Sanford Burnham Prebys

32.901192°N 117.241937°W / 32.901192; -117.241937

Sanford Burnham Prebys

Official logo of Sanford Burnham Prebys
Established	1976
President and CEO	David Brenner, M.D.
Budget	$109 million (FY2021)
Address	10901 North Torrey Pines Road
Location	La Jolla, California
Website	sbpdiscovery.org

Sanford Burnham Prebys is a non-profit medical research institute based in La Jolla, California, conducting basic and translational biomedical research. Major focus areas include cancer, neurodegeneration, diabetes, infectious and inflammatory diseases, and pediatric conditions. The institute is also engaged in stem cell studies and drug discovery technologies.

Sanford Burnham Prebys houses a NCI-designated Cancer Center and other specialized centers for genomics, stem cell research, and pediatric health. It employs over 500 scientists, staff, and trainees, and collaborates with academic institutions and biotechnology partners.^{[citation needed]}

History

Former logo of Burnham Institute for Medical Research

Sanford Burnham Prebys originated in 1976 as the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation, founded by Dr. William H. Fishman and Lillian Waterman Fishman after his retirement from Tufts University School of Medicine.^{[citation needed]}

In 1996, it was renamed the Burnham Institute after philanthropist Malin Burnham contributed $10 million with an anonymous donor. It became the Burnham Institute for Medical Research in 2006.

In 2007, T. Denny Sanford pledged $20 million through Sanford Health, supporting the creation of the Sanford Children's Health Research Center in La Jolla and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.^{[citation needed]}

A $97.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health in 2008 supported a new small-molecule screening center.^[1]

In 2010, the institute was renamed Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute following a $50 million gift from Sanford.^[2]

A $275 million donation was pledged in 2014 but later reduced to $200 million.^[3]

In 2015, a $100 million gift from Conrad Prebys led to the current name, Sanford Burnham Prebys.^[4][5]

Dr. David Brenner became President and CEO in 2022.^[6]

Research

Sanford Burnham Prebys was founded with its primary focus on cancer research. Research staff in Sanford Burnham Prebys' laboratories numbers over 520. The staff is made up of postdoctoral researchers, 30 graduate students, and 164 administrative and support personnel.

The institute is home to six research centers:

• NCI-designated Cancer Center
• Infectious and Inflammatory Disease Center
• Center for Genetic Disorders and Aging Research
• Sanford Children's Health Research Center
• Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics
• Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine

A partnership for the study of the biology of aging that includes the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of California, San Diego is made up of Sanford Burnham Prebys and the San Diego Nathan Shock Center.

There are seven research programs at Sanford Burnham Prebys:

Cell and Molecular Biology of Cancer Program

Insights into the complex system of networks and mechanisms that tumors use to survive and proliferate. Findings build dialogue with clinicians and physician scientists across the country and in neighboring institutions to ensure the translational and human relevance of the research.

Degenerative Diseases Program

Understanding how cells discriminate between functional and nonfunctional proteins. Discoveries about the damaging impact of oxidative stress on protein structure and function in the neurodegenerative diseases of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, metabolic diseases of diabetes and liver failure, and inflammatory disease and cancer. Findings are translated into new therapies that improve protein folding and preserve cell function in diseases that have global health impact.

Development, Aging and Regeneration Program

Using model organisms—mice, fish, flies, worms, and human stem cells to

• Unravel gene functions linked to mutations and epigenetic factors;^{[citation needed]}
• Explore the development and regenerative capacity of the brain, heart, muscles, pancreas, limbs, liver and other organs; and^{[citation needed]}
• Probe the biology of aging and organ/tissue maintenance to maintain a well-functioning organism. Insights provide the tools needed to uncover novel therapeutic targets for cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, muscle disorders, diabetes, cancer and other debilitating diseases.^{[citation needed]}

Human Genetics Program

Research of new genetic disorders and improving understanding of those with previous knowledge. Using zebrafish, mouse models, patient cells and stem cell technologies, probe the pathological mechanisms of genetic disorders to address unanswered questions. This research has led to diagnostic tests and novel therapies for patients.

Immunity and Pathogenesis Program

Research to understand the regulation and interplay of host immune responses and microbial pathogenesis; also studying viral-host interactions, innate and humoral immunity, inflammation and T cell checkpoint regulation. This research provides therapeutic opportunities to address medical needs, including the treatment of endemic and pandemic infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, cancer and inflammatory diseases.

Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program

Focus on RNA biology and the signaling pathways that regulate cell growth and cell fate; what drives cancer cell growth, to lead to treatments for brain, breast and prostate cancers, as well as melanoma and leukemia.

Aging, Cancer and Immunology Program

Studies the interplay between cancer cells, the microenvironment and immune cells regulates the growth and metastasis of solid and hematologic malignancies. Focus on the microbiome, cell migration/invasion, cell signaling, angiogenesis, and immunology.

Educational Programs

In addition to its research mission, Sanford Burnham Prebys has a broad educational mission. Established in 2005, the institute's Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers a Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Sciences. In 2015, Sanford Burnham Prebys achieved accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Sanford Burnham Prebys also employs postdoctoral fellows; there are typically around 125 postdocs training at the Institute at any time.

The graduate school is focused in biomedical research and is supplemented by the technologies developed to facilitate development in medical practices. The program offers a foundation in biomedical science with project opportunities in biology, chemistry, bioinformatics, and engineering, with focus on one of the main foundations of biomedical science within a laboratory specializing in the area.

It is a small program with eight openings per year and a steady state of thirty students. Entering graduate students are admitted to their thesis labs on day one and do not perform laboratory rotations. The graduate school has a short time to degree, averaging 4.7 years. In the first two years, students complete five core courses, six tutorials, and one elective. Instruction is accompanied by extensive practical laboratory training under the supervision of faculty.

Funding

In January 2020, Sanford Burnham Prebys reported $117M in annual revenue.

The sources of funding in 2019 were: 58% federal; 22% private philanthropy; 8% biopharmaceutical partnerships; 8% licensing and other; and 4% other grants.

Philanthropy has played a significant role in the growth and expansion of the institution. Donations from the Whittaker Corporation and the California Foundation enabled the acquisition a five-acre site on the La Jolla mesa. Donations from philanthropists and the institute's namesakes—T. Denny Sanford, Malin and Roberta Burnham, and Conrad Prebys—have helped to ensure the institute's continued growth.

Select scientific achievements

The Institute initially focused on the commonalities between cancer and fetal development, known as onco-developmental biology. Significant early discoveries include development of monoclonal antibody-based 'two-site' ELISA. In the 1980s, the Institute became known for its work on fibronectin and other extracellular matrix components, and cell adhesion. Some of the highlights include the discovery of the RGD tripeptide as the cell attachment site in fibronectin, fibrinogen, and other adhesive proteins, and the discovery of integrins, the cell surface receptors that recognize the RGD sequence in matrix proteins.^[7]

In the 1990s, Institute scientists made important contributions to research on programmed cell death prominence with the discovery of several previously unknown pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins, namely caspases, IAPs, and Bcl-2 family members.^[8][9][10]

The demonstration by Institute scientists that cells deprived of attachment to extracellular matrix commit suicide by apoptosis, named Anoikis, connected the cell adhesion and apoptosis fields.^[11][12] These findings essentially explained why normal cells stay in their appropriate place, whereas cancer cells spread and metastasize. Reduced integrin function in malignant cells makes it possible for them to leave their original tissue and increased expression of anti-apoptotic proteins prevents anoikis, enabling cancer invasion and metastasis. Several drugs have been brought to the clinic for the treatment of cancer and other diseases based on the fundamental RGD/integrin and apoptosis studies at the institute.^{[citation needed]}

More recently, the institute has expanded its research to several additional areas, including neuroscience, cardiovascular diseases, rare diseases of sugar and phosphate metabolism. The common trend is discovery of proteins that are linked to the development of a disease and identification of chemical compounds (or antibodies) that bind to those proteins and inhibit or enhance their function. Such compounds become candidate drugs for the treatment of the disease. Several compounds developed either at the Institute or by biopharmaceutical companies are now in clinical trials.^{[improper synthesis?][13][14][15]} Pioneering studies at the Institute showed that simple sugars such as D-mannose, L-fucose, and D-galactose are effective therapies for a set of rare genetic disorders. Some are currently in clinical trials.^[16][17]

Collaboration and partnerships

A robotic arm used in high-throughput screening in operation at the La Jolla campus

Sanford Burnham Prebys has working relationships with the University of California, San Diego, The Scripps Research Institute, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and the Mayo Clinic.

Sanford Burnham Prebys also collaborates with pharmaceutical industry to move research breakthroughs from the lab out to wide adoption in clinical trials.