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Tag: Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics

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

Parkinson’s research benefits from powerful collaboration

AuthorDeborah Robison
Date

June 19, 2017

Mayo Clinic Collaboration

Medical discoveries may languish in laboratories for years without the necessary tools and means to drive findings further toward the development of novel therapeutics. This could have been the case for Dr. Pamela McLean, a Parkinson’s disease expert at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., had a collaboration with SBP’s drug discovery team in Lake Nona not emerged.

McLean’s deep clinical experience and unique insights into the molecular basis of the disease, combined with SBP’s screening technology and drug discovery expertise, produced promising findings and attracted a significant grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF). Just recently, the researchers were awarded a special MJFF bridge grant to ensure that the science continues to move forward.

McLean studies the role of alpha-synuclein, a protein that misfolds and aggregates in the brain regions that are critically involved in Parkinson’s disease. She brought her cell-based models of alpha-synuclein protein “clumping” to SBP where the drug discovery team screened through 800,000 chemical compounds for substances that were capable of removing the abnormal protein and protecting the cells. Results from the initial study identified eight compounds as potential inhibitors of alpha-synuclein aggregation.

“Our current investigation will enhance the effectiveness of the drug candidates that we previously identified and advance them to pre-clinical development on the road to patient treatment,” said Dr. Layton Smith, director of SBP at Lake Nona Drug Discovery.

During this phase, chemistry teams will validate and refine the drug candidates’ biological activities. The process will likely eliminate some candidates in a testing funnel designed to narrow the compounds to those that exhibit the desired properties, such as inhibiting protein aggregation in the brain. Concurrently, McLean will explore the drug candidates’ mechanism of action to understand if the compounds work by blocking aggregation, enhancing removal of the clumps or by some other means. New therapies are critically needed to treat the more than 1 million Americans afflicted with Parkinson’s disease. Current medicines treat symptoms but do not reverse the effects of the disease.

Institute News

Existing compound holds promise for reducing Huntington’s disease progression

Authorsgammon
Date

December 7, 2015

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Currently, there is no treatment to halt the progression of Huntington’s disease (HD), a fatal genetic disorder that slowly robs sufferers of their physical and mental abilities. In a new collaboration between SBP’s Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics (Prebys Center) and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, researchers have discovered that an existing compound, previously tested in humans for diabetes, offers hope for slowing HD and its symptoms. Continue reading “Existing compound holds promise for reducing Huntington’s disease progression”

Institute News

SBP Collaborates with NIH’s Translational Science Center on pancreatic cancer

Authorsgammon
Date

October 13, 2015

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The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) has initiated a novel collaborative study with Pamela Itkin-Ansari, PhD., to screen for drugs that reprogram pancreatic cancer cells back to a normal, non-threatening phenotype.

The collaboration is based on Itkin-Ansari’s research and development of a screening platform to find drugs that induce the overexpression of E47, a protein that binds to specific DNA sequences, causing cells to differentiate to acinar cells—cells with normal pancreatic cell traits and characteristics.

“I’m delighted to be working with NCATS on a project that may lead to better treatments for pancreatic cancer patients,” said Itkin-Ansari, adjunct professor in the Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program at SBP. “The Center will be screening novel compounds as well as approved drugs that can be repurposed, potentially accelerating the clinical development process due to their known safety profiles and characterized mechanisms.”

The outlook for patients with pancreatic cancer is very poor. Among people diagnosed with the disease, 80 percent are dead within the first year, and 90 percent the year after that. And pancreatic cancer is one of the few cancers for which survival has not improved substantially in 40 years.

One reason pancreatic cancer is so deadly is that there are no good detection tools to diagnose the disease in the early stages, so by the time most patients are diagnosed the cancer has spread to the liver or other areas of the body. Another reason is that there are really no good treatments—response to chemotherapy and radiation is poor.

NCATS was established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to transform the translational science process so that new therapies for disease can be delivered to patients faster. For drug discovery collaborations, the Center works with academic investigators that are biology and disease experts that have demonstrated a novel approach, a primary screening platform that they can adapt, and a follow-up critical path for the project.

Dr. Itkin-Ansari pointed out that technical guidance provided by the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics at SBP was instrumental in validation of her screening platform. “Their experience in developing high throughput screening assays, such as the one that will be used in this collaboration, is unparalleled in the nonprofit research sector” said Itkin-Ansari.

“NCATS has a history of success in novel therapeutic approaches and I’m hopeful that our collaboration will result in identification of a proof-of-concept compound for advancing studies on reprogramming as an intervention for pancreatic cancer.”

The research will be funded by the Marian and Ralph Falk Medical Research Trust.

Institute News

The Mayor of San Diego visits SBP in La Jolla

Authorsbraun
Date

September 1, 2015

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On Friday, August 28, the Mayor of San Diego, Kevin Faulconer, visited SBP to learn more about how our Institute is conducting world-class research dedicated to finding cures for human disease.

The Mayor was first welcomed by Perry Nisen, MD, PhD, CEO of SBP and Kristiina Vuori, MD, PhD, President of the Institute. Drs. Nisen and Vuori shared how SBP is evolving as a hybrid organization that blends cutting-edge fundamental research and robust drug discovery with a clear line of sight to the patient in a way that cannot be accomplished in academia, pharma, or biotech. Our goal is to combine our world-class research with clinical science to translate discoveries into important new diagnostic and therapeutic medical advances.

Mayor Faulconer continued his visit with a tour of the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, led by Michael Jackson, PhD, senior vice president, Drug Discovery and Development.  Since its opening, the Center has been shortening the distance between basic research findings and therapeutic discoveries. Dr. Jackson presented how the Center uses high-throughput robotic technology to systematically screen up to one million chemicals per day to find the few that are potential starting points for new medicines.

It was an honor to welcome the mayor and share our commitment to finding new ways of restoring health and hope to patients everywhere.

Institute News

Pathway that controls cancer cell proliferation discovered

Authorsgammon
Date

August 13, 2015

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In a new study by SBP, researchers have identified a novel kinase cascade that regulates mTORC1, a protein complex implicated in the control of cancer cell growth in response to nutrients. The study, published in Cell Reports, provides further insight into the control of mTORC1 activation, and highlights several new potential drug targets to treat human pathologies linked to mTORC1 deregulation. Continue reading “Pathway that controls cancer cell proliferation discovered”

Institute News

SBP spin-out company micro-gRx receives $200,000 Space Florida award

Authorpbartosch
Date

July 20, 2015

siobhan malany

We’re excited to announce that the first funded company established based on work emerging from our Lake Nona campus, micro-gRx Incorporated, has received a $200,000 award from Space Florida through the Florida – Israel Innovation Partnership Program. micro-gRx is partnering with R&D company SpacePharma to develop a “lab on a chip” research model that enables scientists to study live human cells in microgravity. Continue reading “SBP spin-out company micro-gRx receives $200,000 Space Florida award”

Institute News

New collaboration strives to find novel treatment approaches for cardiovascular disease

Authorpbartosch
Date

May 28, 2015

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Sanford-Burnham today announced it has signed a two-year partnership agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. of Japan to study the potential role of several gene regulatory proteins as targets for the treatment of heart failure. Based on research conducted in Sanford-Burnham laboratories, the collaborating scientists will screen and develop molecules that have the potential to improve the metabolism and function of the failing heart. Continue reading “New collaboration strives to find novel treatment approaches for cardiovascular disease”

Institute News

LEAD San Diego visits Sanford-Burnham in La Jolla

Authorrbruni
Date

May 13, 2015

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On Tuesday, May 5, Sanford-Burnham hosted LEAD San Diego, a local civic leadership organization that helps emerging and seasoned leaders in all sectors of the San Diego community expand their skills and enhance their knowledge of the local business enterprises, for a special breakfast and tour.

The visitors enjoyed a welcome by Institute CEO Dr. Perry Nisen before embarking on a tour of the state-of-the-art La Jolla, Calif., facilities.

Tour highlights included a stop at the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, where Dr. Anne Bang, Director, Cell Biology, gave a brief overview on  how the Institute utilizes cutting-edge technology to identify the precise small molecules that will become the building blocks of future medicines.

The visitors also had the opportunity to stop by the Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regeneration, where Dr. Yang Liu, a visiting researcher in the lab of Dr. Evan Synder, Professor, Human Genetics Program, gave them an overview of the Institute’s stem cell studies.

If you would like to arrange a visit to the Institute, please email Sandy Hanna at shanna@sanfordburnham.org or call (858)795-5056.

Dr. Yang Liu shares information on the Stem Cell Core with LEAD San Diego tour members.

Dr. Anne Bang with the LEAD San Diego group.LEAD San Diego Tour

Institute News

Sanford-Burnham small molecule licensed to Daiichi Sankyo

Authorpbartosch
Date

April 21, 2015

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We’re excited to announce that Sanford-Burnham has signed a licensing agreement with Daiichi Sankyo to further develop a first-in-class small molecule for the treatment of cardiovascular-metabolic disease. The small molecule is based on longstanding, groundbreaking biology work by one of our scientists and his laboratory team, who for decades focused their research on treating a consequence of cardiovascular-metabolic disease. Continue reading “Sanford-Burnham small molecule licensed to Daiichi Sankyo”