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Institute News

Sanford Burnham Prebys celebrates 46 years of discoveries

AuthorMiles Martin
Date

July 27, 2022

Group photo of Institute employees outside Ruoslahti Way

Happy birthday, Sanford Burnham Prebys

Sanford Burnham Prebys recently hosted a celebration to honor the anniversary of the Institute’s founding. More than 200 scientists, students and staff gathered to commemorate 46 years of world-class biomedical research. 

“I’ve seen the Institute grow from just five employees to the more than 500 we have today,” said Institute Professor José Luis Millán, PhD, who emceed the event. Millán joined the Institute in 1977, just one year after its founding. “What is important for the Institute now, as we reach middle age, is to reflect on our successes as we move forward into the next decades of our life.”

Attendees enjoyed an all-you-can-eat ice cream truck and a prize raffle, where guests won Institute hats, mugs and other prizes. Longtime supporters of the Institute also spoke, including Malin Burnham, Nina Fishman, and Debbie Turner, partner of the late Conrad Prebys. The party closed with a recorded birthday song from Institute Professor Hudson Freeze, PhD

Burnham recounted how he met the Institute’s two other namesakes, T. Denny Sanford and Conrad Prebys, reflecting on how these chance meetings helped the Institute grow to become the world-class facility it is today. He also expressed his gratitude to the staff. 

“All of you are a part of the family, and that is what I’ve enjoyed as much as anything in my 40 years with this organization,” said Burnham during his comments. “I want to thank each and every one of you for being a part of this organization.”

Decades of discoveries
Sanford Burnham Prebys was founded on July 7, 1976, as the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation. Since then, the Institute has established itself as a world leader in biomedical research, where scientists can work collaboratively to discover cures.

It all started when founder William Fishman, MD, PhD, left his post as professor, director and founder of the Tufts Cancer Research Center in Boston. He, along with wife and career partner, Lillian Fishman, moved west to San Diego with a $180,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute, which they used to start the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation.

“[The Fishmans] were dedicated to the idea of pure science,” explains Nina Fishman, daughter of William and Lillian. Nina Fishman is a longtime supporter of Sanford Burnham Prebys, and she recently coauthored Development of a California Research Organization, a book chronicling the Institute’s history. “They wanted a place where scientists could focus on their work.”

At that time, the foundation consisted of five employees, a rented office space, and lab equipment pieced together from spare parts. Today, it is a world-class medical research institute with a graduate school and one of only seven NCI-designated basic cancer centers in the country.

“My parents were the founders of the past, but you are the founders of the future,” adds Fishman.

Institute News

SBP and friends remember Conrad Prebys with a touching tribute

AuthorHelen I. Hwang
Date

October 11, 2017

SBP's Conrad Prebys Tribute with Greg Lucier, Debbie Turner, Denny Sanford, Malin Burnham, Kristiina Vuori and Hank Nordhoff

With the brilliant sun descending over the famed Torrey Pines Golf Course overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a close knit of friends and loved ones gathered to pay tribute to Conrad Prebys and his lasting impact on Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP). It might’ve been the same kind of gorgeous sunset that inspired Prebys to put down roots in California after moving from Indiana with $500 in his pocket.

T. Denny Sanford and Malin Burnham came to the podium and spoke about the loss of their dear friend Conrad. Burnham spoke about how much he admired Conrad’s “gut” feeling, which inspired him to become a loyal supporter to the Institute. In 2015, SBP was the recipient of Prebys’ extraordinary philanthropic gift of $100 million.

SBP President Kristiina Vuori, MD, PhD, recounted Conrad’s delightful visits and his longstanding relationship with the Institute. Michael Jackson, PhD, senior vice president of Drug Discovery and Development and head of the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, known as the Prebys Center, spoke highly about how impressed he was with Conrad’s intellectual curiosity and passion for science.

“Conrad’s generosity has enabled us to become a world-class facility, with the Prebys Center being recognized as one of the most comprehensive, nonprofit drug discovery centers in the world, conducting innovative drug discovery across all major disease areas – cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, heart failure, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease,” said Dr. Jackson. In large part because of Conrad’s pivotal contribution, SBP is often chosen as a collaborative partner of choice among pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, academic institutions and academic foundations all over the United States.

Debbie Turner also attended the tribute and enjoyed the walk down memory lane with Conrad and his relationship to SBP with a photo presentation of years past and a dedicated short video SBP produced celebrating Conrad’s life.

Guests enjoyed an outdoor buffet reception, while mingling with scientists who attended SBP’s Annual Symposium earlier that day. Nearly 300 scientists from all over the world gathered to attend SBP’s annual conference, which was themed “Frontiers in Single Cell Biology.”

After the touching tribute that brought a few of the guests to tears, friends gathered for a light reception of dessert and coffee and said their “goodbyes” until the next SBP event.

Our Annual Gala will be held on Saturday, October 14 at Coasterra on Harbor Island in downtown San Diego. Tickets are available here: SBP’s 2017 Annual Gala.  

 

Joan and Irwin Jacobs with Denny Sanford​
Irwin and Joan Jacobs with Denny Sanford

 

Sheila and Jeffrey Lipinski with Debbie Turner​
Sheila and Jeffrey Lipinsky with Debbie Turner

 

 

 

Institute News

Remembering Conrad Prebys

AuthorJessica Moore
Date

July 26, 2016

Conrad in Prebys center

Conrad Prebys, a longtime supporter of the Institute and namesake in honor of his landmark gift in 2015, died recently following treatment for cancer. Prebys strongly believed in giving back and sharing the fruits of his success with others. The staff, scientists, and leadership of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) are grateful for his confidence in our research and privileged to have been a recipient of his remarkable generosity.

At the renaming of the Institute, Prebys said, “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.”

In addition to the 2015 donation, Prebys gave a substantial sum to establish the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics in 2009, as well as regular gifts supporting the Institute’s research in the intervening years.

Prebys gave freely to numerous institutions throughout San Diego, including San Diego State University, the San Diego Zoo, Scripps Mercy Hospital, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Old Globe Theatre, the UC San Diego Music Centre, the La Jolla Music Society, the Salk Institute, and the San Diego Museum of Art. Many buildings, research centers, and scholarships bear his name.

Recently named one of the 25 most generous people in the US, Prebys built his wealth through construction and property ownership after moving to San Diego from Indiana in 1965.

The Institute has lost a friend and supporter who will be missed, but his commitment to medical discoveries will have an impact on human health for generations to come.

 

Institute News

A $100 million gift and a new name

Authorpbartosch
Date

June 24, 2015

Header image

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.