drug discovery

Personalized medicine event in San Diego

by Kristina Meek on March 29, 2013 at 5:57 am | 0 Comments

Michael Jackson, Ph.D., vice president of drug discovery and development in Sanford-Burnham's Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics (photo by Mark Dastrup)

On April 4, the San Diego chapter of Oxbridge Biotech Roundtable (OBR) will present a free event, Personalized Medicine: Road to New Opportunities.

Drug development scientist Rita Lim-Wilby, Ph.D. will lead a panel discussion on this fascinating and quickly evolving topic. The panel includes Michael Jackson, Ph.D., Sanford-Burnham’s vice president of drug discovery and development, Rob Bookstein, M.D., of Illumina, James Christensen, Ph.D., of Pfizer, Ashley Van Zeeland, Ph.D., M.B.A., of Cyber Genomics, and Paul Billings, M.D., Ph.D., of Life Technologies.

What: Personalized Medicine: Road to New Opportunities
When: Thursday, April 4, 2013, 5:15 p.m. PT
Where: W.M. Keck Foundation Amphitheater, The Scripps Research Institute
10550 N. Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037
Registration: http://www.oxbridgebiotech.com/events/personalizedmedicine

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Molecule’s structure reveals new therapeutic opportunities for rare diabetes

by Heather Buschman, Ph.D. on March 13, 2013 at 11:00 am | 1 comment

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3D structure of HNF-4α, a protein mutated in MODY1, a rare, inherited form of diabetes, reveals new pockets that could be targeted with therapeutic drugs

Researchers have determined the complete three-dimensional structure of a protein called HNF-4α. HNF-4α controls gene expression in the liver and pancreas, switching genes on or off as needed. People with mature onset diabetes of the young (MODY1), a rare form of the disease, have inherited mutations in the HNF-4α protein. This first-ever look at HNF-4α’s full structure, published today in Nature, uncovers new information about how it functions. The study also reveals new pockets in the protein that could be targeted with therapeutic drugs aimed at alleviating MODY1.

Collaborating with Mayo Clinic to speed drug discovery

by Heather Buschman, Ph.D. on March 11, 2013 at 7:00 am | 1 comment

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Michael Jackson, Ph.D., vice president of drug discovery and development in Sanford-Burnham's Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics (photo by Mark Dastrup)

We announced today that we’ve signed a new collaborative agreement with Mayo Clinic to build a pipeline of therapeutic drugs aimed at a variety of diseases with serious unmet medical needs. Under this agreement, Mayo Clinic scientists will work with researchers in our Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics (Prebys Center) to conduct early-stage drug discovery, including assay development, high-throughput screening, and lead identification.

Welcome to Garth Powis, Ph.D., new Cancer Center director

by Heather Buschman, Ph.D. on February 14, 2013 at 9:55 am | 0 Comments

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Garth Powis, Ph.D.

We’re happy to announce that Garth Powis, Ph.D., has been appointed professor and director of our Cancer Center, one of seven National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated basic research cancer centers in the U.S. He will also assume the Jeanne and Gary Herberger Leadership Chair in Cancer Research. Powis previously held leadership positions at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. He will join our faculty May 1.

Register now for Sanford-Burnham’s SLAS 2013 “Destination Drug Discovery” Satellite Symposium

by Patrick Bartosch on December 14, 2012 at 5:09 am | 0 Comments

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Sanford-Burnham's SLAS 2013 "Destination Drug Discovery" satellite symposium will take place on January 13

We’re holding a satellite symposium in conjunction with the 2013 annual meeting of the Society for Laboratory Automation & Screening (SLAS), in partnership with DisoveRx and HighRes Biosolutions. The event, Destination Drug Discovery, will feature presentations from internationally renowned scientists. The speakers will present their cutting-edge research and the application of novel technologies and approaches to advancing therapeutic drug discovery. The satellite symposium will also provide opportunities for participants to enjoy informal networking with other drug discovery experts during presentations and session breaks.

What: Sanford-Burnham SLAS 2013 Destination Drug Discovery Satellite Symposium
When: Sunday, January 13, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Where: Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Lake Nona, Orlando, Fla. [map]
Keynote speaker: Michel Bouvier, Ph.D., F.C.A.H.S., University of Montreal. Other speakers include Stefan Knapp, Ph.D., University of Oxford.
Who’s invited: The Destination Drug Discovery symposium is open to the public. You do not need to register for SLAS 2013 to attend.
Register: Click here
Twitter: Follow @SanfordBurnham and #SLAS2013
More info: Contact Layton Smith, Ph.D.

Disease in a dish: the ultimate personalized medicine

by Heather Buschman, Ph.D. on December 7, 2012 at 5:15 am | 0 Comments

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The latest episode of Developments to Watch, our collaborative video series produced by Medscape, is now available online: Disease in a Dish: The Ultimate Personalized Medicine.

In the video, Sanford-Burnham CEO John Reed, M.D., Ph.D., talks to Michael Jackson, Ph.D., vice president of drug discovery and development, about the Institute’s work on creating personalized “disease in a dish” models using stem cells derived from patients. They also talk about drug repurposing—finding new applications for existing therapeutic drugs in order to get treatments to patients faster.

Here’s an excerpt:

Stem cells 101

by Communications Staff on October 8, 2012 at 10:52 am | 2 Comments

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Sanford-Burnham's Stem Cell Research Center

Congratulations to John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka on winning the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine! They received the award today for their “discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent.” In other words, these scientists figured out how to turn a normal adult cell, such as a skin cell, into a stem cell that has the potential to become any other type of cell in the body. Read below to learn more about stem cells and how they are revolutionizing medical research.

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are special because each is like a blank slate. Once it’s given the proper instruction, a stem cell can specialize and become any type of cell in the body—brain, heart, muscle, and more. Stem cells also have the ability to reproduce themselves indefinitely, renewing the supply.

Are there different types of stem cells?

Embryonic stem cells only exist during an organism’s development, when it is an embryo. These cells are pluripotent, meaning they have the capacity to become any cell type in the body.

Adult stem cells exist in fully developed organisms. They are more limited than embryonic stem cells—they are multipotent rather than pluripotent. These stem cells usually can only become a few types of specialized cells, based on the tissue from which they originate.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are pluripotent, much like embryonic stem cells. iPSCs are produced in the laboratory by genetically reprogramming any adult cell, such as a skin cell.

Long-term investments in research pay off

by Kristina Meek on September 26, 2012 at 10:43 am | 0 Comments

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Dr. Fred Levine worked tirelessly to discover a potential therapeutic for diabetes.

Dr. Fred Levine, director of our Sanford Children’s Health Research Center, started searching for potential diabetes drugs in 2005. Back then, Sanford-Burnham didn’t have a high-throughput drug screening center. It didn’t even have a children’s health research center.

One day, Dr. Levine was conferring with his colleague Dr. Mark Mercola, a heart researcher. Dr. Mercola was using some modest drug screening equipment set up in a converted office down the hall from his laboratory. He was screening chemical compounds with the hope of finding a few they could further explore as potential drugs for treating heart disease. Dr. Levine thought the same technique might lead to potential treatments for type 1 (juvenile) diabetes.

Personalized medicine event in San Diego

Molecule’s structure reveals new therapeutic opportunities for rare diabetes

Collaborating with Mayo Clinic to speed drug discovery

Welcome to Garth Powis, Ph.D., new Cancer Center director

Register now for Sanford-Burnham’s SLAS 2013 “Destination Drug Discovery” Satellite Symposium

Disease in a dish: the ultimate personalized medicine

Stem cells 101

What are stem cells?

Are there different types of stem cells?

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Long-term investments in research pay off

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