Summer 2008

VO LU M E 5

NUMBER 2

From Research,The Power to Cure

I n sid e

> Fo cus on F lor ida

>NASDAQ Op en

>R es ea rc h Updat e

Focus on Florida

B U r n h a m R e p or t

In Th i s Is s ue Pre s i den t ’ s mes sage

1 Jo h n R eed, M. D., Ph.D .

Focu s on F lori da

President and CEO Professor and Donald Bren Presidential Chair

Building A Life Science Community

2

New Facility with the Environment in Mind

4

Burnham Partnerships in Orlando Take Root

5

Burnham Research Briefings

5

Executive Vice President for Scientific Affairs Director, Cancer Center

Florida Faculty Grows

6

Ka ri n Eastha m

Message from Blair Blum

8

Letter from Elizabeth Gianini

9

Burnham Angels

9

Burnham Trustee Bob Mandel

10

K ristii na V uori, M.D., Ph.D

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer B l ai r B lum

Senior Vice President External Relations Edg a r G illenwat ers

Vice President External Relations

Burn h am Ne ws

Eliza beth Gia nini

NASDAQ Open

11

Research Update

12

Vice President External Relations

Run For Discovery with Team Burnham!

13

C hr is L ee

Vice President External Relations An dre a M os er

S av e t h e Dat e !

The Annual Burnham Institute for Medical Research Gala will be held November 15, 2008 at the opulent Grand Del Mar Resort. This year’s event is co-chaired by Robin Nordhoff and Sue Raffee. The theme, Discovery Without Boundaries, will highlight the voyage that Burnham scientists make daily toward breakthrough therapies. Seating is limited and we anticipate a sold-out event.

For sponsorship or ticket information, please contact Jocelyn Wyndham at 858.795.5216, jwyndham@burnham.org.

Vice President Communications Please address inquiries to: communications@burnham.org

Burnham Institute for Medical Research 10901 North Torrey Pines Road La Jolla, CA 92037 858.646.3100

Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona 8669 Commodity Circle, 4th Floor Orlando, FL 32819 407.745.2000

www.burnham.org

President’s Message

I recently participated in our annual faculty retreat. I say “participated” because each year a different faculty member acts as chair of the retreat. We present to each other as peers, organized around themes of basic discovery and medically-relevant translational research. We use the time spent together to cement the bonds of collaboration and brainstorm about new directions. We also invite our newest faculty members to tell us about their research progress.

After the retreat, a recently-appointed adjunct professor wrote to me and said, “I was impressed by the quality of the science, but I was equally impressed by the cohesiveness and support of the faculty. … I have not seen this kind of closeness in the 16 years [of my career].

I am very excited about continuing and expanding my collaborations with several of the principal investigators at Burnham.”

It was the first retreat for most of our Florida-based faculty-level scientists. Right now, everything that happens in Florida is a milestone: the groundbreaking; the “topping off” event; our first community outreach programs. Perhaps the most important milestone for the future of Burnham research in Florida will be the arrival of Dr. Daniel Kelly on July 1. When Dr. Kelly officially starts as the scientific director for Burnham at Lake Nona in Orlando, the real work will begin. Dr. Kelly has an ambitious agenda to recruit world-class scientists. He will also inaugurate the collaboration with Florida Hospital as part of our new clinical research partnership. More partnerships will form as the Medical City at Lake Nona continues to grow.

This issue of the Burnham Report describes our progress to date. It has been almost two years since we made the decision to locate our East Coast operations in Orlando. Since then, we have continued to receive enormous support from the Orlando, Orange County, and Central Florida communities, as they have done everything in their power to help make us successful. We are grateful for the wonderful partnership we have enjoyed with the community, and look forward to the successful completion of the next phase of Burnham’s East Coast expansion.

These are exhilarating times as we construct our Florida facility and build our scientific and administrative teams there. By this time next year, we will be in our new laboratory facility – a state-of-the-art, 175,000 square foot “green” structure that will support more than 300 people and house some of the most advanced medical research technologies in the world. We plan to commemorate that momentous milestone with a celebration that will include the entire Central Florida region.

As always, I thank you, our trusted supporters and stakeholders, for making it possible for us at Burnham Institute for Medical Research to pursue our medical research mission as we strive to reveal the fundamental causes of disease and devise the innovative therapies of tomorrow.

John C. Reed, MD, Ph.D. President and CEO Professor and Donald Bren Presidential Chair

w w w. b u rn h a m . o rg | Th e Bu r n h a m Re p o r t

F o c u s o n flor i d a

Building A Life Science

Community

Left to right: Rasesh Thakkar, Tavistock Group; Dr. John Reed, Burnham Institute for Medical Research; Vivienne Lewis, Tavistock Foundation; Mayor Richard Crotty, Orange County; Dr. Deborah German, UCF College of Medicine; Mayor Buddy Dyer, City of Orlando; Dr. John Hitt, University of Central Florida.

When the Burnham Institute for Medical Research made its decision to locate a research facility in Central Florida, local officials cheered the move as the first step in making the area a prominent life sciences hub. The unbridled exuberance that reverberated from Tallahassee to Orlando that August day in 2006 continues to fuel the development of the “Medical City” at Lake Nona in Orlando.

At the end of 2005, thenGovernor Jeb Bush presented Florida as a viable option to the Burnham Board of Trustees. He made a strong pitch for why Florida was the right place for Burnham to locate an East Coast facility.

The Governor put $200 million on the table and set the process in motion.

Today, Bush says “Burnham will be a godsend for Orlando and Central Florida. We are already beginning to see the benefits of the convergence of talented scientists, good infrastructure and abundant capital. My hope and expectation is that Orlando will be a markedly better place to live with the presence of Burnham.”

T he Burnham Re por t | www.burnham.org

As economic development goes, the plan and its execution were textbook. State Representative Dean Cannon of Winter Park enthusiastically supported the recruitment of Burnham. “The day Burnham announced it was calling Orlando home was one of the most personally exciting

Former Governor Jeb Bush

moments I’ve had since being elected,” says Cannon. “The development of the new Medical City in east Orange County with Burnham as a key anchor changed the economic and educational landscape of Central Florida forever.”

Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, the principal local officials involved, recognized the importance of diversifying and expanding the region’s economic base.

“Much of the prosperity we enjoy today is the result of the visionary decisions made by the community leaders who preceded us,” says Crotty.

“I believe years from now, when our Medical City is firmly established and world-

F o c u s o n flor i d a

renowned, people will look back at our resolve to bring the Burnham Institute to Central Florida as a pivotal moment in our history.”

Mayor Dyer agrees. “The reality of Burnham is yet another testament to our community’s hard work and collaboration. As a result of strong partnerships we have begun to shape the future of Central Florida.”

State and local government along with the Tavistock Group, owners of Lake Nona, assembled a $350 million incentive package that included land, buildings and money for research. Ten years from now, when Burnham has grown to an organization of 300 people at the Orlando facility, the Central Florida

community will be able to look back and know that they helped change the trajectory of the Florida economy.

“Prior to Burnham’s commitment, we had five or six inquiries from biomedical companies,” says John Fremstad, Vice President of Technology Development for the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC). “We’ve had more than 100 since.”

Scheduled for occupancy by mid-2009, the Institute’s new facility in Orlando will be an integral part of the region’s new “Medical City.”

Fremstad, though understandably discreet about details, reports half a dozen biomedical companies seriously scrutinizing the Lake Nona

landscape. Burnham’s Lake Nona campus may attract additional San Diego organizations as well as East Coast firms and European biotech companies.

“The entire Orlando community was excited about welcoming Burnham,” says Rasesh Thakkar, senior

managing director of Tavistock Group, which owns and is developing Lake Nona. “They are proving to be a wonderful partner, and we know that their innovative work at Lake Nona will diversify the economy of Central Florida as well as improve lives around the globe.”

Left to right: John Reed, Burnham; Congressman Tom Feeney; Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty at the Burnham announcement.

The View from Orlando “What has occurred in Metro Orlando during the past couple of years is really quite extraordinary. It began with the March 2006 announcement by the Florida Board of Governors that a College of Medicine would be established at the University of Central Florida. When that program opens its doors in 2009, it will be the first research-based College of Medicine established anywhere in the United States in the past 30 years.

“On the heels of that milestone, the August 2006 decision by Burnham to establish their East Coast operation adjacent to the College of Medicine in Lake Nona catapulted our community overnight into the realm of ‘contender’ as a life science center.

“Our goal now is to leverage these extraordinary accomplishments into enhanced economic opportunity for our region. From the economic development perspective, we know that what’s ahead is a marathon, not a sprint. In an effort to accelerate this process, we have established bioOrlando, which is a coalition of healthcare, scientific, academic, government and industry partners with a shared goal – to build our biotech and life science cluster.

“Already the medical school and Burnham decisions of recent years are compared in significance to the coming of Walt Disney four decades ago. When I look in the crystal ball, I see a bright – and biotech – future for Central Florida!”

Ray Gilley, President/CEO of Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC)

w w w. b u rn h a m . o rg | Th e Bu r n h a m Re p o r t

F o c u s o n flor i d a

Burnham and BE&K Construct New Facility with the Environment in Mind What do sod and drywall have in common? More than you might think. For the BE&K Building Group, Inc., the ability to turn drywall scraps left over from construction of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research facility into fertilizer for local sod farms will be just the ticket to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the construction of the building.

BE&K and Burnham are off to a great start for a LEED certification with this innovative idea for our environment.

Some of the other actions pursued in the construction of the Burnham facility for the LEED certification include the following: providing a high ratio of open space to development footprint to promote biodiversity; maximizing water efficiency within the building to reduce the burden on municipal water supply and wastewater systems; and facilitating the reduction of

waste generated by building occupants that is hauled to and disposed of in landfills.

Under the LEED global rating system for green building practices, the Construction Waste Management LEED credit proposes that construction companies “divert construction, demolition and land-clearing debris from disposal in landfills and incinerators, redirect recyclable recovered resources back to the manufacturing process and redirect reusable materials to appropriate sites.”

Keeping this guidance in mind, BE&K wanted to figure out a way to reuse or recycle the leftover drywall scraps which otherwise go to landfills after most construction projects. A.J. Murray, Assistant Project Manager at BE&K, met with Steve Brownley, Vice President of the Landscape Division at Concepts in

T he Burnham Re por t | www.burnham.org

Greenery, and local sod farmer Mike Kelley of Palm City Sod. Together they came up with a cutting-edge solution – to grind all the leftover drywall scraps that had no water or fireproofing into fertilizer for future sod farming.

The proposed method to divert the drywall scraps from the landfill and recycle them into fertilizer is a relatively new idea that has not been attempted in Central Florida until this project. The drywall is ground into half-inch pellets and spread by the ton for each acre across the sod farms.

The goal is to gather 100 tons of drywall scrap at a time for the grinder; in a matter of weeks, they are nearly halfway there. You might be asking how drywall can possibly be beneficial to soil. The primary ingredient in drywall is a derivative of limestone, which is a key fertilizer ingredient.

“The idea is that the gypsum in the drywall will actually help to hold moisture in the soil to allow the fertilizer to hold longer and therefore require less watering,” said Kelley of Palm City Sod. Burnham Institute for Medical Research has a firm commitment to protecting the environment. The La Jolla campus has implemented award-winning programs for water conservation, energy conservation and recycling.

Earlier this year, City of San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders held a press conference at Burnham’s La Jolla campus to tout the savings the Institute has realized through innovative conservation programs.

Lake Nona is a 7,000-acre master planned community located in Southeast Orlando, one of Central Florida’s fastest growing regions. It is a Development of Regional Impact located close to Orlando International Airport that at build-out will have more than 9,000 residences and 6.5 million square feet of retail, life science and commercial space. The State of Florida defines a Development of Regional Impact as any development which, because of its character, magnitude, or location would have a substantial effect upon the health, safety, or welfare of citizens of more than one county.

F o c u s o n flor i d a

Left to right: Dr. David Moorhead, Florida Hospital; Dr. John Reed, Burnham; Dr. Daniel Kelly, Burnham; Dr. Samuel Crockett, Florida Hospital

Burnham

Partnerships in Orlando Take Root When Burnham Institute for Medical Research selected

Orlando as the site of its East Coast campus, the Institute envisioned establishing a number of important research partnerships with medical institutions in Central Florida and beyond. That vision has already become a reality.

On March 26, a year before the new campus is officially due to open at Lake Nona, Burnham and Florida Hospital signed an agreement creating the Florida Hospital-Burnham

Burnham Research Briefings

March 5 briefing with Pamela Itkin-Ansari

The Burnham Research Briefings were designed with the desire to educate the greater Orlando community about the medical research conducted at Burnham.

Clinical Research Institute (CRI). The CRI is designed to take the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes and obesity to the next level.

The CRI will begin operations in a temporary facility in fall 2008 and will be fully operational in 2009. Space for the CRI’s permanent location will break ground this summer. The CRI will be led by Dr. Daniel Kelly, Scientific Director of Burnham at Lake Nona. The Florida Hospital-Burnham CRI, along with Burnham’s facility at Lake Nona, will be Burnham’s hub for diabetes and obesity research.

“What most people don’t know is that diabetes not only affects your blood sugar, but also significantly impacts your heart,” Kelly said. “At the Florida Hospital-Burnham CRI, we will study this phenomenon we are calling the ‘diabetic

heart’ to learn more about this condition and hopefully pioneer new treatments” said Dr. Kelly.

“Our working relationship with Burnham has accelerated Florida Hospital’s vision of advancing research and teaching, says Lars Houmann, President/CEO of Florida Hospital. “We are enjoying a new level of scientific and strategic collaboration, working with Dr. John Reed and the entire Burnham team of researchers and administrators.”

“The agreement with Florida Hospital allows us to work together to take our research directly to the patient and explore lifestyle medicine issues that will hopefully allow us to better prevent disease in the future,” said Reed at the signing ceremony at the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce.

The next Burnham Research Briefing will discuss neurodegenerative disease research, as Stuart Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., shares with Orlando what the Del E. Webb Center for Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell Research at Burnham is currently researching. Areas of research include: development of cell replacement therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, and other ailments where cells are irrevocably lost. Burnham researchers also study how to produce new drugs to protect the brain, heart, and pancreas, and to develop regenerative brain, heart, and diabetes therapies using stem cells.

The last Burnham Research Briefing of 2008 will focus on cancer research. A member of Burnham’s NCI-designated Cancer Center will be the speaker. The date, time and location will be announced soon for this briefing.

For more information, please call Eshma Harry at 407.745.2061 or visit www.burnham.org.

Upcoming Burnham Research Briefings Wednesday, September 10 at 6 p.m.

Sorosis of Orlando, 501 E Livingston St, Orlando 32803 Free and Open to the Public

w w w. b u rn h a m . o rg | Th e Bu r n h a m Re p o r t

F o c u s o n flor i d a

Florida Faculty Grows When Daniel Kelly, M.D. officially takes the reins as scientific director of Burnham at Lake Nona on July 1, he will bring six people with him from Washington University in St. Louis to work on two separate grants.

Meet Masanobu

Komatsu, Ph.D. Masanobu Komatsu studies blood vessels and the abnormal blood vessel growth that is associated with many medical conditions, ranging from heart disease and cancer, to metabolic problems such as diabetes and age-related conditions like macular degeneration.

Komatsu is looking for a way to reverse the process of abnormal vessel regeneration and restore normal function to these vessels. If vessel functionality can be improved, it will lead

That will bring the total scientific staff at Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona to 25: five faculty members and 20 research staff including scientists, postdoctoral fellows, research associates and techs.

to enhanced drug delivery and increased efficacy of radiation during cancer treatment.

Komatsu’s current research focuses on the role an intracellular signaling protein called R-Ras plays in inhibiting abnormal vessel growth. “Our recent studies indicate that RRas is one of the key promoters of blood vessel maturation. This suggests that R-Ras may be useful in tissue engineering and therapeutic angiogenesis,” says Komatsu.

Therapeutic angiogenesis is the clinically induced growth of new blood vessels in ischemic tissues, where blood supply has been decreased due to constriction or obstruction of the vessels.

Komatsu earned his undergraduate degree as well as his Ph.D. at the University of Miami. He was a postdoctoral

T he Burnham Re por t | www.burnham.org

In addition to setting up his research laboratory, Dr. Kelly’s early goals include recruiting additional faculty and building an animal phenotyping core. He will also begin a dialogue with nearby hospitals to establish translational programs. He’s got an early start with the launch of the Florida Hospital – Burnham Clinical Research Institute that was announced in March.

Kelly hopes to recruit two to three new faculty in the first six to 12 months. He also plans to get to know his colleagues in California. “As

fellow at Burnham, in the lab of Dr. Erkki Ruoslahti, Burnham’s president from 1989-2002.

While at Burnham, Komatsu learned to appreciate its scientific environment and culture.

Although he left in 2005 to become an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Komatsu maintained his affiliation with Burnham as an adjunct faculty member of the Cancer Center and has an ongoing collaboration with Ruoslahti. He also collaborates with Burnham faculty members Dr. Pilar Ruiz-Lozano and Dr. Mark Mercola, studying

the Florida organization grows, it will be important to start developing meaningful ties to our La Jolla campus,” says Kelly. “At the recent faculty retreat, it was clear that there is great opportunity for scientific collaboration between the faculties of the two facilities.”

In addition to Dr. Kelly, “founding” Burnham Florida faculty members Dr. Greg Roth and Dr. Bjorn Tyrberg have recently been joined

by Dr. Layton Smith and Dr. Masanobu Komatsu.

ischemia/reperfusion injury and coronary artery development.

Their expertise is important to Komatsu’s expansion of his research into cardiovascular sciences. Likewise, Komatsu is looking forward to working with Dan Kelly because of his expertise in heart disease.

“Burnham’s plans to work with major health care providers in Florida is a key advantage,” says Komatsu. “It will enable us to bridge our findings on the importance of R-Ras in inhibiting abnormal blood vessel growth with clinical evidence.”

Komatsu has been awarded a $2.4 million grant by the National Cancer Institute of the NIH to study tumor vascular normalization. The five-year grant period will start upon his relocation to Burnham at Lake Nona.

F o c u s o n flor i d a

Meet Layton

Smith, Ph.D.

Layton Smith’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of obesity and how they are related to cardiovascular disease.

Smith is looking for ways to identify the proteins that are produced by expanding fat tissue that have deleterious

effects on vascular function. He studies a molecule known as apelin. “Apelin is over-produced by fat in obese people and may affect the ability of the heart to pump blood and the arteries to relax,” says Smith. “We use molecular biology, cells, and animal models of cardiovascular disease to test the effects of

Gregory P. Roth, Ph.D. Gregory P. Roth, Director of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology and a professor at Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona, has more than 20 years of post-graduate leadership experience within the pharmaceutical industry. During that time, he has contributed to a variety of research programs in Process Research, Combinatorial Chemistry, and Medicinal Chemistry at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and the Abbott Bioresearch Center.

Roth’s current research interests center on chemical biology and medicinal chemistry in the areas of inflammatory disease and cancer. His team is also involved in advancing novel synthetic methods and technologies for the generation of compound screening libraries based on natural product motifs. Dr. Roth holds 14 patents and he has authored more than 40 research papers.

Roth earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Chemistry at Colorado State University in 1988 and a Master of Science in Chemistry at State University of New York at Fredonia in 1984.

obesity on apelin production and function.”

As a new faculty member, Smith is looking forward to building a laboratory of his own.

He has a grant from the State of Florida to explore the role of apelin in vascular fibrosis.

Burnham’s advanced technologies are also an important factor for Smith. He has an NIH award to screen Burnham’s molecular library to look for compounds that disrupt the apelin system.

Smith was also attracted to Burnham because of the existing collaborative networks within the Institute. Current collaborators within the Burnham faculty

include Dr. Mark Mercola and Dr. Pilar Ruiz-Lozano. Smith’s research also complements the work done by Dr. Kelly. He anticipates collaborating with Dr. Kelly and expanding his area of research into diabetic heart failure.

Smith is a Florida native.

Prior to joining Burnham, he was an assistant professor of biochemistry at The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida. He received a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and an M.Sc. in Clinical Investigation from Vanderbilt University, where he also did his postdoctoral training.

Björn

Tyrberg, Ph.D.

Dr. Björn Tyrberg, an assistant professor focused on diabetes and obesity research at Burnham, was appointed a member of the faculty of Burnham’s Diabetes and Obesity Research Center in 2007. Tyrberg earned his Ph.D. in medical sciences from Uppsala University in Sweden. In California, he pursued postdoctoral training and was an Assistant Project Scientist with Dr. Fred Levine, the recently appointed Center Director of the Sanford Children’s Health Research Center. He also trained at Burnham with Dr. Barbara Ranscht.

Tyrberg was one of the first recipients of a research training grant provided by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He was co-leader of research that resulted in the discovery of adult stem cells in the human pancreas that are capable of transforming into insulin-producing cells, a finding of considerable importance for devising new approaches to treating diabetes.

w w w. b u rn h a m . o rg | Th e Bu r n h a m Re p o r t

F o c u s o n flor i d a

City of Orlando and Orange County, and Mayor Dyer, Mayor Crotty, and the vision of former Governor Jeb Bush.

It has been an opportunity of a lifetime to play a role in Tavistock’s dream to create a “Medical City.”

In San Diego, Burnham is a part of the research corridor on the Torrey Pines Mesa, which was the model for the concept in Lake Nona, Orlando. In California, we owe our success to our scienBlair Blum and Elizabeth Gianini

A Message from

Blair Blum My first trip to Orlando was in August 2006. What a pleasure it was to be greeted by a community that embraces the power and promise of medical research and has a shared vision for economic development in the region.

Each and every individual is a first class professional in a community that has jumped in to assist us every step of the way and connected us with others who want to help.

Central Florida is also a very generous region. Dr. John

that we have identified as the “Burnham Angels.” The Burnham Angels are one of the first groups to realize not only the economic impact of Burnham but also to have a passion for our mission…to conduct world-class, collaborative medical research to cure human disease, improve quality of life, and thus create a legacy for our employees, partners, donors, and community.

What a pleasure it was to be greeted by a community that embraces the power and promise of medical research.

tists and the community that has supported us. I believe we will be saying the same about our Florida partners very soon.

Many of you know Elizabeth Gianini, Vice President for External Relations in Orlando.

Elizabeth’s energy and passion for Burnham are endless. She’s going to introduce her great team to you on the next page.

We are grateful for our bicoastal supporters and friends.

With you all as cheerleaders, we can keep our promise of great science and live up to our motto…From Research,

The energy during the press conference, when we announced that Burnham had selected Orlando to be our East Coast location, was both contagious and off the charts!

Since that historic moment, I have had the pleasure of meeting people who represent the best of Orlando.

Hitt, President of UCF and Ray Gilley, President/CEO Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, co-chaired the initial fundraising campaign to raise philanthropic support for Burnham. This effort produced $5 million from a group of interested citizens

T he Burnham Re por t | www.burnham.org

I am convinced that Central Florida will continue to increase its support of medical research. Looking forward, I know that our partnership will be a springboard for economic growth in the region. Burnham arrived in Florida with a great vote of confidence from the State, the

the Power to Cure!

Blair Blum Senior Vice President External Relations

F o c u s o n flor i d a

Letter from

Burnham

Elizabeth Gianini

Vice President, External Relations

Angels

Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona

David and Judy Albertson Kevin Azzouz Bank of America CNL Charitable Foundation Florida Hospital Alan Ginsberg Family Foundation Tamia and Grant Hill Foundation Joe Lee Joe Lewis Harvey and Carol Massey Dick and Mary Nunis Orlando Magic Orlando Health/M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando Rasesh and Rupal Thakkar Wachovia Bank Walt Disney World

One year ago, I had the opportunity to join the Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona. My first day on the job, Dr. Reed, Dr. Kelly and Blair Blum visited Orlando; the whirlwind has yet to slow down. Since then, I have been on a crash course, learning all that I can

philanthropy but for their sage advice. Their guidance has been invaluable. We are also grateful to the new donors who are sponsoring events, like the Burnham Research Briefings and Team Burnham, and those who have hosted our scientific recruits, like Representative Dean Cannon, Burnham

excited to be here and working with each one of you in our community.

I have been on a fast track of learning basic cellular biology. Everyday, I discover a new inspiration that drives me even harder toward success.

I am thrilled and honored to be working with such a stellar

I want to thank the Burnham Angels for their generosity, not only for their philanthropy but for their sage advice. Their guidance has been invaluable. about the science of Burnham Institute for Medical Research.

The External Relations (ER) team has four members.

Eshma Harry is the ER Coordinator. She came to Burnham from Mayor Richard Crotty’s office and is the glue that holds our department together in Orlando. Lynn Lipsey is our new Event Coordinator. She has event planning experience with Fortune 500 companies and a personal passion for Burnham’s scientific mission. Stacy Nale will be creating and managing our database. She recently earned a master’s degree at University of Central Florida.

I want to thank the Burnham Angels for their generosity, not only for their

Trustee Bob Mandell, Randy Fields and the Anheuser-Busch Corporation. Central Florida’s enthusiasm is contagious and the External Relations team is

group of individuals in the External Relations office, the Institute as a whole, and in the community at large.

Left to right: Stacy Nale, Lynn Lipsey, Elizabeth Gianini and Eshma Harry

w w w. b u rn h a m . o rg | Th e Bu r n h a m Re p o r t

F o c u s o n flor i d a

Burnham

Trustee

Bob Mandell

Bob Mandell has a passion for his community and its future. That is why he is excited about being on the Burnham board and helping to build Central Florida’s innovation economy.

“Burnham is at the forefront of research into what constitutes real quality of life,” he says. “It’s not how long you live, it’s how well you’re able to live for whatever time you have. Burnham researchers are helping extend life in terms of both quantity of years and quality of life in those years.”

Bob Mandell retired from homebuilding in 2007 after 24 years with his family’s business, Greater Homes (now Meritage Homes).

He was recommended by both Mayor Crotty and Mayor Dyer as a community leader and as someone who would be a true asset to Burnham. As an Orlando native, they believed he would be helpful to Burnham as the organization grows in Central Florida.

“What’s most impressive about Burnham,” Mandell says, “is the totally collaborative nature of their research.

There’s no hierarchy in terms of the research happening by the different teams of scientists. Everything is equal and everything is important.”

Mandell serves on both the Executive Committee and on the Finance Committee for the Institute.

Community service is part of Bob Mandell’s DNA. He served on government, business, non-profit health and human service, arts and culture, and educational boards over his career in Central Florida. He sees his service on the Institute’s Board of Trustees as a continuation of his family’s record of community service.

“Burnham will, I believe, prove to be the catalyst for expanding the economic base of our community and will help to establish a biomedical cluster of businesses, bringing good paying jobs and increased positive visibility to Central Florida,” he says. “And while I don’t want to speak publicly at this time about any specifics, recent discussions we’ve had with businesses in Europe and elsewhere in the world should begin to bear fruit in the nottoo-distant future. And it’s all because the Burnham Institute for Medical Research chose to locate in our community.”

Karin Eastham, Brent Jacobs, John Reed, and Malin Burnham enjoying Bob Mandell’s hospitality

10

T he Burnham Repor t | www.burnham.org

Burnham News

Elizabeth Gianini Vice President, External Relations Burnham at Lake Nona, Orlando

Alan Gleicher Gleicher Capital, LLC Burnham Trustee

Michael Grindstaff Partner, Shutts & Bowen Represented Burnham on Florida transaction

David Hale Chairman, Hale BioPharma Ventures, Burnham Trustee

NASDAQ Open

Brent Jacobs Senior Vice President Cushman & Wakefield Burnham Trustee

Greg Lucier Chairman & CEO, Invitrogen Burnham Trustee

Robert Mandell

Howard Cohen

Burnham Institute for Medical Research rang the opening bell for NASDAQ on Thursday, March 20. The event was a celebration in recognition of the establishment of Burnham’s bicoastal operations.

Joining Burnham President and CEO John Reed was a delegation of twenty-one representatives, including Burnham Board of Trustees vice chairman Greg Lucier, who is chairman and CEO of Invitrogen; and Burnham supporters with a collective representation on the boards of directors of 11 NASDAQlisted companies.

Burnham’s Florida organization was represented by

Burnham Trustee

Burnham Trustee

Mayor Richard Crotty

Andrea Moser Vice President, Communications, Burnham Institute for Medical Research

Orange County, Florida

Nicole DeBerg-Nelson CFO & Vice President, Finance Burnham Institute for Medical Research

Karin Eastham Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty; Burnham Board of Trustees member Robert Mandell; Anne Chinoda, CEO of Florida’s Blood Centers; Jim Zboril of Lake Nona; and other community supporters.

The full delegation included:

Executive Vice President & COO Burnham Institute for Medical Research, Burnham Trustee

M. Wainwright Fishburn Partner, Cooley Godward Kronish Former Burnham Trustee

Douglas Obenshain Partner, Ernst & Young LLP, San Diego, Burnham Trustee

John C. Reed, M.D., Ph.D. President & CEO, Burnham Institute for Medical Research, Burnham Trustee

Jennifer Tobin Partner, Shutts & Bowen Represented Burnham on Florida transaction

Jan Tuttleman, Ph.D., MBA Vice President, Marketing, HUYA Bioscience International in San Diego, Burnham Trustee

Ted Bonanno Attorney, Heller Ehrman LLP, Governor Bush’s staff during transaction

Kenneth Woolcott

Kay Chandler

James Zboril

Principal, Six Degrees Capital Consulting, Burnham Trustee

Partner, Cooley Godward Kronish, Counsel to Burnham for Florida transaction

President, Lake Nona, Site of Burnham’s permanent home in Orlando

Anne Chinoda President and CEO, Florida’s Blood Centers, Home of Burnham’s temporary facility

Anne Chinoda, Florida’s Blood Centers (right) with Toby Cohen and Mayor Richard Crotty

w w w. b u rn h a m . o rg | Th e Bu r n h a m Re p o r t

11

B u r n h a m R e s e a r c h U p d at e

c orona ry a rt ery d i se as e

Progress toward new therapies Coronary artery disease is a leading cause of mortality in Western countries. It cannot be cured. Recent research, led by Burnham faculty member Pilar Ruiz-Lozano, Ph.D., may lead to new therapies for coronary artery disease. The research demonstrated that stimulation of the Wnt signaling pathway is essential

for the formation of the coronary vasculature. The Wnt pathways of secreted factors has been known previously to play a role in embryogenesis and development, and it also functions as a regulator of some stem cell populations.

Previous research by the team demonstrated that vitamin A signaling is necessary to the coronary progenitors and suggested that the action of vitamin A may be mediated, at least in part, by means of the activation of Wnt

Brea st Ca nc er

T-Cadherin Affects Blood Vessel Growth; Hormone from Fat Cells May Play a Role Researchers at Burnham may have found a new option for targeted breast cancer therapy by showing the link between a certain protein and the formation and development of blood vessels that feed breast tumors. Like mortar between bricks in a wall, T-cadherin is a protein that helps cells stick together and collectively form tissues. Cancer cells that loosen their adhesive tissue bonds stop producing T-cadherin. In tumors, only the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients express this protein. Burnham faculty members Barbara Ranscht, Ph.D., and Robert Oshima, Ph.D., have led a team that developed the first living model to study this protein’s effect on tumor angiogenesis by creating a strain of mice that develops spontaneous mammary gland tumors in the absence of T-cadherin. Their results appeared March 1 in Cancer Research.

“Evidence of T-cadherin’s role in vascularization has been somewhat controversial,” explains Dr. Ranscht, senior author of the study, which

Sk i n Ca ncer

Gene Found to Play a Suppressor Role Researchers at Burnham have provided genetic evidence that Activating Transcription Factor 2 (ATF2) plays a suppressor role in skin cancer development. ATF2 is a protein that regulates gene transcription, which is the first step in the translation of genetic code, in response to extracellular stresses such as ultraviolet light and ionizing radiation. This function of ATF2 in stress and DNA damage response

12

suggests that it may also play a role in the formation of tumors.

Previous studies led by Burnham faculty member Ze’ev Ronai, Ph.D., have suggested an important role of ATF2 in melanoma development and progression. In this new study, published in an issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Ronai laboratory, in collaboration with Nic Jones, Ph.D. from the University of Manchester UK, used a mouse model that expresses a transcriptionally inactive form of ATF2 in skin cells (keratinocytes). When the mice were subjected to chemi-

T he Burnham Repor t | www.burnham.org

in the coronary progenitor cells.

The recent study provides hope for the millions of people affected by coronary disease. The group demonstrated that the mutation of the gene - ßcatenin (effector of the Wnt –signaling pathway), in a subset of cells destined to form the coronary vasculature, disrupts the formation of the vasculature of the heart in mammalian embryos. The mutation impairs differentiation of the vascular media, composed of smooth

muscle cells. In turn, activation of these cells with Wnt ligands results in increased vasculature and formation of smooth muscle cells. The work was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and provides the groundwork for alternative approaches to the cure of coronary artery disease. This research is supported by the National Institutes of Health.

includes Drs. Lionel Hebbard and Michèle Garlatti from Burnham as equally contributing first authors and Drs. Robert Cardiff and Lawrence Young as collaborators from the University of California, Davis. “But our knockout model clearly shows that T-cadherin plays a role in promoting tumor vascularization, with implications for tumor growth and animal survival.”

This study also showed for the first time in a living model that T-cadherin is essential for binding adiponectin, a hormone produced by fatty tissue that is released in inversely proportional amounts to body fat. Adiponectin has a protective effect against metabolic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke; now for the first time it is linked in a tumor model with vascular function, a relationship that the Burnham team is still exploring. “While the link between obesity and breast cancer is complex, this study shows that in the mouse, T-cadherin sequesters much of the adiponectin and thus provides a conceptual link between obesity and breast cancer,” notes Dr. Oshima.

This research is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.

cally mediated skin carcinogenesis, tumors appeared faster and more frequently. These findings reveal that loss of ATF2 transcriptional activity in skin exposed to carcinogens enhances skin tumor formation, suggesting a tumor suppressor role for ATF2 in keratinocytes.

“Important support for the finding comes from the analysis of tumor samples from human patients with non-malignant skin cancer,” states Dr. Ronai. “Unlike the strong nuclear expression of ATF2 in normal skin, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell

carcinoma (BCC) samples exhibit a significantly reduced nuclear staining for ATF2.”

The group also identified ATF2 as an upstream regulator of genes including Presenilin1 (PS1), Notch1, and ß catenin, all of which have previously been reported to be involved in skin tumor development; thus providing an example of a mechanism by which ATF2 functions as a tumor suppressor.

This research is supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

Burnham News

Walt D i s ney Worl d M arat h on Weekend O rl a n d o, Flor i da Janua ry 9 - 11, 2 0 09

What is Team Burnham for Medical Research?

Run For Discovery with Team Burnham!

Team Burnham is a group of friendly people who are willing to come together to make an extraordinary commitment.

The Team will run for discovery while raising money and awareness for the research at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research. Anyone interested is welcome to participate as part of Team Burnham.

Join Team Burnham for Medical Research!

Your teammates, Dr. John Reed, President and CEO of Burnham and Dr. Dan Kelly, Scientific Director of Burnham Florida, and a number of Burnham’s key scientists and staff invite you to join us in this amazing race.

The Team Burnham training program is geared for both beginners and experienced runners.

The full marathon program starts with three miles of running and walking, and then gradually increases in distance.

The half marathon program starts with just one mile.

Whether you have never run a step, or you are a seasoned marathoner who wants to improve your personal best, this program will help you succeed.

It’s a great way to get fit, have fun, and make a tremendous difference in disease research.

Team Burnham members enjoy: Tr ai n ing • A five month training plan by a professional marathon coach • Organized training runs with the team • Nutrition tips • Team Burnham training shirts Rac e Su pp ort/ Travel • Race entry fee • Roundtrip air and hotel accommodations in Florida • Hospitality suite and meals provided • Team Burnham shirts for race day

The Opp ortunit y to Make an Impact i n Conquering Disease • Personal fundraising tips and support website through Active.com (www.active.com) • Incentive rewards for meeting fundraising and training milestones

The money raised will provide vital support for established major medical research programs in cancer, neurodegeneration, diabetes, infectious and inflammatory and childhood diseases.

www.burn ham.org/teamburn h am

RUN FOR DISCOVERY! Join Team Burnham TODAY! Florida Kic k Off Tuesday, July 15 6 p.m.

Baker & Hostetler LLP SunTrust Center, Suite 2300, 200 South Orange Avenue Orlando, Florida 32801 Cal ifornia Kic k Off Thursday, June 26 & Wednesday, July 9

5 p.m.

Burnham Institute for Medical Research Ruoslahti Way, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road La Jolla, CA 92037

w w w. b u rn h a m . o rg | Th e Bu r n h a m Re p o r t

13

Offi c e r s a n d Tru s t ee s

Burnham

Officers

and Board of

Trustees

O ff ic er s

Board of Trustees

Malin Burnham

Linden S. Blue

Chairman

Mary F. Bradley

Gregory T. Lucier

Brigitte M. Bren

Vice Chairman

Arthur Brody

John C. Reed, M.D., Ph.D.

Terrence J. Bruggeman

President and Chief

Malin Burnham

Executive Officer

Howard I. Cohen

Professor and Donald Bren

Karin Eastham

Presidential Chair

Carl Eibl

Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D. Executive Vice President for Scientific Affairs

Jeannie Fontana, M.D., Ph.D.

Jan Tuttleman, Ph.D. Andrew J. Viterbi, Ph.D. Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D. Barbara “Bobbi� Warren Judy White Gayle E. Wilson Diane Winokur Kenneth J. Woolcott

Cert no. XXX-XXX-XXX

W.D. Grant

Ernest Beutler, M.D.

David F. Hale Brent Jacobs Robert C. Kyle Robert J. Lauer

Eric Lofgren

Sheila B. Lipinsky

Vice President

Stuart Lipton, M.D., Ph.D.

Chief Financial Officer

Gregory T. Lucier

and Treasurer

Douglas F. Manchester

Secretary

Stuart Tanz

Ex -O ffici o

Executive Vice President and

Margaret Dunbar

Scott South

Alan A. Gleicher

Karin Eastham Chief Operating Officer

John C. Reed, M.D., Ph.D.

Robert A. Mandell Nico Nierenberg

FPO

Douglas H. Obenshain Mark A. Pulido

Printed on recycled paper.

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage 10901 North Torrey Pines Road La Jolla, CA 92037

PAID The Burnham Institute