nina fishman Archives - Sanford Burnham Prebys

Tag: nina fishman

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

Sanford-Burnham hosts the Titan Microscope Inauguration Symposium and Reception

Authorrbruni
Date

August 22, 2014

Header image

Dorit Hanein, PhD, professor in the Bioinformatics and Structural Program, hosted the Titan Microscope Inauguration Symposium and reception on August 21 at our La Jolla, Calif., campus. The Titan Krios, a state-of-the-art electron microscope, will help our scientists visualize cells, viruses, and bacteria at the atomic level.

The symposium was held to inaugurate the new Titan Krios Transmission Electron Microscope (FEI Company) in honor of our Institute founders Dr. William and Lillian Fishman, who acquired the Institute’s first microscope over 35 years ago and began a legacy of cutting-edge technology that is continued today.

The symposium’s distinguished speakers included more than 14 presenters from peer research institutes, including UC San Diego, The Scripps Research Institute, Caltech, Stanford, and the National University of Singapore.

Guests enjoyed a full day of presentations focused on cutting-edge research in the fields of biophotonics and bioinformatics. Hot topics included the challenges of data processing, connecting cell structures with functions, specimen preparation to maximize results, and real-time analysis of pathogens.

Following the symposium, guests and donors gathered in Chairmen’s Hall for a cocktail reception and tour of the new Titan Krios suite. Kristiina Vuori, MD, Ph.D., president of Sanford-Burnham, led a short program describing the importance of having access to such an advanced instrument for our researchers and the quality of their work.

Ze’ev Ronai, scientific director of Sanford-Burnham in La Jolla, also said a few words, specifically sharing how Jonas Salk of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies generously gifted the first electron microscope to Dr. William Fishman over 35 years ago.

Finally, Nina Fishman, Dr. William and Lillian Fishman’s daughter, joined the reception and praised the Institute’s continued commitment to her parent’s vision for the Institute. A beautiful brushed metal plaque bearing our founder’s image was unveiled shortly after the remarks concluded.

The plaque is permanently mounted on the wall directly outside of the new Titan Microscope suite. It is placed there to honor the Institute’s outstanding commitment to employing the latest and most advanced technology available to accelerate and improve the quantity and quality of our researchers’ discoveries.

About the Titan Krios Microscope

The Titan microscope is a rare state-of-the-art electron microscope specifically designed and developed for life science and medical research applications. It is not a traditional electron microscope, but rather a cryo-electron microscope, meaning that samples within it are frozen at the temperature of liquid nitrogen (between -346°F and -320°F)—the microscope’s operating temperature—and they are never exposed to any form of dehydration. This technique produces the most-accurate imaging results.

Produced by the FEI Company of Hillsboro, Ore., the Titan Microscope is a very exceptional instrument. There are only a handful of them in the U.S. and fewer than 45 total worldwide. The purchase of this $5.5-million instrument was made possible through an NIH Shared Instrumentation Grant.