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Dutch Consul-General visits Sanford-Burnham at Lake Nona

by Guest Blogger on April 30, 2012 at 11:30 am | 1 comment

Darrin Kuystermans operating the biorector to produce proteins from cells

By Darrin Kuystermans

It’s always a pleasure to get the opportunity to highlight Sanford-Burnham’s research to visitors coming to the Institute. I’m from the Netherlands and on April 18 I had the special honor of giving the Dutch Consul-General, Ambassador Simone Filippini, a tour of our facilities at Lake Nona. The Ambassador was touring Orlando’s Medical City to learn about the region’s emerging biomedical cluster and opportunities to grow the United States-Netherlands trade and investment in the biomedical/biotechnology sector.

Ambassador Filippini is no stranger to Florida and its economy, being based at the Dutch Consulate in Miami, which is in charge of several southern U.S. states in addition to Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Cayman Islands. The Consul-General can have a great impact on stimulating inter-country business development, especially since the U.S. and the Netherlands share so many common values, history, and a commitment to innovation.

Presidential advisor John P. Holdren visits Sanford-Burnham at Lake Nona

by Patrick Bartosch on April 4, 2012 at 2:13 pm | 0 Comments

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Dr. John P. Holdren tours Sanford-Burnham's Lake Nona site

We’re always thrilled to have public officials visit our facilities in California and Florida, but last Friday was an especially exciting day for scientists and staff at Sanford-Burnham’s Lake Nona campus in Orlando, Fla. Dr. John P. Holdren, advisor to President Barack Obama, toured Orlando’s Medical City and spent time at the Sanford-Burnham site to learn about the promising research that is being conducted in our Diabetes and Obesity Research Center.

Dr. Holdren is assistant to President Obama for science and technology, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). Congress established the OSTP in 1976 to advise the President and others within the Executive Office of the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The OSTP also makes recommendations on the annual NIH budget.

Happy 80th birthday to Ed Gillenwaters

by Kristina Meek on March 16, 2012 at 11:38 am | 1 comment

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Jane and Ed Gillenwaters at the 2009 Sanford-Burnham annual gala

Ed Gillenwaters retired once, but he is just too active a man to take it easy. After completing a long, successful career that spanned politics and banking, he found himself longing to give something back. Already active in the community, serving on boards and supporting non-profits, he began volunteering at the University of California San Diego. When the chancellor of the university asked him to come aboard as a paid employee, he found himself starting down a new career path that has led him to his current role as Vice President, External Relations at Sanford-Burnham. As he celebrates his 80th birthday today, March 16, his associates inside and outside the Institute recogonize him as a highly accomplished development professional.

“At this stage of his life, Ed doesn’t need to work as hard as he does,” says colleague Philip Graham. “He does it because of his passion for the science and compassion for those we seek to help.”

Making art out of science

by Andrea Moser on February 24, 2012 at 9:35 am | 0 Comments

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Erin Singer (right), with Ilyas Singec, Ph.D. and Rajesh Ambasudhan, Ph.D., two scientists in Sanford-Burnham’s Del E. Webb Neuroscience, Aging, and Stem Cell Research Center

Most interns come and go within a few months, learning from hands-on experience and making important contacts for the future. Erin Singer, who recently completed her second Sanford-Burnham internship, has created a visually stunning image of stem cells that will be displayed at the Institute in the building housing the Del E. Webb Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell Research Center. The image illustrates the beauty of human biology and serves as a reminder of Erin’s contributions to the important research conducted at the center.

University of Florida president joins Sanford-Burnham Board of Trustees

by Patrick Bartosch on February 22, 2012 at 9:57 am | 0 Comments

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Bernie Machen joins Sanford-Burnham Board of Trustees

We are very proud to announce that University of Florida (UF) President Bernie Machen, D.D.S., Ph.D., has joined Sanford-Burnham’s Board of Trustees. He will be the fourth Floridian to serve on our board. Current Florida-based trustees include Allen R. Weiss, former president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and James E. Jardon II, chief executive officer of JHT, Incorporated.

“As president of one of Florida’s leading research universities, I am honored to join Sanford-Burnham’s Board of Trustees,” said Machen. “My relationship with Sanford-Burnham dates back to 2006, when the Institute first considered opening a new campus in Orlando. Over the years we’ve developed strategies that will benefit our individual and shared scientific endeavors. I look forward to my role on the board and the many new partnership opportunities to come.”

The momentum continues

by Kristina Meek on January 26, 2012 at 9:10 am | 0 Comments

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Dr. John Reed speaks to the Sanford-Burnham community at his State of the Institute address.

Each January, John Reed, Sanford-Burnham’s CEO, reviews the accomplishments of the previous year in his State of the Institute address, which he presents to our community at both our Orlando and San Diego locations. This year, he reflected not just on 2011, but on the past decade. It was 10 years ago—in January 2002—that Reed was first named CEO. An accomplished scientist in his own right, Reed has led the Institute during a period of tremendous growth.

Five reasons to make a year-end gift to Sanford-Burnham

by Kristina Meek on December 26, 2011 at 5:48 am | 0 Comments

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Researchers envision a brighter future for people suffering from disease. You can help.

As you look back on 2011, what are you grateful for? What are your hopes for 2012? Help us make the new year a year of advances in medical research. Here are five reasons to make a tax-deductible gift by December 31.

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On immigrants and philanthropists

by Andrea Moser on September 30, 2011 at 3:20 pm | 0 Comments

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Malin Burnham Center for Civic Engagement

Jennifer Adams-Brooks, San Diego Foundation Chair; Roberta and Malin Burnham; Bob Kelly, Foundation President and CEO; Jerry Hoffmeister, outgoing Foundation Chair; and Hal Orr, Foundation Chief Financial and Investment Officer.

I have known (or known of) Malin Burnham since I moved to San Diego in 1978. I am an immigrant–at least that’s how Malin described those of us who have actively chosen San Diego as our home at an event held to honor him at the San Diego Foundation this week. Malin and his family have made a gift of $5 million to establish the Malin Burnham Center for Civic Engagement. According to the Foundation, the Center will mobilize the San Diego region in the quest for solutions to community issues.

Malin is no stranger to quests. He joked at the ceremony that he has tried to move the airport 14 different times. As the planes taking off directly over Liberty Station punctuated the speeches with awkward pauses, I had to hope that he has a 15^th try in him. Malin has been at the forefront, or behind the scenes, at almost every important moment in San Diego’s recent history. Whether it’s education reform, border issues, building the innovation economy, or San Diego’s stature as a world-class sailing venue, Malin has brought a great many people along with him on his civic journey.

The big picture

by Guest Blogger on September 29, 2011 at 3:30 pm | 0 Comments

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Dr. Ya Chen and graduate student Corinne Lee at the 2010 SBSN Poster Symposium in San Diego. (Photo by Ramses Agustin)

by Sam Reed

Dr. Caroline Kumsta has been contemplating big-picture ideas. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot: What is innovation? I don’t think you just wake up one day and have a brilliant idea out of nowhere. It comes out of something that already exists, in small increments; you gather the pieces, you get input from others, and you figure out the next little step—or big step.”

These things are on Dr. Kumsta’s mind because she’s one of the organizers of this year’s Sanford-Burnham Science Network (SBSN) Poster Symposium, where young Sanford-Burnham scientists gather to exchange ideas. She continues, “You should read anything you can, you should talk to anybody you can—because you don’t know what’s going to give you the next great idea.”

The SBSN Poster Symposium is celebrating its 10th year in San Diego. Never tied to a specific theme, researchers from across the Institute’s myriad areas of inquiry come to learn what their colleagues are investigating. (Read about last year’s Symposium here.)

A visit from Congressman Duncan D. Hunter

by Kristina Meek on September 2, 2011 at 8:58 am | 0 Comments

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CEO Dr. John Reed (left) and Congressman Duncan D. Hunter

Sanford-Burnham often welcomes public figures or community leaders onto its campuses to share the work taking place at the Institute. Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, U.S. Representative for California’s 52nd congressional district, expressed his gratitude at having drug discovery illuminated for him during a recent visit to the Institute’s La Jolla campus.

During his tour, Congressman Hunter met with Brandon Nelson, manager of the Stem Cell Core, one of Sanford-Burnham’s valuable Shared Resources. Nelson presented some recent advances in stem cell biology, including how researchers are using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to generate heart and nerve cells. With this tool, scientists are able to model diseases in a dish and test potential new medicines. Congressman Hunter even took a look at beating cardiomyocytes (heart cells) under a microscope.

A scientist’s life: 10 things Carl Ware has done

by Heather Buschman on August 26, 2011 at 11:42 am | 0 Comments

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Dr. Carl Ware (Photo by Nadia Borowski Scott)

Meet Dr. Carl Ware, director of our Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center. The San Diego Union-Tribune gives us a glimpse of what he has experienced throughout his life: surfing, hitchhiking, meeting Chuck Berry … and Alzheimer’s disease.

Read A Scientist’s Life: 10 Things Carl Ware Has Done.

First impressions

by Faculty Contributor on August 3, 2011 at 9:02 am | 0 Comments

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Dr. Mihee Kim, new postdoc in Dr. Robert Oshima's lab

Editor’s note: We often hear how important it is to make a good first impression. We thought it would be interesting to learn about newcomers’ first impressions of Sanford-Burnham, so we interviewed some new employees who each play a different role at the Institute’s La Jolla campus.

One of our most recent employees, Dr. Mihee Kim, has been a postdoctoral associate in Dr. Robert Oshima’s lab since June of this year. From previous positions at Harvard and NIH, Mihee had experience both with stem cells and with proteins that bind to nucleic acids (such as DNA). She is combining those disciplines in the Oshima lab’s attempt to understand the role of the Ets2 transcription factor (a protein that controls the expression of other genes) in the behavior of cancer stem cells. Mihee had heard of Sanford-Burnham because a former Harvard colleague, Dr. Dieter Wolf, took a position as professor here in 2007. She had no preconceived impressions of the Institute, but has been pleased to learn that our claims of having a collaborative culture are not overstated. Being somewhat new to working with animal models, Mihee has already established interactions with postdocs in several Institute labs to develop a robust system for identifying intestinal stem cells. She has also found the imaging and flow cytometry shared services to be very effective resources for interaction and for providing both training and expert analysis.

Most amazing, she says, is the fact that, “people actually respond in a helpful way to e-mail requests for advice and reagents. I never had that experience before!”

Mihee is excited about the freedom she has been given by Dr. Oshima to explore multiple aspects of Ets2/cancer stem cell function according to her own curiosity and intuition.

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Renowned biochemist joins Sanford-Burnham

by Kristina Meek on July 19, 2011 at 3:01 pm | 0 Comments

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Dr. Randal J. Kaufman

This month we welcomed Sanford-Burnham’s newest faculty member, Dr. Randal J. Kaufman. Dr. Kaufman joins the Institute as professor and director of the Degenerative Disease Research Program, in the Del E. Webb Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell Research Center.

“I am looking forward to the opportunities for collaboration that Sanford-Burnham affords,” Dr. Kaufman says. “This promises to be a very productive environment for my area of research.”

Dr. Kaufman’s current research is focused on understanding the fundamental mechanisms that regulate protein folding and the cellular responses to the accumulation of unfolded proteins within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). When proteins fail to fold correctly, they don’t work properly. Certain types of misfolded proteins defy eradication by the cellular protein degradation machinery and accumulate with age, causing cellular toxicity. In many degenerative diseases, including neurological, metabolic, genetic and inflammatory diseases, it’s thought that the accumulation of misfolded proteins leads to cellular dysfunction and death.

Happy Birthday ELISA

by Communications Staff on June 17, 2011 at 1:09 pm | 0 Comments

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Dr. Eva Engvall a few years after her work on ELISA.

You may never have heard of ELISA, but you have almost certainly been touched by it. Since its creation by Dr. Peter Perlmann and Dr. Eva Engvall at Stockholm University in 1971, ELISA (an acronym for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) has been one of the most widely used research and diagnostic tools ever. The purpose of an ELISA is to determine if a particular protein, chemical or pathogen is present in a sample (such as blood or urine) and if so, how much. ELISA was created to help bench scientists with their research, but overachieved in a big way. Consider the sheer variety of conditions ELISA can detect: allergies, HIV, West Nile virus, malaria, blood glucose concentrations, pregnancy, food-borne pathogens, the list goes on and on. Then think about all the technological changes the biological sciences have experienced over the past 40 years—and yet, ELISA remains a laboratory staple.

Image by Jeffrey M. Vinocur

One of ELISA’s appeals is its simplicity. One version of the technique, called the sandwich ELISA, works something like the diagram to the right. 1) First, a plate is coated with “capture” antibodies that will specifically bind the protein of interest. 2) Then, a mixed sample containing the protein is applied. When the excess fluid is rinsed off, just the target proteins bound to antibodies remain. 3) To determine how much protein is there, “detection” antibodies are applied. These also bind the proteins, leaving them sandwiched between two antibodies (hence the name of the technique). 4) Next, a secondary antibody is added. This one is linked to an enzyme (represented by a black dot in this diagram). 5) In the last step, a chemical substrate is applied and the enzyme converts it to a product that can be measured. Often, the enzymatic conversion will result in a color, shown here in red. The more protein present in the sample, the redder solution becomes. By comparing the results to control reactions with known amounts of protein, scientists can determine the exact concentration of the protein in their starting sample.

A medical revolution

by Josh Baxt on May 18, 2011 at 8:04 am | 1 comment

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Nanoparticles, like this micelle, may be the future of medicine. (Image by Peter Allen, UC Santa Barbara College of Engineering)

A syndicated article that recently appeared in the Orlando Sentinel, the Los Angeles Times and other outlets described several revolutionary technologies that will change medicine in the coming decade. In particular, the piece highlighted how new genomic technologies can personalize treatment to individual patients; how robotic surgery will help surgeons perform complex procedures on people thousands of miles away; and how new classes of diagnostic tests will allow physicians to discover diseases earlier, when they are most treatable.The article included insights from Dr. Ranjan Perera, associate professor at Sanford-Burnham’s Lake Nona campus, and Dr. Jamey Marth, who directs the U.C. Santa Barbara–Sanford-Burnham Center for Nanomedicine. Dr. Marth is particularly excited about nanomedicine’s potential to enhance both diagnosis and treatment:

“Today’s scientists work at the molecular and atomic level with nanoparticles, to harness these biomachines that detect and bind to diseased cells. The nanoparticle then fuses with that sick cell and delivers its cargo — drugs or imaging agents.”

Read ‘Revolution is at hand’ for breakthroughs in medicine.

Top Stories - People

Dutch Consul-General visits Sanford-Burnham at Lake Nona

Presidential advisor John P. Holdren visits Sanford-Burnham at Lake Nona

Happy 80th birthday to Ed Gillenwaters

Making art out of science

University of Florida president joins Sanford-Burnham Board of Trustees

The momentum continues

Five reasons to make a year-end gift to Sanford-Burnham

On immigrants and philanthropists

The big picture

A visit from Congressman Duncan D. Hunter

A scientist’s life: 10 things Carl Ware has done

First impressions

Renowned biochemist joins Sanford-Burnham

Happy Birthday ELISA

A medical revolution

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