In Brief

Baldwin Lab to Contribute to New $40 Million Stem Cell Genomics Center

Associate Professor Kristin Baldwin’s lab at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) will join teams at six other major California research institutions in a new Center of Excellence in Stem Cell Genomics, established with a $40 million grant by the state’s stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

The center will serve as a collaborative platform to bridge the field of genomics, the study of the complete genetic make-up of a cell or organism, with cutting-edge stem cell research. The center’s goal is to better understand the disease processes in cancer, diabetes, endocrine disorders, heart disease and mental health and uncover safer, more effective ways to use stem cells in medical research and therapy. Dr. Baldwin will lead an effort to use advanced genomics technologies to establish a state-wide resource of genomically-characterized induced pluripotent stem cells and apply this information to improve current methods for generating patient-specific stem cells.

Other members of the CIRM-backed center include UC San Diego, the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, the J. Craig Venter Institute and Illumina Inc. The Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Stanford University will lead the center, and UC Santa Cruz will also provide data coordination and project management.

Laura Rosenberg Awarded Cancer Research Fellowship

Laura Rosenberg, research associate in the Duckett lab, has been awarded a two-year fellowship from the Rendina Family Foundation, a Florida-based nonprofit organization supporting cancer research. The new award will fund important proof-of-principle studies that will facilitate the identification of potential new therapies to treat glioblastoma, a malignant form of brain cancer.

Rosenberg’s research seeks to develop novel drug candidates for this devastating disease through targeting of a key mediator of the Autophagy pathway, a process shown in current research to be an unexploited vulnerability for this tumor type.

Inaugural Frank J. Dixon Lecture to Be Held February 11

Internationally known immunologist Emil Unanue will present the inaugural Frank J. Dixon Memorial Lecture on Tuesday, February 11, 4 PM, in the Auditorium at TSRI. The new annual lecture honors Frank Dixon, a pioneering immunologist who was among the founding biomedical scientists of Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation (predecessor organization to TSRI) and who led the organization’s research division for many years. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 87.

A postdoctoral fellow in the Dixon lab in the 1960s, Uananue is a recognized leader in how the immune system identifies and responds to antigens. Currently the Paul and Ellen Lacy Professor in the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, he is an Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award winner and a member of the National Academy of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Institute of Medicine.

TSRI Professor Emeritus Charles Cochrane, also among the institute’s biomedical founding scientists, will deliver the lecture’s welcoming address.

The event is open to the public. Immediately following the lecture, a reception will be held in the Faculty Club on the TSRI campus. The Auditorium at TSRI is located at 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, San Diego, 92121. Directions and parking information are available on the auditorium’s website ]. For additional lecture information, email vogtadm@scripps.edu.

5th Annual Beutler Lecture: February 14

The 5^th 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 14, 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.

A pioneering scientist and physician, Ernest Beutler passed away in 2008 after chairing the TSRI Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine for 30 years. His 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, host of 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.

Career Workshops: Financial Planning and Career Options

Two upcoming career workshops, including a first-time bicoastal panel discussion, sponsored by the TSRI Career and Postdoctoral Services Office, will provide advice on financial and career planning.

Smart Money Moves in Your 20s and 30s

The workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, February 18, from 3 to 4 PM in the HR Training Room, suite 205, in the 3377 Building on the California campus. The session will review 10 important ways to prepare for financial success, from budgeting to establishing an emergency fund. James Linglebach and John Tokar of MetLife Financial Advisors will conduct the session. Registration is required.

Career Options for PhDs

This simultaneous La Jolla/Jupiter panel discussion will be streamed live between the campuses Wednesday, February 19, from 1:30 to 3 PM in the Committee Lecture Hall in the Skaggs Institute/Molecular Biology Building on the California campus and from 4:30 to 6 PM in room B158 on the Florida campus.

California panelists will include Brian Helmich from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Erin Soto of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Christopher Adams from ThermoFisher Scientific. In Florida, panelists will include Alicia Brantley of Behavior Core and Todd Huffman from Drug Discovery Partnerships. Their discussion of job and training opportunities and resources will be followed by a Q&A session.

CA Biosafety Committee Meeting Materials Due

The TSRI Institutional Biosafety Committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, March 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 & Safety via email to rachellv@scripps.edu by Friday, February 28.

At the Auditorium: Early Music Society and Mainly Mozart Events

Coming to the Auditorium at TSRI on Sunday, February 23, 7:30 PM is The San Diego Early Music Society’s International Series, featuring violinist Fabio Biondi and harpsichordist Kenneth Weiss performing works by Bach and his contemporary Pietro Locatelli. Additional concert details and ticket information are available at the society’s website.

The Mainly Mozart Spotlight Series will present the acclaimed German string quartet, The Manderling Quartet, on Thursday, February 27, 7:30 PM. The quartet will perform Mozart String Quartet No. 15in D minor, K. 421; Shostakovich String Quartet No. 7 in F sharp minor, Op. 108; and Beethoven String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132. Ticket and concert information can be found on the Mainly Mozart website.

The Auditorium at TSRI is located at 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, San Diego, 92121. Directions and parking information are located on the auditorium’s website.

News&Views Salutes the Presidents

News&Views will take a break in observance of the Presidents’ Day holiday, Monday, February 17 Regular publication will resume Monday, February 24.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

25^th Frontiers in Chemistry Symposium Draws Crowd
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A near-capacity audience filled the Auditorium at TSRI last month for the 25^th annual Frontiers in Chemistry Symposium, which featured speakers Peter Dervan of the California Institute of Technology; Paul Anderson, a Merck chemist and executive (retired); TSRI Institute Professor Richard Lerner; and TSRI Professor Raymond Stevens. Shown above, Professor Dale Boger (left), who organized the symposium with Professor Phil Baran, pauses for a moment with Dervan.

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