“Nothing
is impossible.”
Pursuing Next-Gen Cancer Drugs VOLUME 5 NUMBER 3 | WINTER 2015
FOUNDERS
A Message from Professor Robert Wechsler-Reya
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Dr. William H. and Lillian Fishman
Going All In
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To Hack Through the Cancer Jungle, SBP Hires a “Drug Hunter”
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Roberta and Malin Burnham Joseph C. Lewis Conrad T. Prebys T. Denny Sanford
MS Chapter Names Dr. Barbara Ranscht Researcher of the Year
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Taking Action Today to Improve Tomorrow
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Making Novel Drugs with Crystal Clarity
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TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS
Pursuing Next-Gen Cancer Drugs
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J. Bernard Machen, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.
The Dawn Patrol
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CHAIRMAN
Fishman Fund Salutes Young Scientists
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James C. Blair, Ph.D.
Eric Dudl Scholarship Award
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VICE CHAIR
Why Eddie Rides
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New Trustees and Officer Named
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HONORARY TRUSTEES
Perry Nisen, M.D., Ph.D. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER DONALD BREN CHIEF EXECUTIVE CHAIR
Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D.
Alan Ginsburg, Florida philanthropist
PRESIDENT
Back Cover
ON THE COVER
PAULINE AND STANLEY FOSTER PRESIDENTIAL CHAIR
Sanford Burnham Prebys accelerates science and drug discovery for patients. Conrad Prebys, philanthropist (insert).
PROFESSOR, NCI-DESIGNATED CANCER CENTER
Gary Chessum, A.C.M.A., C.G.M.A. CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Knox Bell SECRETARY
Lorenzo M. Berho David W. Down Daniel J. Epstein M. Wainwright Fishburn, Jr. Pauline M. Foster Carol G. Gallagher, Pharm.D. Patrick J. Geraghty William Gerhart Alan A. Gleicher Jeanne L. Herberger, Ph.D. Donald L. Jernigan, Ph.D. Gregory T. Lucier Papa Doug Manchester Henry L. Nordhoff Douglas H. Obenshain Edward R. Schulak Stuart A. Tanz Rasesh Thakkar Luder G. Whitlock, Jr.
“Nothing
is impossible.”
Pursuing next-gen CanCer Drugs VOLUME 5 NUMBER 3 | WINTER 2015
The research at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute is made possible, in part, by philanthropic support. For information, please contact Kathleen Shelton, Chief Philanthropy Officer at 858.795.5017 or kshelton@SBPDiscovery.org
www.SBPdiscovery.org
Toll-free: 1-877-454-5702
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037 • 858-646-3100 Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute 6400 Sanger Road, Orlando, FL 32827 • 407-745-2000 Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
A Message from Professor Robert Wechsler-Reya
Initiatives like Kickstarter—the benefit corporation that brings creative projects to light—have taught us that a small investment in the right place and at the right time can launch a fantastic new invention or a successful business. Biomedical research is much the same. Without funding, the most brilliant ideas can lie fallow, but with a little bit of seed money, we can unravel the mysteries of the body and find cures for devastating diseases. I recall one of my first grants as a young scientist. I received $25,000 from a small family-initiated foundation to study new models for medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain cancer in children. That $25,000 made me feel like $25 million. I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to make a difference in understanding childhood brain tumors, and I used those funds to kick-start what has become a successful translational research program. Since then, I have received major grants from the NIH; I have gotten donations from cancer foundations started by children with a front yard lemonade stand, and I have witnessed the generosity of billionaires donating money to Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. I still get excited at each opportunity, and am moved by the common thread that every single person involved has been touched by cancer, whether it’s personally, or through a family member, friend or co-worker. Although survival rates for some types of cancer have improved dramatically over the past 40 years, many patients are often left with long-term health problems after their treatment has ended. For some cancers, there is still a woeful lack of effective therapies. For others, the disease once cured, comes back
more aggressively and resistant to the drugs that were used successfully the first time. So there is still a great deal of work to be done. In this issue of Portal, you will read about how scientists in SBP’s NCI-designated Cancer Center are approaching the discovery and development of drugs to meet today’s need for new and better cancer therapies, including my own research on medulloblastoma. You will learn more about how visualizing the structure of a protein can help scientists create novel “designer drugs” and read about a newly recruited SBP scientist, a “drug hunter,” whose job is to guide SBP’s lab discoveries into the clinic. This issue is also “…with a little bit of seed filled with stories money, we can unravel of the people who the mysteries of the help make new discoveries happen— body and find cures for the donors—and devastating diseases.” the different means, ways and reasons they contribute. Our work could not progress without their generous, heart-felt support. With the backing of people who care about improving the health and well-being of patients, we can continue to apply our knowledge and create solutions for better medical care in the future.
Robert Wechsler-Reya, Ph.D. PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR TUMOR INITIATION AND MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
www.SBPdiscovery.org | PORTAL
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GREAT IDEAS START SMALL
Going All In Conrad Prebys has a personal motto displayed on a sign in his office: “Nothing is impossible.” If he believes that a new idea will someday pay off big, he goes all in. That’s why he has given $100 million, his largest philanthropic gift ever, to help the recently renamed Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute implement its 10-year strategic vision.
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Prebys, who is an honorary trustee, first invested in Institute research in 2009 with a $10-million gift to support the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, an ultra-highthroughput chemical screening center with industrial-scale drug discovery capabilities. That gift, used to establish the technology infrastructure upon which the Institute’s future direction is based, has already begun to pay off. Said Michael Jackson, Ph.D., vice president of drug discovery and development, “Six years ago, Conrad bet on an operation that today is at the forefront of doing drug discovery in the not-for-profit world, where we have actually moved and changed the ecosystem by which drugs are discovered.” Prebys, who has been named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as one of the “25 Most Generous People in America,” is a benefactor to a range of causes, including the arts and higher education. But he has a special passion for biomedical research. Surviving a near-fatal childhood illness and a late-life bout with cancer taught Prebys that health is the greatest human treasure. And as an entrepreneurial philanthropist, he shares the faith basic scientists have that their research will produce ripple effects spreading across different disease areas. For instance, the Prebys Center’s compound screening infrastructure equipped the Institute for a pivotal role in the 2015 San Diego Dementia Drug Discovery Program—Collaboration 4 Cure (C4C), a regional initiative to accelerate cures for Alzheimer’s disease. And the center has expanded the potential impact of SBP basic research by giving its scientists a disease-agnostic platform for translating
discoveries into therapeutic agents aimed at fighting a range of diseases. Investments in medical research, regardless of size, often stem from a donor’s belief in the power of basic research to transform lives in ways that may not be envisioned today. A discovery made in one disease area may have application to another, or the spark of a new idea may lead a scientist on a path that reveals unforeseen benefits. Carl Ware, Ph.D., an infectious and inflammatory disease expert, is using therapeutics to effectively rewire the immune system to treat cancer. His team’s research has led to a new, breakthrough therapy called “checkpoint inhibitors” that identify tumor cells as unwanted entities that need to be destroyed. Two such inhibitors, CTLA4 and PD1, are currently in clinical trials and have shown a 30–40 percent sustained response in patients with melanoma and lung cancer, a promising advance for two very deadly cancers. During the course of her diabetes studies, Pamela Itkin-Ansari, Ph.D., noted that a particular growth stimulus caused complacent pancreatic exocrine cells to divide and proliferate. Since exocrine cells are the precursors of pancreatic cancer, she knew immediately that this could have important implications. Further study revealed that expression of just one gene, Id3, was sufficient to induce growth in otherwise normal pancreatic exocrine cells. She then developed an assay to identify inhibitors to Id3. With the help of colleagues in the Prebys Center, they validated the screen. Because new treatments are desperately needed for pancreatic cancer, which is among the most lethal cancers, the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences selected the screen for an award that provides a joint collaboration in drug discovery. The NIH translational center is devoting a project team with expertise in biology, medicinal chemistry, analytical chemistry,
informatics, automation and compound management to assist Dr. Itkin-Ansari in the search for a drug to combat pancreatic cancer. “If I were at a different institution, I might never have had the collaboration and developed the screen,” she said. The Prebys gift has ushered in a new era for the Institute. CEO Perry Nisen, M.D., Ph.D., has promised a substantial return on Prebys’ investment. “We are on our way to becoming the pre-eminent independent research institute which uniquely blends basic research and professional drug discovery in the service of improving patient health,” he said. The gift affirms the shared belief of donors and scientists that contributing to medical research will, over time, result in significant medical discoveries. At the Prebys gift announcement celebration, the most joyful response came from the giver, who smiled throughout the ceremony and beseeched others to join him in supporting the Institute. Prebys told the jubilant audience, “Sanford Burnham Prebys is the engine that is driving ‘bench to bedside’ research. It’s going to pay dividends for a long, long time.”
www.SBPdiscovery.org | PORTAL
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To Hack Through the Cancer Jungle, SBP Hires a “Drug Hunter”
Sanford Burnham Prebys is traveling a new course. Acting on an ambitious plan to emphasize translational research, it recruited Muhammad Al-Hajj, Ph.D., as vice president of discovery medicine, a newly created role. Al-Hajj has cancer in his sights and is already leading the charge into identifying which SBP research is most amenable to translation into therapeutics for the disease’s many forms. One might call him “the drug hunter.” He knows the territory well. In the academic world Al-Hajj was a cancer stem cell pioneer, establishing a key paradigm that opened up a vast area of research and therapeutics. In his industrial career,
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he spearheaded a number of projects that identified drug targets, generated molecules and shepherded them through the preclinical process and on to clinical trials. Al-Hajj comes from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where he was senior director of biology and translational medicine in oncology R&D. Prior to GSK, he held oncology R&D leadership roles at Novartis and AstraZeneca. With his experience in research partnerships, the biotech industry and venture capital firms, Al-Hajj plays a vital role at SBP—a place where he sees tremendous opportunity. “There’s so much talent here spanning various areas of expertise and complemented by a drug discovery infrastructure,” he said. “It’s a ripe environment for translating innovative science into high-value therapeutics. My experience is in guiding these early discoveries. I know what pharma is lacking and how an institute like SBP can fill that need. This new course will create a revenue stream to help offset dwindling federal funding and, as important, should more quickly deliver clinical benefits to the millions of patients waiting for improved treatments.” Al-Hajj is the first to hold the title of vice president of discovery medicine at SBP, and similar leadership positions may be created to optimize research in other high-priority areas, including neurological, immune system and metabolic disorders. It’s all in keeping with a 10-year strategy that is putting the patient first—rapidly translating discoveries into innovative therapeutics that have a tangible impact on people’s lives. Editor’s note: Al-Hajj was one of the first scientists to describe cancer stem cells along with Mike Clarke. He holds the first patent on use of patient derived xenograpfts (PDX) models of human cancer, has 9 issued patents and 9 pending related to cancer diagnosis, treatment and biomarker development.
MS CHAPTER NAMES DR. BARBARA RANSCHT RESEARCHER OF THE YEAR A passion for finding a cure for MS gives hope Multiple sclerosis (MS) has many faces to Barbara Ranscht, Ph.D.—and she’s looked into many of them, with the conviction to find a cure for this autoimmune disease. It’s common to find this petite woman from Germany working extra hours in her lab with single-minded dedication, rallying her fundraising team on weekends and meeting individuals and family members affected by multiple sclerosis. This year the Pacific South Coast Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society named Ranscht, who is a professor in the Development, Aging and Regeneration Program at SBP, its “Researcher of the Year.” More than 70 members of the MS chapter toured Ranscht’s facilities at SBP’s La Jolla campus earlier this year and presented her with the award. “Meeting with Dr. Ranscht was the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Denise Boucher, who has lived with MS People with MS for 19 years. “Her passion for finding a cure has filled me with such hope in the United States for the future.” Driving that hope are ongoing around the world discoveries made by Ranscht and her SBP team about myelin, the fatty substance that protects nerves and which is damaged in MS, and how the body creates it. Using a combination of molecular biology, electron microscopy and genetically engineered mice, Ranscht demonstrated that contactin-1, a glycoprotein first discovered in her lab, is essential for producing myelin in the central nervous system. Her subsequent work is providing the first steps toward finding strategies to repair
400,000
2.5 million
damaged myelin in MS and similar diseases. An earlier visitor to Ranscht’s lab, James Nelson-Lucas, posted his enthusiastic support of the Institute online, saying, “It was fascinating and encouraging to see these scientists at work.” And that’s where future visitors will likely find Ranscht: at work, diligently trying to unlock the mysteries of MS. She knows that more than 400,000 people in the United States and about 2.5 million people around the world are suffering with this disease. She and her team are determined to find a cure.
www.SBPdiscovery.org | PORTAL
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Taking Action Today to Improve Tomorrow
Terry and Dianne Bruggeman
“
It’s critical that we help advance discoveries that are going to change lives.
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”
For the better part of his career, Terrance “Terry” Bruggeman has looked to tomorrow with a resolve to improve the physical world for future generations. He has been a successful investment banker CEO of several life science companies, chief financial officer, and private equity manager, among other accomplishments. Then the influential book Silent Spring, written by environmental advocate Rachel Carson and published in 1962, led Bruggeman to thoughtfully re-examine his role in life and consider how he could positively impact the world. His new focus led him to champion a zoological organization in Chicago, to lead pioneering companies such as BioTork, LLC in developing third-generation biofuels and renewable chemicals and to support the translational research undertaken at Sanford Burnham Prebys. “Scientific research,” he said, “requires multiple disciplines to solve tough problems, and SBP has created the kind of collaborative culture that does that very effectively. It’s critical that we help advance discoveries that are going to change lives.” So, about three years ago, he and his wife, Dianne, decided to include SBP in their estate plans. It’s a decision that has made him an enthusiastic proponent of the life sciences in San Diego. “There are any number of my friends who have had cancer or who have had cancer in their family,” he said. “Whenever we discuss philanthropic endeavors, I tell them, ‘You’ll have a bigger impact if you donate locally. Plus, that gives you the opportunity to meet the researchers.’ ” Meeting SBP scientists has been particularly rewarding for Bruggeman. “I’ve talked with them in their labs, and I’ve listened to them speak at venues around town,” he said. “It’s always so interesting to meet these very smart, very dedicated people who are trying to make a difference.” Bruggeman can count himself in that category. He and Dianne are making a difference by signing on as plannedgiving donors. If you would like to make a difference too, by including SBP in your estate plans, please contact Claire Hill for more information.
PORTAL | www.SBPdiscovery.org
Making novel drugs with crystal clarity In August of this year, Fraydoon Rastinejad, Ph.D., professor in the Metabolic Disease Program, published a paper in Nature that caused frenzied excitement among the traditionally judicious faculty at Sanford Burnham Prebys. The study was a collaborative effort between SBP and the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois that used a highly specialized X-ray crystallography technique to solve the protein structure of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), a type of protein that is important in regulating a tumor’s growth. Put simply, Rastinejad’s team figured out the shape of HIFs, proteins that the pharmaceutical sector wants to learn to inhibit to treat cancer. Since HIFs turn on genes that help regulate cancer cell survival pathways, inhibiting them could potentially halt cancer. The buzz surrounding Rastinejad’s new paper might have had something to do with the fact that almost 30 Nobel prizes have been awarded in the field of X-ray crystallography, a technique that remains the foremost tool in determining the structures of complex molecules. But why did understanding the shape and structure of HIFs generate such commotion? Rastinejad explained, “Imagine a child has a wooden frame with cut-outs in the shapes of circles, squares and triangles, and corresponding wooden blocks that fit in each shape. If the child is blindfolded and can’t see the shapes, sizes and positions, his or her ability to put the blocks in the corresponding holes is difficult, almost impossible. “Knowing the contour and the nooks and crannies of the frame—in our case this means seeing the configuration of a protein with our own eye—helps us
identify the pockets and shapes that we can fill with drugs to change a protein’s function. As drug discovery pioneers, we can design novel drugs to achieve this, and these are truly designer drugs. “In the case of HIFs, we found five pockets in the structure, which means we have five shots at inhibiting this cancer-related protein. Some proteins don’t have any pockets. With five pockets to approach for HIFs, we have our work cut out for us, but we have a much better chance at success.”
www.SBPdiscovery.org | PORTAL
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Pursuing Next-Gen Cancer Drugs
“Even when cancer seems to have gone away, it can come back with a vengeance,” said Garth Powis, D.Phil. “Drug resistance is a huge challenge. We have to be smarter to surmount it.”
If you are among the 1.6 million Americans diagnosed with cancer this year, the chances are excellent that the current generation of onco-drugs will initially beat back your disease.
A global search is on for a new generation of cancer drugs, and the Sanford Burnham Prebys Cancer Center, where Powis is director, is at the front of the pack. Drawing on world-class drug discovery tools at the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics, and buoyed by its 2015 renewal as one of seven National Cancer Institute–designated basic cancer research centers, the Cancer Center is pushing toward discoveries on several fronts.
But tumor cells are wily predators with many strategies for resisting treatment. They mutate into hardier types. They alter genes and pathways to evade cell death. They manipulate their environments to sustain growth.
“We have a unique capacity to zero in on the hallmarks of cancer,” said Powis. “We have the basic science knowledge to identify mechanisms of resistance, the research expertise to find biomarkers of sensitivity and the state-of-theart technology to develop new agents.”
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Jorge Moscat: Starving Cancer
All cells need nourishment, and cancer cells are big eaters. But cutting off their food can backfire. “A lot of tumor cells die in a nutrient-deficient environment,” said Jorge Moscat, Ph.D. “But some cells reprogram their metabolism to keep going.” As director of the Cancer Metabolism and Signaling Networks Program, Moscat explores how new therapies might unhinge the mechanism of autophagy or “self-digestion” that sustains cancers. “If we break the ability of tumor cells to undergo autophagy, they will not be able to reprogram,” he said. Moscat’s team is identifying molecular targets to block autophagy and metabolic reprograming, and those results will point the way toward new drug candidates. “We want to fast-track our findings to translate what we discover into drugs,” he said.
Robert Wechsler-Reya: Corralling Cancer
Standard treatments for the childhood brain tumor medulloblastoma too often debilitate young patients, and tumor recurrence happens in too many cases. Robert Wechsler-Reya, Ph.D., is pursuing what he calls “an empirical way of testing drug responsiveness” that may lead to personalized therapy. Wechsler-Reya, director of the Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program, looks for molecular patterns that distinguish each cancer’s make-up. He obtains tumor cells from medulloblastoma surgery and implants them into mice, where they can continue to grow. This creates an animal model or “avatar” of the patient’s disease. “We can screen thousands of drugs from the Prebys Center compound library on these animal models,” he said. “Ultimately, this approach could identify the best drugs for each patient, and this could be reported back to physicians.”
Adam Godzik: Deconstructing Cancer
To understand how tumor cells function, Adam Godzik, Ph.D., deploys mathematics and physics. His laboratory creates computational models of cancer activity, from genes to proteins to protein networks. And his “data mining” of genome sequencing is uncovering new leads about promising therapeutic avenues. Those studies are showing that “treatment should not be determined by a cancer’s location but by its genetic properties,” said Godzik. “A ‘lung cancer’ may actually be a melanoma embolism, and a ‘breast cancer’ could involve five or six different diseases.” The Bioinformatics and Structural Biology Program, which Godzik directs, has created a Cancer3D database, a platform for predicting new disease drivers and novel drug sensitivity biomarkers. “Our aim as physicists,” he said, “is to ask the right questions to help biologists focus on critical issues.”
Ze’ev Ronai: Inhibiting Cancer
Stimulating the immune system to fight cancer once seemed like a risky gambit. “We were afraid to unleash its power because we didn’t want the harmful consequences of the anticipated autoimmune disorders,” said Ze’ev Ronai, Ph.D. Today, manipulating the immune system to inhibit cancer at strategic checkpoints is one avenue in Ronai’s research. To Ronai, scientific director of SBP’s La Jolla campus, cancer is a multifaceted disease that must be attacked from every angle. His research on melanoma looks at rewiring signaling pathways to overcome drug resistance and at manipulating transcription factors to block tumor metastasis. “As we now appreciate the complex heterogeneous makeup within each tumor, we recognize the need for a more global treatment approach,” said Ronai. “Combination therapies which rely on altering immune checkpoints and therapy tailored for each tumor are likely to represent the future of personalized medicine.”
www.SBPdiscovery.org | PORTAL
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THE DAWN PATROL SBP Team Surfs to Raise Funds for Cancer Research For Sanford Burnham Prebys (SBP) immunologist Carl Ware, Ph.D., two passions—science and surfing— come together at the Luau and Legends of Surfing Invitational. This annual San Diego event raises funds for the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, a frequent collaborative partner of SBP. Scientists at both institutions are finding intriguing connections between cancer and immunology and are working to harness the powers of the body’s own defense system to fight the disease. SBP researcher Alex Strongin, Ph.D., is teaming with Shu Chien, M.D., Ph.D., of Moores to design biosensors for a group of enzymes known as matrix metalloproteinases that are produced in cancer. Another collaboration, between SBP’s Linda Bradley, Ph.D., and Moores’ Greg Daniels, M.D., Ph.D., aims to create a reliable means to predict which melanoma patients will best respond to current immunotherapies. Both diagnostic tools will help clinicians design personalized medicine treatments for cancer patients. Ware, professor and director of the Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center, is studying the potential in cytokines. “The
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immune system, and the way it responds, is controlled by a group of molecules called cytokines,” he explained. “Viruses have figured out how to manipulate cytokines to infect us and stay with us. These viruses co-opt the pathways the immune system uses to communicate and rewire them to their own advantage. So we’re taking those viral tricks and turning them back on cancer and autoimmune diseases.” In the Luau and Legends contest, the SBP team included Ware, his son Austin, a sports psychologist and surf coach in Australia, and local surfers Jeff Timpson and Loni Christiansen. Surfing legend Tom Ortner, who competed professionally in the 1970s, also joined the team. And…they won! They also raised an impressive $15,000. Grinning after the victory, Ware said, “We won for cancer research, and now we’re planning a world tour to help defeat cancer.” It’s that sort of innovative fundraising combined with innovative research that typifies the drive in every SBP scientist. It’s evident in the labs and, sometimes, even on the waves.
Fishman Fund Salutes Young Scientists Three talented postdoctoral researchers received the prestigious Fishman Fund Awards at the annual ceremony on October 1. The award was established in 2001 by Mary Bradley and Reena Horowitz to honor the Institute’s founders, Dr. William and Lillian Fishman, who were committed to fostering the careers of young scientists. The award includes financial support that may be used for continued professional development. Congratulations to this year’s winners! Jacob D. Brown, Ph.D., is researching how body weight is modulated by communication between peripheral tissues and the brain, with the aim of developing more effective obesity therapies. Petrus R. de Jong, M.D., Ph.D., is studying the metabolic needs of tumor cells that enable their survival and growth, testing novel drug candidates that target critical supply routes in order to achieve tumor cell death. Jessica von Recum, Ph.D., is utilizing human lung tissue to study influenza virus infection, with the goal of identifying novel antiviral compounds that will circumvent drug resistance due to the high mutation rates of the virus.
Jacob D. Brown, Ph.D.
Petrus R. de Jong, M.D., Ph.D.
Jessica von Recum, Ph.D.
Eric Dudl Scholarship Award The Eric Dudl Scholarship fund was established in memory of a gifted young postdoctoral cancer researcher, Eric Dudl, Ph.D., struck down by the very disease he sought to cure. Jim and Barbara Dudl recently came to SBP to present the award and encourage other young scientists to pursue a passion shared by their son. A committee composed of leading SBP cancer scientists selected top postdoctoral cancer researcher Julia Jellusova Ph.D., in the lab of Robert Rickert, Ph.D., director of the Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Immunology Program. Jellusova is currently studying B-cell maturation and differentiation. In the future, she intends to conduct research as a principal investigator on the role of B cells in autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. She also wants to make scientific problems interesting for the public by developing interactive books and games about immunology. www.SBPdiscovery.org | PORTAL
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Why Eddie Rides By Susan Gammon
“I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks,” said Eddie. “This was a direct hit at my little brother.”
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Eddie Quinn is a charismatic 28-year-old San Diego native with an enviable job with the San Diego Padres and an upcoming wedding to a nursing student, my niece Katelyn. Eddie also has a personal reason for actively giving to medical research. In June 2015, Eddie’s world came crashing down when he received a text from his mother: “Can you talk?” Eddie called his mother to learn that his 26-year-old brother, Stevie, had stage 2 Hodgkin’s disease, a cancer of the lymphatic system. “I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks,” said Eddie. “This was a direct hit at my little brother.” The good news was that Hodgkin’s is one of the most curable cancers. The bad news was that Stevie would need six months of chemotherapy, a drug treatment that kills cancer, but can produce side effects that can take months, even years, to go away. When Eddie learned that the San Diego Padres had joined forces with Pedal the Cause, the annual cycling fundraiser that supports cancer research at Sanford Burnham Prebys, UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Rady Children’s Hospital, it was a “no-brainer” to sign up. On September 20, 2015, Eddie rode in Pedal the Cause with Team 19, a group of Padres employees who chose the name to honor Tony Gwynn, the Padres Hall of Famer who wore jersey number 19 for 20 years. Gwynn died of cancer last year. This December, Stevie will finish his last chemotherapy treatment, and on December 31, 2015, he’ll be a groomsman at Eddie’s wedding. I’ll be sitting in a pew knowing that efforts like Eddie’s have helped people like Stevie overcome cancer and participate in life’s joyous events.
New Trustees and Officer Named Sanford Burnham Prebys announced the election of two new members to the Board of Trustees. The board will grow to 23 members with the addition of the following new Trustees: Stuart A. Tanz of Rancho Santa Fe, California, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is president and CEO of Retail Opportunity Investments Corporation, a real estate firm managing properties throughout Southern California. He was formally chairman, CEO and president of Pan Pacific Retail Properties, Inc. Tanz previously served on the SBP Board of Trustees from 2005 until 2011. The Tanz family has an interest in neurodegenerative research and last year provided the Institute with a philanthropic gift to establish an international collaboration between SBP and the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Toronto. Carol G. Gallagher, Pharm.D., of Del Mar, California, is a partner at New Enterprise Associates, a venture capital firm specializing in health care and technology investments. Gallagher has an impressive track record in the pharmaceutical industry, serving on the board of Aragon Pharmaceuticals and as president and CEO of Calistoga Pharmaceuticals. During her tenure with Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, she led the company to a successful acquisition by Gilead Sciences. In addition, she is an active philanthropist who supports a range of charitable causes. Gary Chessum has joined SBP as CFO. Before joining SBP, Chessum worked at GlaxoSmithKline UK as finance director for multiple business units. His experience includes strategy development, decision support, designing and implementing large change initiatives, governance and managing multinational teams. Chessum holds a bachelor of commerce in financial accounting and economics from the University of South Africa and is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. “We welcome Stuart and Carol to our Board of Trustees,” said SBP CEO Perry Nisen, M.D., Ph.D. “They have had a tremendous impact within their respective industries and on the causes that they care most about. All are leaders who will offer valuable insight in support of the Institute’s mission. We are very fortunate to add their expertise to our already robust board.”
Stuart A. Tanz
Carol G. Gallagher, Pharm.D.
Gary Chessum
www.SBPdiscovery.org | PORTAL
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Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage 10901 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037
PAID
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Philanthropist Ginsburg Visits Lake Nona
Florida philanthropist Alan Ginsburg visited the metabolomics lab with Dr. Stephen Gardell at SBP’s campus in Lake Nona. The technology provides personalized signatures of disease that will lead to discovery of more customized treatments. Ginsburg is a Florida Angel and founding donor at the Institute’s Florida campus.