About Us

Major Scientific Achievements

Scripps Research scientists have been responsible for a number of seminal studies into the basic biology of molecules and cells that are at the root of all life. To name only a few of the major discoveries of the past years, scientists at the institute:

• Achieved complete inhibition of new blood vessel growth in animal models of a highly vascular brain tumor and of neovascular eye diseases with little or no effect on normal tissue vasculature.
• Found that reducing the core body temperature of mice extends their median lifespan by up to 20 percent, for the first time directly linking changes in body temperature to lifespan in warm-blooded animals
• Developed compounds that reactivate the gene responsible for the neurodegenerative disease Friedreich's ataxia, offering hope for an effective treatment for this devastating and often deadly condition.
• Developed an anti-obesity vaccine that significantly slowed weight gain and reduced body fat in animal models.
• Identified a small synthetic molecule that can control the fate of embryonic stem cells, turning mouse stem cells into heart muscles. Additional research has deepened our understanding of the mechanisms that control how adult stem cells choose their specialized fate, and how specialized cells can unwind that choice.
• Discovered a class of compounds that block the SARS virus from replicating, a finding that may open the door to new drug targets against the deadly disease
• Identified a possible pathway for a particularly virulent strain of the avian flu virus H5N1 (a type of “bird flu”) to gain a foothold in the human population.
• Reported that mice created to lack a certain type of molecule known as an LPA receptor have fertility problems, suggesting that these receptors play a major role in conception.
• Elucidated the structure of a number of human antibodies that neutralize human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS.
• Cloned a gene that regulates circadian rhythms in plants, providing an increased understanding of the processes that enable organisms to anticipate and adapt to daily variations in the environment.
• Discovered “atheronals,” the byproducts of the reaction of ozone in the body with cholesterol in atherosclerotic plaques, which may contribute to a number of diseases.
• Developed methods that have made possible the synthesis of compounds, especially those related to carbohydrates, which have pointed the way to "green" methodologies in large-scale chemistry.
• Created forms of bacterium and yeast with a genetic code that uses unusual amino acid building blocks to synthesize proteins—in addition to the 20 found in nature. Beyond its theoretical importance, the work may give scientists a powerful new tool for research.
• Identified and isolated a protein that mediates the body's ability to sense cold and menthol through the skin—the first cold-sensing molecule ever identified and a potential target for pain modulating drugs. Also, identified and cloned the first-known gene that makes skin cells able to sense warm temperatures.
• Discovered a new paradigm in viral immunology: in hepatitis B infections, the immune system can cure viral infections without destroying the infected cells.
• Traced human aging and its associated diseases and conditions to a gradual increase in cell division errors in tissues throughout the body.
• Discovered an antibody that clears prion infections in cell culture, which has implications for the treatment of mad cow disease and its human equivalent.
• Discovered that antibodies can destroy bacteria, playing a hitherto unknown role in immune protection. Furthermore, the team found that when antibodies do this, they appear to produce the reactive gas ozone.
• Completed the total chemical synthesis of the anti-cancer drug, Taxol, approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
• Solved the three-dimensional structure of the enzyme superoxide dismutase, thereby establishing a direct link between mutations in the gene for this enzyme and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease.
• Designed and synthesized a new class of molecules, known as enediynes, that represent some of the most potent and selective anti-cancer agents ever tested.
• Discovered a cell receptor for allergy-inducing IgE antibodies on lymphocytes, a finding that redirected research on the control of allergic diseases.
• Mapped the prohormone for somatostatin in the brain and associated it with the primary signs of Alzheimer's disease.
• Pioneered the development of catalytic antibodies—antibodies designed to function as enzymes in catalyzing specified chemical reactions—opening new possibilities for protein synthesis and the rational design of new drugs.
• Synthesized surfactant, a lung material that keeps air sacs open and prevents respiratory distress syndrome, a major killer of premature babies and adults.
• Purified Factor VIII, a coagulation protein lacking in people with hemophilia A. Use of the purified concentrate greatly reduces the risk to hemophiliacs of infection from blood-borne AIDS, hepatitis, and other viral infections.
• Cloned the gene for the enzyme that is deficient in people with Gaucher's disease, a potentially fatal inherited disorder, and developed a method to predict the severity of the disease.
• Pioneered the concept that small, synthetic peptides—the building blocks of protein structures—could replace larger peptide chains of bacteria and viruses for the purpose of making vaccines.
• Determined the complete, three-dimensional, atomic structure of the poliovirus.
• Developed a method to produce disease-fighting proteins called monoclonal antibodies thousands of times more efficiently than previously possible, an advance that has had a profound impact on pharmaceuticals and the treatment of disease.
• Demonstrated that rheumatoid factor is a product of an antibody gene that has maintained its "germlike" arrangement, explaining why so many rheumatoid factors are so similar.
• Developed and successfully tested the anti-leukemia drug 2-CdA ( marketed under the name cladribine (Leustatin) by Ortho Biotech, Inc., an affiliate of Johnson&Johnson). An intravenous medication with remarkably few side effects, 2-CdA now cures or produces many years of freedom from hairy cell leukemia in almost all those receiving treatment.