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Press Release
The Scripps Research Institute Appoints Four Leading Scientists to New Scripps
Florida Faculty
La Jolla, CA, April 13, 2004 - The Scripps Research Institute announced
today the appointments of four noted scientists to the faculty of the new Scripps
Florida biomedical research operation in Palm Beach County.
"We are fortunate to have such outstanding researchers forming the foundation
of our staff at Scripps Florida," said Scripps Research President Richard A.
Lerner, M.D. "They are established or emerging leaders in their various fields
who will contribute to the success of the new enterprise. Their work will enhance
our understanding of human health to the benefit of all."
The four faculty members are:
Patrick R. Griffin, Ph.D., professor and head of drug
metabolism and pharmacokinetics in the Scripps Florida Division of Drug Discovery.
Dr. Griffin was most recently chief scientific officer and vice president of
research at ExSAR Corporation in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, an early-stage
biotechnology company that uses a proprietary technology platform to rapidly
develop biopharmaceuticals and small molecule drugs for established markets.
Griffin's team established ExSAR's nuclear receptor drug discovery program that
has resulted in a number of technology partnerships with leading pharmaceutical
firms.
Prior to ExSAR, Dr. Griffin, 40, was senior director in the
Basic Chemistry Department at Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, New Jersey,
and senior director of molecular profiling proteomics. He directed more than
40 scientists focused on applying a wide range of technologies to the drug discovery
process. He was also responsible for the development of technology to rapidly
characterize very large sets of chemical compounds and large collections of natural
products.
He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Virginia,
where he was involved in the development of biological mass spectrometry. He
was later a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology, focusing
on systems biology.
He will join Scripps Florida in May.
Downloadable
photo of Patrick R. Griffin
John Hogenesch, Ph.D., associate professor and associate director
of Genome Technology, Divisions of Biomedical Science and Technology Development,
was raised in Gainesville, Florida. He received his doctoral degree from Northwestern
University working on signal transduction pathways mediated by bHLH-PAS transcription
factors.
Prompted by his interests in circadian rhythms, Dr. Hogenesch,
36, joined the laboratory of Dr. Steve Kay at The Scripps Research Institute
and Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, both in La Jolla,
California, for postdoctoral training. His research efforts focused on application
of emerging technologies in the study of transcriptional output of the biological
clock. He currently serves as head of genomics at the Genomics Institute and
assistant professor of neuropharmacology at Scripps Research.
He will assume his new position in October.
Chris Liang, Ph.D., associate director of medicinal chemistry,
Division of Drug Discovery, obtained his doctorate in chemistry from Princeton
University in 1989. After a five-year tenure with Accelrys, a leading software
provider for molecular modeling and drug design headquartered in San Diego, he
joined SUGEN, a biotech company in South San Francisco, pioneering research and
drug discovery on protein kinases. (SUGEN was acquired by Pharmacia, which in
turn was acquired by Pfizer). During his seven years at SUGEN, he made significant
contributions to a number of drug discovery projects and was honored as Associate
Fellow of the Pharmacia Corporation in 2003.
Dr. Liang, 41, most recently served as the director of chemistry
managing the New Lead Synthesis/Medicinal Chemistry, Combinatorial Chemistry,
and Computational Chemistry groups. He has more than 30 scientific publications
and over 20 patents in drug discovery.
He began his work at Scripps Florida this month.
Downloadable
high resolution photo of Chris Liang
Teresa Reyes, Ph.D., assistant professor Division of Biomedical Science,
received her doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin. Her thesis work
focused on the behavioral and immunological effects of peripheral cytokine administration.
For her postdoctoral training, she worked in the laboratory
of Dr. Paul Sawchenko, at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla.
While there, she has used functional neuroanatomical techniques and molecular
genetic tools to examine the central nervous system pathways that mediate changes
in appetite and metabolism that accompany illness and infection.
Dr. Reyes, 34, most recently a senior research associate at
the Salk Institute, was recently awarded a five-year Mentored Research Scientist
Development Award grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), an intensive career development experience in one
of the biomedical, behavioral, or clinical sciences leading to research independence.
She will join Scripps Florida in October.
Downloadable
high resolution photo of Teresa Reyes
About Scripps Florida
Scripps Florida, a 364,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art biomedical research
facility, will be built on 100 acres of undeveloped land west of I-95 off of
PGA Boulevard and bordered by Seminole/Pratt Whitney Road.
The facility will focus on basic biomedical science, drug discovery,
and technology development. Palm Beach County is providing an economic package
that includes the land, $137 million toward construction of the permanent facility
and related costs, and costs for temporary facilities for Scripps scientists.
Planning, development, and construction of the new campus are scheduled to begin
as soon as contracts are finalized. The campus is expected to open in late 2006
and will ultimately employ more than 500 people.
The start-up costs of Scripps Florida, a division of The Scripps
Research Institute headquartered in La Jolla, California, are supported by a
one-time $310 million appropriation of federal economic development funds made
by the State of Florida at the request of Governor Jeb Bush. Scripps Florida
is expected to attract other research facilities, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical
firms, as well as residential, commercial, recreational, educational, and cultural
development to the surrounding area.
Scripps Florida will first operate out of 8,000 square-foot
lab facilities on the Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton campus. It will
move in early 2005 to a 41,000 square-foot facility now being built by the university
on its Jupiter campus.
About The Scripps Research Institute The Scripps Research Institute
in La Jolla, California, is one of the world's largest, private, non-profit biomedical
research organizations. It stands at the forefront of basic biomedical science
that seeks to comprehend the most fundamental processes of life. Scripps Research
is internationally recognized for its research into immunology, molecular and
cellular biology, chemistry, neurosciences, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular
diseases and synthetic vaccine development.
For more information contact:
Keith McKeown
10550 North Torrey Pines Road
La Jolla, California 92037
Tel: 858.784.8134
Fax: 858.784.8118
kmckeown@scripps.edu
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