life of a cancer researcher

AuthorGuest Blogger
Date

October 29, 2015

This story was written by Petrus De Jong, MD, PhD

I hear noise from our boys’ room but decide to check my e-mail first. Waking up in Pacific Time means that e-mails from other time zones are already piling up. Breakfast for everyone and black coffee for me are the next priority.

With the sun roof open, it is only a short commute to Sanford Burnham Prebys. Along the way I pass miles of Pacific coastline, as well as the sites where decades of scientific discoveries have modernized health care. The drive takes less than fifteen minutes, but my personal road to becoming a medical researcher spans almost 15 years. Being part of SBP’s scientific community now, at the frontier of modern medical science, is a real privilege.

While the computer is starting up, I put on my white lab coat to check the cancer cell lines that we have growing for our experimental drug tests. Our lab, led by Prof. Garth Powis, is focused on finding new types of therapeutics for cancer based on unique vulnerabilities of tumor cells. Although it might sound strange, we have to be sure our cancer cells are ‘healthy’ enough for our experiments. We know every detail of their normal shape and growth pattern. I glance through the microscope and know that the cells are good for our next experiment.

lab

Today I am testing the specificity of new drugs that are designed to cut the fuel supply of rapidly growing tumor cells. We can measure whether our new compounds are hitting their target with high precision by using some genetic tricks. If the tricks work, the cancer cells will glow a green color in the dark. I turn off the lights, then turn on the fluorescent laser and look through the microscope. The cells light up in neon green—part one of the experiment worked! The next step is to test whether the drugs have an effect on tumor cell growth.

cancer-cells

Cancer research is teamwork. Today’s experiment was designed based on the work of chemists from Texas (UT Austin), together with protein biologists and medical biologists from SBP. After I put the cells back in the incubator, I grab my notebook and knock on Dr. Powis’ door—even though it’s already open. We have a conference call today with our collaborators to discuss the latest results and future directions. During the technical discussion, I realize that our drug not only has the potential to target and kill cancer cells, but has taught us things we never knew about how normal and tumor cells regulate their energy needs. And this is important, because the more we understand about the fundamental processes that cells use to get energy, the greater the number of opportunities.

Everyone is anxious to hear the results of the next round of experiments and after refueling with a strong espresso, I return to the lab. I am testing two different drugs on the green cells. One of the drugs is bright yellow, the other is colorless. After carefully preparing various drug concentrations, they are added to the cells which then go back into the incubator. It will take 24 hours before I know the results.

I carefully write down the details of today’s experiment in my lab notebook. The remainder of the day is taken up analyzing experimental data, generating figures for publication, preparing for the next lab meeting, sending requests to speakers for upcoming events, and more. Before turning off my computer, I write down my to-do list for tomorrow. I will first check the results from today’s experiment realizing I am not the only one eager to learn about the results.

Finally I hang up my lab coat, hoping to be one step closer to new cures for tomorrow.

Institute News

Meet the “drug hunter”

Authorsgammon
Date

October 1, 2015

SBP’s newly recruited vice president of Discovery Medicine, Muhammad Al-Hajj, PhD, is leading the charge across a bridge connecting our research discoveries with resources to develop new therapies for cancer patients. His job requires him to have one foot in the research labs and one foot out dancing with commercial pharma, biotech, and venture capital companies willing to fund the development of new cancer drugs.

Continue reading “Meet the “drug hunter””

Institute News

SBP Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences receives WASC accreditation

Authorsgammon
Date

July 30, 2015

Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP)  is proud to announce that its Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences has received accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This is an important milestone for the Graduate School, a distinction that assures the public that our school has the resources, policies, and practices in place to achieve its educational goals.

The SBP Graduate Program began in 2006. Today, we have 25 students with a unique opportunity to carry out their studies in an environment of collaborative research, with access to the most-sophisticated minds and technologies in biomedical sciences. The Program gives graduate students fluency in biology, chemistry, bioinformatics, and engineering to integrate research into meaningful applications that will advance medicine. Their education comes at a time when research has never been more intellectually exciting and critically important to society.

The effort was led by Guy Salvesen, PhD, dean of the Graduate School, who has been dedicated to providing the best learning opportunities for SBP students to become the next-generation of pioneers in biomedical research. Dr. Salveson has overseen the recruitment of talented students from around the world—Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States—and engaged our faculty to teach, train and mentor. He has been accountable to WASC during an eight year systematic process of scrutiny that left no stone unturned. At the same time, he has managed his own research laboratory of staff scientists, postdocs, graduate students and interns, exploring the principles of proteolysis in humans.

In addition to Dr. Salveson, Malene Hansen, PhD, associate dean of Student Affairs; Alessandra Sacco, PhD, associate dean of Curriculum; Robert Rickert, PhD, associate dean of Admissions, and Stacey Smith, manager of the Graduate Program, have helped achieve the goal through their passion for education, and creating an environment that supports the highest-quality learning in biomedical research.

Many congratulations to everyone at SBP that works to support the Graduate School, including the faculty, staff, and the students, for creating and fostering a program that is now officially recognized for its excellence.

Institute News

A $100 million gift and a new name

Authorpbartosch
Date

June 24, 2015

We are beyond excited to announce that Sanford-Burnham has received a gift of $100 million from prominent San Diego developer, philanthropist, and Sanford-Burnham honorary trustee Conrad Prebys. This is the largest donation ever made by Prebys and will be used to further implement the Institute’s 10-year strategic vision to accelerate the delivery of innovative new treatments that will have a tangible impact on improving human health.

“A gift of this magnitude is significant in many ways,” said Sanford-Burnham Chief Executive Officer Perry Nisen, MD, PhD “It enables us to conduct translational research to advance laboratory discoveries and clinic-ready drug candidates further along the development pipeline, progressing toward therapies, preventions, and cures for patients who desperately need them. We are profoundly grateful to Conrad Prebys for this extraordinary gift.”

In recognition of Prebys’ contribution, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute will now bear his name, along with the other Institute namesakes T. Denny Sanford and Malin Burnham. Effective June 24, the new name will be Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.

“We are honored that Conrad Prebys’ name is now part of ours,” said Sanford-Burnham President Kristiina Vuori, M.D, PhD “He has a longstanding relationship with the Institute and believes strongly in our mission. Nearly a decade ago, his first gift helped us establish the infrastructure for drug discovery research. Today, Conrad’s generosity will take us even further. We are in the golden age of biology, where advances in molecular biology, robotics, imaging, and many other technologies allow us to ask and answer previously impossible questions. Now more than ever, we have the capacity to speed up the process of moving medical research discoveries from bench to bedside.”

Sanford-Burnham’s plan to form more pharma and clinical partnerships in order to advance translational research discoveries that will have a tangible impact on human health is critical to philanthropists like Prebys as they consider which organizations to fund.

“When it comes to finding cures, Sanford-Burnham is the engine that will drive innovation,” said Prebys. “I’ve been involved with the excellent researchers at the Institute for many, many years. They’re the best there is, and that excites me. If, through my support, I can shorten people’s suffering, or extend their quality of life, that would give me unlimited pleasure and joy.”

Prebys previously donated $11 million to the Institute, including $10 million in 2009 to support the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics. His investment in the ultra-high-throughput chemical screening center helped establish the drug discovery platform that is critical to Sanford-Burnham’s new emphasis on advancing laboratory discoveries to clinical study and gaining commercial interest in Institute assets.

Last year, Sanford-Burnham received a transformative $275 million gift from an anonymous donor. Including the Prebys gift, the Institute has received more than $375 million toward a $500 million, 10-year fundraising goal. Since 2014, Sanford-Burnham has received two of the five largest philanthropic donations to medical research in California. Prebys’ latest gift will help build sustainability for research and development, and further the Institute’s work in its focus disease areas of cancer, neuroscience, immunity, and metabolic disorders.

Institute News

Highlights from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences annual retreat

Authorsgammon
Date

May 27, 2015

On May 13-18, Sanford-Burnham’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences held its sixth annual retreat in San Marcos, Calif.

This year’s theme, “Effectively Communicating Scientific Research to a Broad Audience,” gave the students an opportunity to share their research and practice explaining their work in simple terms—simple enough for non-scientists.

Organized by Francesca Boscolo Sesillo, Mirco Guigli, and Gianluigi Lichinchi, all graduate students at the Institute, the presenters were encouraged to address questions such as:

  • Why the research is important
  • How will it advance our understanding of the subject matter
  • Will the research impact human health

As a very grateful invited guest, I was dazzled by the presentations. Many of the students included analogies and graphics that made some very complex information—structured illumination resolution, haploinsuffient photoreceptors, SWI/SNF BRAHMA chromatin remodeling, just to name a few—clear enough for this “arm-chair” scientist to be dangerous.

 

For many reasons, effectively communicating science to non-scientists and scientists within other disciplines is critical. Like it or not, when you explain science you are selling. You may be selling your ideas to seek funding and grants, convincing others of your findings, or recruiting people to work on your project.

The students took it seriously, not only because many of their mentors and advisors were in the audience, but also because they were scored on a scale of 1-5 for quality, content, and clarity of the presentations. When the score cards were tallied the winner was… (drum roll, please)

Francesca Boscolo Sesillo (Sacco Lab)

Francesca, a third year student, presented her research on the role of p21 during skeletal muscle regeneration. Her findings show that p21, a cell cycle inhibitor, plays a key role in the activation and differentiation of muscle stem cells.  Understanding the mechanisms that lead to muscle regeneration has important implications for future interventions that can improve muscle health in the elderly as well people with degenerative disorders such as muscular dystrophy.

 

Many congratulations to all the fabulous students, and to Guy Salvesen, Ph.D., Dean of the Graduate School, for providing leadership and education opportunities for the students.

And a special thanks to:

  • Fiona Scott, PhD, Associate Director of Biology at Receptos, who shared her professional experience as scientist in clinical research.
  • Thomas Baldwin, PhD, Dean of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UC Riverside for contributing to the communication training provided to the students.
  • America Vega and Stacy Smith for organizing the retreat.
  • And to Pfizer, Genentech, and Receptos, for underwriting the event.

 

 

 

Institute News

Meet our faculty: George Kyriazis, PhD

Authorpbartosch
Date

April 21, 2015

 

A few weeks ago, we announced that our former Sanford-Burnham postdoctoral fellow, George Kyriazis, PhD, was joining the Institute’s Orlando campus as a faculty member. We sat down with George last week to discuss his background, research interest, and life outside of work. Continue reading “Meet our faculty: George Kyriazis, PhD”

Institute News

Multiple Sclerosis Society names Sanford-Burnham’s Dr. Barbara Ranscht as Researcher of the Year

Authorrbruni
Date

March 26, 2015

On March 24, more than 70 multiple sclerosis (MS) research advocates came to Sanford-Burnham in La Jolla, Calif., to learn how our labs are making advancements in the fight against the immune-mediated disease. The advocates visited the Institute as part of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s (NMSS) MS Awareness Month. Continue reading “Multiple Sclerosis Society names Sanford-Burnham’s Dr. Barbara Ranscht as Researcher of the Year”

Institute News

Communicating complicated ideas to the public

Authorrbruni
Date

March 6, 2015

On March 3, 2015, celebrated journalist and associate director of MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing Seth Mnookin joined Sanford-Burnham scientist Dr. Hudson Freeze, director of our Human Genetics Program, for a special lecture hosted at the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center. Continue reading “Communicating complicated ideas to the public”