In Brief

Chi-Huey Wong Wins Prestigious Wolf Prize in Chemistry

Chi-Huey Wong, professor of chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has won the prestigious 2014 Wolf Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering contributions to the programmable and practical synthesis of complex carbohydrates and glycoproteins.

Wong’s research projects range from chemical and enzymatic synthesis of bioactive compounds, especially complex carbohydrates and glycoproteins, to development of new tools to study major problems in living systems. Among other accomplishments, the award cited original methods developed by Wong’s group that have been used to solve major problems and create new opportunities in carbohydrate chemistry and biology associated with cancer progression, bacterial and viral infection and immunological function. The advances have led to the development of vaccines, therapeutics and glycan microarrays for analysis of protein-carbohydrate interaction.

The Israel-based Wolf Foundation, established by the late German-born inventor, diplomat and philanthropist Ricardo Wolf, presents annual awards to outstanding scientists and artists. Honorees receive a certificate and a monetary award of $100,000. International prize committees in each field, comprising renowned experts, select the winners.

Wong, who in addition to his appointment at TSRI serves as president of Academia Sinica in Taiwan, received the award from the president of the State of Israel at a ceremony in the Knesset Building (Israel´s Parliament), in Jerusalem. Previous Wolf Prize recipients at TSRI include Richard Lerner and Peter Schultz in 1994/95 and K. Barry Sharpless in 2001.

Scripps Florida to Host Luncheon to Celebrate 10th Anniversary with Palm Beach Community

Scripps Florida is hosting a gala luncheon to celebrate 10 years of remarkable accomplishments with the Palm Beach community. The Decade of Discovery event will be held on February 6, beginning at 11:30 AM, at the Cohen Pavilion, Kravis Center for Performing Arts.

Speakers will include Michael A. Marletta, president and CEO and Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Chair in Chemistry at TSRI; Dick Gephardt, chairman of TSRI’s Board of Trustees, president and CEO of Gephardt Government Affairs and former Majority and Minority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives; and Alex Dreyfoos, engineer, inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist who was the first Florida resident named to TSRI’s Board of Trustees.

Individual tickets are $75. Table sponsorships are available from $2,500 to $25,000. To purchase tickets, sponsor tables or request more information, please call (561) 228-2084.

‘CELLebrate’ Festival to Share Wonder of Science

The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) invites the public to join more than 100 biomedical scientists on Saturday, February 1 in The Gardens Mall as part of the celebrations of Scripps Florida’s 10th anniversary. Featuring themed activity booths, a giant inflatable “cell,” and other demonstrations, CELLebrate Science with Scripps Florida is the institute’s annual community science festival designed to spark curiosity and a sense of wonder in visitors of all ages. CELLebrate Science will run from 10 AM to 3 PM and admission is free.

Since its launch in 2010, CELLebrate Science has sought to make science relatable, relevant and fun for more than 10,000 visitors, offering an ever-changing variety of activity booths, special presentations and displays that highlight the impact of biomedical research in our daily lives. Visitors to CELLebrate Science will meet world-class scientists who work every day to understand the basic biology of diseases like cancer, diabetes, autism, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, while using the power of chemistry to develop new treatments.

Educators from the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, and the School District of Palm Beach County will also host booths at this year’s event, featuring hands-on activities for children and useful information for parents and teachers. The School District of Palm Beach County will also present the 2013-2014 Palm Beach Regional Science and Engineering Fair student winners, who will compete at the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair this spring.

For more information, see www.scripps.edu/florida/education/community/CELLebrate.html

25th Frontiers in Chemistry Symposium Scheduled for January 31

The 25^th Annual Frontiers in Chemistry Symposium, presented by TSRI, will be held Friday, January 31, from 1 to 5:15 PM, in The Auditorium at TSRI at Scripps California.

Hosted by Professor Dale Boger, chair of TSRI’s Department of Chemistry, and TSRI Professor Phil Baran, the symposium will feature four speakers and topics:

Raymond Stevens, professor in TSRI’s Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, on “The Amazing Diversity of G-protein Coupled Receptors”
Peter Dervan, the Bren Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, on “Molecular Recognition of DNA by Small Molecules”
Paul Anderson, Merck chemist and executive (retired) and American Chemical Society Priestley Medal winner, on “A Retrospective Look at Drug Discovery”
Richard Lerner, Institute Professor and the Lita Annenberg Hazen Professor of Immunochemistry in TSRI’s Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, on “Chemistry in Large Numbers”

Following a welcome by Boger, the symposium will begin with introductory remarks by TSRI President and CEO Michael Marletta. Baran will provide closing comments. This year’s sponsors include Amgen, aTyr Pharma, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, Incyte, Pfizer, Sigma-Aldrich and Takeda.

Symposium admittance is free; attendance is limited to 300. Directions and parking details are available at the symposium website or by contacting Janise Petrey at jpetrey@scripps.edu or (858) 784-8772.

Beutler Lecture to Feature Regeneron Labs Founder George Yancopoulos

The 5th Annual Beutler Lecture on the Edge of Medicine, established in honor of the late TSRI Professor Ernest Beutler, will present George Yancopoulos, founding scientist, chief scientific officer and president of Regeneron Laboratories, a Tarrytown, New York-based pharmaceutical company specializing in human antibody technologies.

Scheduled for Thursday, February 13, from 5 to 6 PM, in the Timken Amphitheater at Scripps Green Hospital, the lecture is sponsored by the TSRI Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine and supported by the Kroc Foundation.

Yancopoulos’s lecture is titled “Building a Biotech Company from the Ground Up: The Story of Regeneron.” A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Yancopoulos holds PhD and MD degrees from Columbia University. He joined Regeneron shortly after the company was founded in 1988 and is principal inventor and developer of its three FDA-approved drugs.

Ernest Beutler passed away in 2008 after chairing the TSRI Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine for 30 years. A pioneering scientist and physician—he also headed the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the Scripps Clinic for many years—Beutler’s discoveries included X-inactivation and novel treatments for Gaucher's disease and several forms of leukemia, including hairy cell leukemia.

“The lecture series is designed to promote and sustain one of Dr. Beutler’s lifelong essential ideas, that basic science and clinical medicine were mutually informative,” said TSRI Professor Joel Buxbaum, who will host the event.

J. Lindsay Whitton to Deliver February 12 Faculty Lecture

J. Lindsay Whitton, professor in the TSRI Department of Immunology and Microbial Science, will give the next presentation in the Faculty Lecture Series, scheduled for Wednesday, February 12, 5 PM, in the Timken Amphitheater at the Green Hospital. Whitton’s lecture is titled “CD8+ T cells: what do we really know about their induction and in vivo biological regulation?” Following the lecture, a reception will be held in the Arnold and Mabel Beckman building, first floor. For further information, see Whitton’s Faculty Lecture Series webpage.

New English Language Clinic Offered

A new 11-week session of the American English Pronunciation and Communication Clinic will begin February 3 on the California campus. The clinic is a joint program of the TSRI Career and Postdoctoral Services Office and California State University, San Marcos (CSUSM).

Under direct supervision of university faculty, CSUSM graduate students in the Masters in Education, Communicative Sciences and Disorders program will provide speech language services to TSRI graduate students and research associates.

The clinic provides one-on-one help to improve American English oral and written communications skills. Individual goals will be developed for clinic participants focusing on:

Acquisition of an American accent
Remediation of existing speech errors (e.g., lisp, stuttering)
Public speaking and presentations
Social conversation skills
Executive-function strategies for planning, organizing and producing written text
Public presentation of written materials

Sessions will be offered in morning and early afternoon time slots on the following dates:

February 3, 10, 24
March 3, 10, 17, 24
April 7, 14, 21, 28

To schedule an appointment, contact CSUSM’s Deanne Hughes at dhughes@csusm.edu. Sessions are provided on a first come-first served basis, with preference to wait-listed and new clients. For additional information, contact the Career and Postdoctoral Services Office at (858) 784-2819 or cpso@scripps.edu.

CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due

The TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, February 12, from 3:30 to 4:30 PM, in the DAR Conference Room. To receive committee consideration, registration documents must be submitted to Environmental Health and Safety via email to rachellv@scripps.edu by Friday, January 31.

At the Auditorium: Nicole Cabell Sings Chausson

Soprano Nicole Cabell and members of the San Diego Symphony will perform a Chamber Music Series Concert on Tuesday, February 4, 7:30 PM, at the Auditorium at TSRI. The 2005 winner of the BBC Singer of the World competition, Cabell will perform the chamber version of Ernest Chausson’s Chanson perpètuelle. Members of the San Diego Symphony will join Cabell to perform Maurice Delage’s best-known chamber work, Quatre poèmes hindous. For more information, see http://www.sandiegosymphony.org/. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.sandiegosymphony.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=4050.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

TSRI Professor Chi-Huey Wong was selected for the Wolf Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering contributions to the programmable and practical synthesis of complex carbohydrates and glycoproteins.

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