15 YEARS
leading the way 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
leading the way 2014 ANNUAL REPORT
the buck index 1999–2014 2003 Julie Andersen links iron to Parkinson’s disease in the cover story of the journal Neuron.
September 30, 1999 The Buck Institute officially opens its doors with President & CEO Dale Bredesen, MD, at the helm.
1999
2000
2000 Simon Melov and Gordon Lithgow report the first successful use of a drug-like compound to extend lifespan in an animal. The study is published in Science.
2006 In results published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Bredesen lab genetically engineers “Alzheimer’s” mice that have normal memory despite the presence of amyloid plaques in their brains.
2006 The Institute’s first capital campaign concludes with the establishment of the Larry L. Hillblom Center for Integrative Studies of Aging.
2003 The Institute’s auditorium is named for Trustee Fred Drexler in honor of his $3 million gift to the Institute.
2001
2002
2003
2004
2006 The Institute’s first patent is awarded to Dale Bredesen, MD, and others for “Modulators of Paraptosis and Related Methods.”
2005
2006
2007 A $25 million “Roadmap” award from the NIH establishes a new field of research called “geroscience,” which will focus on the intersection of aging and chronic disease. The Buck’s award is one of only nine granted in the country. CAMPISI ZENG
BENZ Cancer Biology GIBSON
2006 Christopher Benz, MD, in partnership with the Marin Department of Health and Human Services, helps launch the Marin Women’s Study.
Biochemistry
Proteomics
Stem Cell Biol
HUGHES Genetics
GILL
Nutrition
Chemical Biology
Bi Neuroscience
Invertebrate Biology
LITHGOW
G
MELOV
ANDERSEN
VIJG
2007 In a study published in PLoS One, the Melov lab shows that strength training reverses aging in human skeletal muscle. 2007 A grant of $4.1 million from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) establishes a shared research laboratory for stem cell technology at the Institute.
2007
2008
2009 In a study published in Nature Cell Biology, Judith Campisi establishes the basis for research on “inflammaging” by showing that DNA-damaged cells communicate with neighboring cells.
2009
GREENBERG
logy NICHOLLS
ELLERBY
ioenergetics
BREDESEN
2010
2011
2011 Douglas Rosenberg invests $3.5 million to fund drug development efforts in the Bredesen lab.
2008 CIRM awards the Buck Institute $20.5 million in seed money to build a new facility for stem cell research.
2009 Publishing in Cell, Pankaj Kapahi shows that a low-protein “antiAtkins” diet extends lifespan in fruit flies.
2011 Publishing in Nature, the Lithgow lab reveals that a common laboratory dye profoundly extends lifespan and slows the disease process in nematode worms with Alzheimer’slike pathology.
2010 Brian K. Kennedy, PhD, is appointed the Buck Institute’s second president & CEO.
2010 CIRM awards the Zeng lab $6 million to develop a stem-cellderived treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
2012 Board member Arthur Gensler Jr. and his wife, Drue, donate $5 million to the Buck. The Institute’s administra tive building is renamed in their honor.
2012
2012 The Institute spins off its first company, Delos Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
2012 The Buck opens its second research building on April 14. More than 1,000 people attend an open house celebrating the new Regenerative Medicine Research Center.
2013 The Institute opens its new Learning Center. Its mission is to foster young scientists and encourage life-long science education.
2013
2014
2013 The Melov and Kennedy labs publish research in Aging Cell that shows the drug rapamycin reverses heart disease in elderly mice.
2014 The Buck Institute and the University of Southern California collaborate to launch the nation’s first PhD program in the biology of aging.
Genomics
KAPAHI
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 3
Letter from CEO Brian Kennedy and Board Chair Larry E. Rosenberger
W
e are extremely proud to celebrate our 15th anniversary. Since its inception, the Buck Institute has been leading the way in viewing aging not just as an inevitable consequence of time but as a biological process that can be described, and modified, in order to stem the tide of chronic disease. We named this study “geroscience,” a term that has been adopted by the National Institutes of Health, is used in Congress, and is now understood globally. Geroscience is what makes the Buck unique. We bring scientists from disparate fields together and unite them with one common focus—to extend human healthspan. Our pioneering approach is gaining momentum, evidenced by the growing number of the Buck’s scientific collaborations with scores of other leading institutes locally, nationally, and internationally (see map, page 14). Brian Kennedy and Larry Rosenberger
An outstanding example of our approach is the Buck Aging Intervention Testing (BAIT) project, which was launched this year. BAIT is the most comprehensive project in the world to attempt to map, and then improve, healthy aging in mammals. This research is leading the way by providing a desperately needed bridge between mice and humans that will ultimately lead to the clinical testing of drugs to improve healthy aging. Described as a game changer by others in the field, BAIT has become a major focus of our fundraising efforts. Education, both of young scientists and the public, is central to our mission. With the launch of the nation’s first PhD Program in the Biology of Aging, which we established in collaboration with the University of Southern California, as well as our community outreach, we now have education from “K-to-grey” and are implementing various plans to bring engaging science education to local schools. Celebrating our 15th anniversary gives us an opportunity to reflect on our past achievements and to look to what we want to be in the future—a major player in the revolution from sick care to health care. This comes at a time when we fully expect that federal funding will remain flat for many years to come. Even though our scientists continue to receive highly competitive awards from the National Institutes of Health, we must reduce our dependency on government funding. At the Buck, we are focused on diversifying our revenue and increasing our collaborations with industry and global partners. We are also intent on changing the erroneous perception that our financial stability is guaranteed by our relationship with the Buck Trust. While the Trust is an important part of our history, in this past year just 17.5 percent of our revenues came from that source. Our visionary research is fueled by, and is dependent on, the support of our individual donors as well as our corporate and foundation sponsors. We are extremely grateful for these contributions and hope that you will continue to support our cause—keeping people healthier, longer. In our rapidly aging society, this issue has never been more important.
Brian K. Kennedy, PhD President and Chief Executive Officer
4 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
Larry E. Rosenberger
Chair, Board of Trustees
The Buck Index 2014
leading the way
2
CEO Brian Kennedy on What’s Ahead for Research on Aging There’s No Stopping Geroscience Buck Faculty
6
9
10
Year in Review
12
Celebrating Our History
2014 Board of Trustees
28
Scientific Advisory Board Buck Advisory Council Financial Summary
29
30
32
25
Cumulative Donors
32
Cumulative Sponsors
33
Honor Roll of Donors
33
Buck Staff
36
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 5
What’s Ahead for Research on Aging? CEO Brian Kennedy on the Future of the Buck What direction is the Buck Institute headed in?
Brian Kennedy: Aging research used to be a pretty insular affair—not many people wanted to talk to us. That’s changed dramatically in the past few years. The aging field is hot right now, and as the nation’s first independent research institute to focus solely on the connection between aging and chronic disease, we very happily wear the mantle of leadership in the field. Not only are we doing great science and beginning to develop drugs for the diseases of aging, we’re also on the front lines of promoting healthspan vs. lifespan. We think we’ll be able to give people an extra decade of good health—that’s our focus. The public as well as physicians, public health officials, pharmaceutical executives, and those in other research disciplines are starting to appreciate the science behind aging and to understand the urgency of our mission. But it’s not all smooth sailing, is it?
No, it’s not. There’s a lot of promise, but also a lot of frustration. The nonprofit medical research system is going to break in the United States unless there’s a renewed commitment from the government to support it, and I’m not seeing any signs of
6 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
that right now. We’re seeing major research institutions pushed to the brink of bankruptcy. Unless they have access to massive financial resources, I am not sure that long-term financial sustainability can be assured. We have to find ways to grow in this environment because global aging is happening now. That means we need to expand our important research by getting more grants, increasing philanthropic support, and finding new ways to bring in resources. We will never run away from our mission to extend healthspan and perform highly impactful aging research, and we will continue to be competitive for NIH grants, but we also have to be realistic that there’s little sign that the NIH budget is going increase anytime soon. We must be creative and find the paths that ensure financial sustainability and growth into the future. How important are our global partnerships to the future of the Buck?
Aging is a global problem. There are countries where the percentage of people over 65 will approach 40 percent in the near future. At the Buck, we need to raise global awareness and build a research network to understand and deal
Brian Kennedy with lab aide Christine Robbins
with aging, rather than trying to conquer this huge burden individually. I think that’s a perfect strategy going forward. If you want to look at ways other countries can cooperate in a meaningful way, why don’t we pick the next pandemic and prevent it? Aging is the top candidate. We want to promote
As we learn more about the molecular and genetic markers of aging, we need to have strategies to test them in the clinic. Right now people go to the doctor when they’re sick. We need people to go when they’re healthy so that we can catch the first changes that suggest that someone is starting to head down the wrong path. We already know what some of those things are, and the list of indicators of health and biomarkers of aging likely will continue to expand. We also need to start thinking about how to intervene with people who are still healthy, with the goal of keeping them healthy for as long as possible. This could involve everything from natural products to drug interventions to healthy diets and lifestyle. Essentially, I believe an effective program to extend healthspan ultimately will involve combined strategies that are personalized to the individual—a personalized approach to offset personal aging. That’s going to require some massive changes, won’t it?
that effort—to continue training people from Kazakhstan, partnering with institutes in Russia, thinking about the problems that are unique to China, and interacting with researchers in Korea, Chile, and throughout the world.
Yes, in addition to the crisis in federal research funding, the medical field is going through a huge transition right now. The impact of the Affordable Care Act will be large and unpredictable, especially over the next few years. If we can get people insured, it’s a great thing, and if we can reimburse prevention, that’s a great thing. But any time you make a major shift in the landscape, you get unpredictable fallout. Everywhere we look there’s unpredictability and stress.
We also need to figure out how to bring global resources together in a way that allows us to do something really revolutionary—convert medicine from sick care to healthcare. There are many opportunities where institutions can partner in ways that promote each other’s goals, and we must continue to seek them out.
But I’m still very optimistic. We’re trying to bring about a revolution, and there is no way to do that without upheaval. We’re trying to go from sick care to healthcare. It’s the right thing to do. It’s costeffective and it improves quality of life. It’s the right argument for 20 different reasons, and people are beginning to recognize the potential.
Brian Kennedy discusses research with Buck faculty Gordon Lithgow, PhD, and postdoc Daniel Edgar, PhD.
How do you envision the future of aging itself? How do we get there?
We need a broad spectrum of changes. We need to be promoting healthy lifestyles. I don’t care if you’re 10 or 15 or 25 or 30 or 50 or 70, that’s got to be done. That’s the starting point.
8 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
At the Buck, we’re doing our best to make the science go forward as quickly as possible while we go through this transitional crisis. We are going to emerge from it stronger and grow in ways that promote the extension of healthspan. The best way to predict the future is to create it.
and exploit links between aging and chronic disease. Initial partners include geriatricians and basic scientists from the Buck Institute, Mayo Clinic, Barshop Institute, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Stanford University School of Medicine; Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Wake Forest Universities; and the Universities of Washington, Arkansas, Minnesota, and Michigan.
pisi
Geroscience at the Buck Institute Geroscience was conceived and nurtured at the Buck Institute and continues to grow in scope. Sharing an intense focus on the link between aging and chronic disease, Buck faculty collaborations are bringing together the biology of normal aging and the origins of chronic diseases.
a
Cam
Benz
Activity at the National Level The first Geroscience Summit, held on the campus of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), involved Buck scientists, representatives from 20 NIH institutes, and researchers from across the country. The focus was on understanding the impact of aging on healthspan and chronic disease. The NIH funded a grant to establish a national interdisciplinary network of aging centers as the basis for a Geroscience Network to understand
Lamb
on
Ze
bs
ng
Gi
Ke n
Cancer Biology
dy
b en
re
G
Stress Biology
Hu
g
er
ne
Proteomics
on
rris
ghe
Ga
s Nutrition
Genetics
Mammalian Aging
Stem Cell Biology
Brand
lls Nicho
Biochemistry Bioenergetics
Physiology
Lithgow
Brem
Genomics
Chemical Biology
Metabolomics
ov Mel
Neuroscience
ak
ny
Epigenomics
rby
Ha
gh
Bioinformatics Invertebrate Biology
igh
i
Br
er
e ed
Andersen
y
n se
ahi Kap
an
Ramanath
Mo one
Lu
Elle
Metallomics
sp
ncer logy
Geroscience is the new scientific discipline that spans the biology of aging and age-related disease. Based on the idea that aging itself is the major cause of the diseases of aging, geroscience took on a life of its own this year. Coined by the Buck, the term cropped up in congressional briefings and in the agendas of national organizations.
Ja
ncer logy
There’s No Stopping Geroscience
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 9
Buck Faculty Julie K. Andersen PhD, Professor
Targeting cell death in Parkinson’s disease, identification of novel therapeutics
Dale Bredesen
Chris Benz
MD, Professor Bench-to-bedside and community efforts to reduce breast cancer incidence and improve patient outcomes
Rachel Brem
Judith Campisi
Understanding how and why traits related to longevity and the diseases of aging differ between individuals
Senescence-related mechanisms that link tumor suppression and the development of cancer to aging and the major diseases that are associated with aging
Jennifer L. Garrison
Bradford W. Gibson PhD, Professor
David Greenberg
PhD, Assistant Professor
Uncovering the role of neuropeptides in aging and disease
Understanding the biological and chemical processes that are common to both agerelated diseases and aging
Vascular and neuronal mechanisms in stroke
MD, Professor
Mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and potential therapeutics
PhD, Associate Professor
10 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
PhD, Professor
MD, PhD, Professor
Martin Brand PhD, Professor
Altered energy metabolism and radical production in aging and disease
Lisa Ellerby
PhD, Associate Professor Understanding the pathways that lead to nerve cell death in Huntington’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders
Pejmun Haghighi PhD, Professor
Tuning neural function as it relates to aging and agerelated diseases
Robert Hughes
PhD, Associate Professor Understanding the mechanisms of aging and neurodegeneration in healthy adults and in people with disorders such as Huntington’s disease
Deepak A. Lamba MBBS, PhD, Assistant Professor
Development of stem cell technologies for treating vision disorders
Sean D. Mooney
PhD, Associate Professor Using computers to enable the next generation of biomedical research
Heinrich Jasper PhD, Professor
Enhancing stem cell function to promote longevity
Gordon Lithgow PhD, Professor
Uncovering genes and small molecules that prolong lifespan through enhanced molecular stability
David G. Nicholls PhD, Professor
Mitochondrial function and the life and death of cells
Pankaj Kapahi PhD, Professor
Understanding the role of nutrition and energy metabolism in lifespan and disease
Victoria Lunyak
PhD, Associate Professor Understanding the epigenetic principles of human adult stem cell aging
Arvind Ramanathan
PhD, Assistant Professor Molecular physiology of skeletal muscle regeneration, aging, and the formation of tumors
Brian K. Kennedy
PhD, Buck Institute CEO and Professor Moving research in aging from simple organisms into mammals to improve human health
Simon Melov PhD, Professor
Identifying molecular hallmarks of aging to guide the development of anti-aging therapies
Xianmin Zeng
PhD, Associate Professor Developing stem-cell-based treatments for neurodegenerative disorders
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 11
year in review New Grants and Published Research TOP FOUNDATION GRANTS • $200,000 from Part the Cloud/Alzheimer’s Association to Dale Bredesen to help fund a clinical trial in Australia. • $150,000 from the Progeria Research Foundation to Brian Kennedy for small-molecule testing in mouse models of progeria, a disease characterized by premature aging.
3 Image of human light-sensing cells inside a mouse eye
TOP GRANTS FROM THE NIH • $2.9 million for a 5-year grant to Gordon Lithgow for “The Pharmacology of Lifespan Extension,” research to identify the mechanism of action of compounds that delay the onset of age-related pathologies and extend lifespan in animal models. • $2.1 million 5-year grant to Pejmun Haghighi for “Retrograde Regulation of Synaptic Strength by Translational Methods,” research to unravel molecular components and mechanisms that maintain stability in neural circuits. • $1.7 million to Gordon Lithgow, Simon Melov, Pankaj Kapahi, and collaborators at Rutgers University and the University of Oregon for “Discovering Compounds with Robust Pro-Longevity Activities.” Researchers are developing sorely needed standard operating procedures for compound screening in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). An “automated lifespan machine” has been built at the Buck. 1 • $755,000 to Jennifer Garrison to explore neuropeptide signaling in C. elegans. Neuropeptides are one of the major signals used by neurons to modulate behavior and physiology, and neuropeptide receptors are important targets for the treatment of disease. 2 • $200,000 to Campisi lab postdoctoral fellow RemiMartin Laberge, the recipient of a highly coveted and competitive K-99 award that provides federal funding to transition promising postdocs to running their own lab as a faculty member. Laberge’s research is focused on inflammation and aging.
12 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
• $120,000 from the Foundation for Retinal Research to Deepak Lamba to study long-term survival of stem-cell-derived photoreceptors in mice suffering from retinal deterioration. 3
2 A 3D model of the C. elegans connectome (map of neural connections) from the Open Worm Project
1 New “automated lifespan scanners” are designed to accelerate the discovery of compounds that slow aging. The scanners track lifespan in C. elegans—in animals that are aging naturally and in those treated with compounds that could extend their lifespan.
ABOVE This “word cloud” is composed of words appearing in the abstracts of Buck Institute studies published in 2014. The size of each word indicates its frequency of use as an indicator of importance. 4 Image of fly intestines; the nuclei are stained blue and intestinal cell structures are in green, with associated blood cells in red.
SIGNIFICANT PUBLICATIONS • Publishing in Cell, the Jasper lab provided the first systematic understanding of the aging gut microbiome, showing that altering the community of gut bacteria promotes health and increases lifespan in fruit flies. 4 • The Bredesen lab found a link between ApoE4, a major genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s, and SirT1, an “anti-aging protein” that is targeted by resveratrol, which is found in red wine. The study was published in PNAS. • The prestigious British journal Nature published commentaries from three Buck faculty this year. In a News & Views article, “Cell biology: The beginning of the end,” Judith Campisi discussed findings suggesting that cellular senescence, which is known to suppress cancer and promote aging, may have evolved to regulate embryonic development. In “Treat Ageing; Clinical studies: Prepare for human testing,” Brian Kennedy co-authored a piece that calls for the development of biomarkers that can be used in clinical trials. Simon Melov co-authored “Treat Ageing; Preclinical studies: Track function in ageing animals,” which described methodology that would provide a bridge between interventional testing in mice and clinical trials in humans.
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 13
year in review THE BUCK’S GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS Buck Institute scientists are leaders in aging research, and this is evident with their extensive research collaborations in preeminent universities, institutes, and companies situated locally, nationally, and around the globe.
SF BAY AREA Amarantus Biosciences Berkeley National Labs BioMarin CA Department of Health California Pacific Medical Center Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute Gladstone iRND3 Marin County Department of Health and Human Services Stanford University UC Berkeley UCSF
Brigham Women’s Hospital California Institute of Technology Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Central Michigan University Duke University Fred Hutchison Cancer Center Genomics Institute for Novartis Research Georgia Institute of Technology Harvard University Indiana University Johns Hopkins University Keck Graduate Institute Loyola University
NATIONAL
Maine Medical Center Research Institute
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Mayo Clinic
Baylor College of Medicine
Mount Sinai Hospital
Brandeis University
Miami University
NIH
14 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
NYU Ogenx Therapeutics Corporation Oregon Health & Science University RestorGenex Corporation Scripps Research Institute Seahorse Bioscience Texas A&M University
University of Minnesota University of North Carolina University of North Texas University of Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh University of Rochester
GLOBAL Akbaraly Foundation, Madagascar The Chinese University of Hong Kong Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands Guangdong Medical College, China
University of Texas
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
University of Texas Health Science Center
Institute for Medical Genetics and Human Genetics, Germany
University of Texas Southwestern
Institute of Biology Paris-Seine, France
University of Colorado
University of Washington
McGill University, Canada
University of Connecticut Health Center
Wake Forest University
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Russia
UCLA UCSC UCSD University of Arkansas University of California, Irvine
University of Illinois
Washington University
University of Maine
Wayne State University
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
University of Miami
Yale University
University of Michigan
National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Netherlands National University of Ireland, Galway Peking University, China
Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Austria Seoul National University, South Korea Southern Star Research, Australia University College London, England University of Basel, Switzerland University of Chile University of Graz, Austria University of Hong Kong University of Leuven, Belgium University of Manchester, England University of Montreal, Canada University of Oxford, England Utrecht University, Netherlands
The Buck’s First Clinical Trial Is Aimed at Mild Cognitive Impairment Due to Alzheimer’s Disease
T
he Buck Institute’s first clinical trial for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease, is under way in Australia. Emanating from groundbreaking research by Dr. Dale Bredesen and his lab at the Buck, the Phase 1b/2a trial is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 36 patients. The drug being tested, “F03,” is a therapeutic that binds three different receptors involved in cognitive function. Buck research revealed that one of those targets addresses a key process in the brain that is distorted early on in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Preclinical studies demonstrated that F03 improves cognitive function and alleviates memory problems in mouse models of Alzheimer’s, providing support for the drug’s disease-modifying capacity. “It is extremely rewarding to have this work move into human trials—we are optimistic about this important first trial,” says Bredesen, whose Buck lab continues to work on Alzheimer’s therapeutics while he also takes the helm as the Director of the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Research at the University of California, Los Angeles. F03 is already approved in Australia (and 48 other countries) for use in an acute indication; it is very well tolerated and appears to have a very mild side effect profile. The Phase 1b/2a trial will assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy
of two dose levels of F03. If results (expected by the summer of 2015) are positive, F03 will advance into Phase 2a studies involving significant numbers of patients in the United States and Australia. “We are excited to commence the first clinical trial of F03 for the treatment of MCI,” says Stelios Tzannis, PhD, the Buck’s Director for Clinical Sciences. “F03’s novel, multi-targeted mechanism of action gives us increased confidence that it may be a new, highly valuable therapeutic candidate.” The F03 clinical trial was enabled by federal grants as well as support from the Ellen and Douglas Rosenberg Foundation, Bechtel Foundation, and Alzheimer’s Association, as well as philanthropic support from Hussam and Suhir Hasiba Abu Issa. “We are grateful for the varied sources of support that led to this groundbreaking work,” says Tzannis. “The Buck continues to build and expand its position in the field of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, and has multiple new funding opportunities. We are poised to move the science towards development of novel, safe, and effective drugs to combat these devastating diseases.”
Stelios Tzannis (left) is running the Buck’s first clinical trial based on research by Dale Bredesen (right). Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 15
year in review
New Faculty Enhance the Buck’s Collaborative Environment
T
hree new faculty set up labs at the Buck this year, jumping into collaborations that showcase their research advances and support the Buck’s overarching mission to extend healthspan. Two are neuroscientists— the other is a geneticist.
PEJMUN HAGHIGHI, PHD, PROFESSOR Conventional wisdom assumes that aging leads to accumulative defects in neuronal function and signaling at synaptic junctions, followed by the loss of neural connections and degeneration. Pejmun Haghighi’s group is exploring a possibility that turns this assumption on its head. Perhaps it’s not aging that triggers synaptic dysfunction. What if the imbalance in synaptic signaling comes first, setting off a cascade of events that leads to the “aging” of the brain manifested by age-related dementia and movement disorders? The Buck Institute is the perfect place to continue the work Haghighi started at Montreal’s McGill University. “One of our goals is to design approaches that would address neurodegenerative diseases from a new angle,” he says. “We want to understand and hopefully reverse the imbalances in synaptic function that may precede neurodegeneration by decades.” Haghighi is keen to understand the underpinnings of synaptic dysfunction at the molecular level and to characterize the role of disease-related genes in this process. “It’s the only way we will be able to discover the fundamental causes of neurodegenerative diseases.” Earlier in his career, Haghighi identified the nutrient-sensing pathway target-of-rapamycin (TOR) as a critical player in balancing synaptic activity in
16 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
fruit flies. His focus on TOR formed an immediate connection with other Buck faculty. Collaborations with the Kapahi and Jasper labs are looking at how diet and gut function influence synaptic activity, with an emphasis on TOR as a central player. He’s also developed a model of Parkinson’s disease that the Andersen lab will use to understand how changes in synaptic function affect disease and lifespan.
JENNIFER GARRISON, PHD, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Jennifer Garrison is a 2014 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow and recipient of the Glenn Foundation Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging. Her research aims to uncover the role of neuropeptides—the signaling molecules influencing processes such as appetite control, sleep, pair bonding, and energy metabolism—in aging and disease. Garrison works with C. elegans, a worm with 302 neurons, as a model to investigate the human brain with its roughly 86 billion neurons and trillions of connections. “We are still in the Dark Ages regarding the brain, the most complicated object in the universe,” she says. “This simple worm, which shares a number of neuropeptide genes and enzymatic pathways with higher animals, provides a perfect starting point for the work.” Garrison is designing experiments with new faculty member Rachel Brem to investigate sources of genetic variation in C. elegans. She also plans to develop a strain of C. elegans that would improve early-stage drug screening. The tiny worms have a natural resistance to many foreign substances that makes them a challenge for scientists wanting to test the efficacy of drugs. Her “druggable worm” would provide a way around that.
RACHEL BREM, PHD, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR Rachel Brem, who came from the University of California, Berkeley, is interested in how and why traits related to longevity and age-related diseases differ between individuals. These differences are due in part to changes deep within cells in the DNA sequences of genomes. Using cutting-edge methods and computer analysis to carry out massively parallel experiments, Brem sifts through a “haystack” of genomic information from individuals within a species and looks for “needles” that impact the aging process or age-related disease. Her focus for now is on the genetics of caloric restriction, which extends lifespan and healthspan in fruit flies and single-celled yeast. Working with Buck President and CEO Brian Kennedy and Professor Pankaj Kapahi, the Brem lab has already shown that caloric restriction has different effects on genetically distinct individuals. Mapping these genetic variations will provide new insights into aging biology and help accelerate the discovery of molecules in humans that can be targeted by new drugs.
LEFT TO RIGHT: Pejmun Haghighi, Rachel Brem, and Jennifer Garrison
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 17
year in review
Seed Funding from the Buck Impact Circle Rewards Researchers and Donors
BELOW Members of the Buck Impact Circle toured Buck labs in April, meeting with faculty Julie Andersen (first photo on right) and Judith Campisi (second photo in center). The group also spent time in the Patxi’s Pizza Learning Center with K–12 Education Coordinator Julie Mangada, PhD (bottom left).
T
he Buck Impact Circle is a perfect example of impact philanthropy in medical research: providing seed funding to encourage greater financial support from other sources as well as bringing donors close to the scientists they support. The initial collaboration with the Marin Community Foundation brought $85,000 to two Buck faculty this year—Judith Campisi and Julie Andersen—enabling them to obtain preliminary data that resulted in a successful $533,000 grant application to the NIH to study environmental toxins and their potential link to senescence-related neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease. Responding to an invitation from the Marin Community Foundation, the Institute developed the Buck Impact Circle as an opportunity for Marin residents to become more intimately engaged with the work being done at the Buck and to tap into deep regional interest in matters relating to healthy aging. A group of 19 donors pooled their individual contributions to create the first Impact Circle, and subsequently indicated their strong support for one of the eight scientific research projects that were presented to the group.
Buck Impact Circle members and staff from the Marin Community Foundation attend the Buck Advisory Council dinner. From left: Andrew and Ann Matheison, Dorene Schiro, Brian Van Weele and Linda Sweeney of Marin Community Foundation, and Dayton Coles.
The Buck Impact Circle gave their inaugural award to Campisi and Andersen for work on “Cancer and the Aging Brain.” Campisi is internationally recognized for her pioneering work on senescence, a tumor suppressor mechanism that also drives aging. Andersen, who brings her expertise in neurodegeneration to studies involving the aging brain, has received awards for her research on Parkinson’s disease. This collaborative approach to aging research from scientists in disparate fields is unique to the Institute and was highly attractive to donors. Members of the Buck Impact Circle visited both the Andersen and Campisi labs, where they met the bench scientists who are doing the experiments. “It is extremely exciting and gratifying to have a front row seat to the research being done at the Institute,” says Impact Circle member Dayton Coles. “As a Marin resident, I now have a way to support an internationally recognized organization, located in my own backyard, that is changing the way the world ages. Getting to have a personal relationship with the scientists is a huge thrill.” “I am so happy to get to know the people who are supporting our research,” Andersen says. “Scientists love what they do, and to be able to share our enthusiasm and gratitude directly with donors is hugely satisfying and motivating.” Given the success of the inaugural program for both scientists and donors, Carlotta Duncan, PhD, the Institute’s Director for Scientific Advancement, is now looking to expand this initiative to include more donors who will be able to have an impact on multiple Buck projects and disease areas.
18 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
Historic BAIT Project Opens New Path from Animal Studies to Human Trials
A
case can be made that BAIT—the Buck Aging Intervention Testing project—is the most significant scientific venture undertaken in the Institute’s history. Designed to provide a needed roadmap for moving promising therapies from mice into humans, BAIT has received kudos from national officials and is energizing Buck scientists who are eager to move the research forward. BAIT is the largest study on aging in mice involving drug interventions that could extend healthspan. Going beyond survival data, it is one of the first studies to track function both in mice that age naturally and those treated with drug interventions. Function, says project director Simon Melov, is where the scientific “gold” needs to be mined. “Once we determine how interventions impact cardiac tissue, bone, metabolism, and other systems in mice, we’ll be able to make exciting connections to similar measures in humans,” he says. “That’s the only way we’re going to be able to design human clinical trials to test the compounds that work, and we need that common ground.” “Pharmaceutical companies don’t know what to do when I tell them we can make mice live longer,” says Buck CEO Brian Kennedy, who facilitated the project by committing institutional funds to it. “When I talk about measuring age-related cardiac hypertrophy or bone density, they get excited—there are markets for those
CT scan of a live mouse showing the skeleton. The colored bones represent areas of interest in regards to age-related changes in bone.
conditions,” he says. “BAIT gives us a way to meet drug developers half way, and it also connects us with human researchers and gerontologists in the clinic.” The first phase of BAIT, initiated in January 2013, involved 4 compounds and 770 genetically identical mice that entered the study at 20 months of age (roughly equivalent to a 60-year-old human). The research yielded terabytes of data that are being analyzed by scientists from five labs. In the meantime, fundraising for the second phase of BAIT is under way—an effort that could involve as many as 1,500 mice and 20 new drug interventions. “In the past decade, clinical testing standards for humans have been developed that involve balance, memory, muscle strength, walking speed, blood pressure, and bone density, among others,” says Kennedy. “By adapting and testing those assessments in the mice, BAIT will help us determine which interventions should be advanced to human testing.” Kennedy says this is where it gets really exciting. “There are numerous pharmacological compounds and nutritional interventions that show promise in animal models, but we’ve not been able to move them forward into human clinical trials. BAIT gives us a way to cross that chasm.” LEFT Emmeline Academia, a research associate in the Kennedy lab, checks fittings on cages that measure multiple metabolic metrics in mice.
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 19
year in review
Buck Scientists Collaborate with Amarantus to Develop a Protein That Prevents Cell Death Amarantus Bioscience is sponsoring research in both the Jasper and Lamba labs, engaging their postdoctoral fellow Joana Neves, PhD. Neves showed that the secreted protein MANF (mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor) may be a critical factor in retinal tissue repair in flies and mice. MANF is a proprietary protein held by Amarantus, a company focused on discovering and developing treatments and diagnostics for diseases associated with neurodegeneration and apoptosis (programmed cell death). MANF is a targeted therapeutic that addresses the underlying pathology associated with a wide range of devastating human disorders, including retinitis pigmentosa and Parkinson’s disease. “We were highly impressed with preliminary data generated at the Buck Institute,” says Gerald E. Commissiong, president and CEO of Amarantus. “Given the stellar science from the Jasper and Lamba labs, we are confident that this will be just the beginning of our relationship with the Buck.”
LEFT Postdoc Joana Neves spearheads a sponsored research project involving the secreted protein MANF, which is upregulated in response to retinal damage in both the fly and the mouse.
Buck Hosts Kazakh Scientists Five scientists on fellowships from Kazakhstan came to the Buck for training on cutting-edge stem cell and genomic technology. Buck faculty Victoria Lunyak (center) mentored their investigation of treatments for skin wounds in diabetic patients. Three will continue their work in the new Kazakh Genomic Facility at Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University. Two remain on year-long fellowships at the Buck in the Lunyak and Benz labs. Brian Kennedy is at top left.
20 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
Buck Advisory Council Members Invest in Buck Science Through their Weldon Foundation, Inc., father-and-son team Norm (below, right ) and Tom Weldon (below, left ) are funding research in the Kennedy, Lithgow, and Pankaj Kapahi (below, center) labs. Their $200,000 investment allows scientists to study the impact of natural products on aging in yeast, worms, and fruit flies.
Hussam Abu Issa is supporting epilepsy research in the lab of Lisa Ellerby. The research is based on findings that show possible shared mechanisms between epilepsy and Huntington’s disease. This year he gave more than $169,000 to purchase needed technology and to support scientists studying the effects of epilepsy drugs in mouse models of the disease.
Through his company Ivivi Health Sciences, LLC, Steven M. Gluckstern (on right with Pejmun Haghighi ) sponsored $35,000 in research for the Haghighi lab to measure the impact of pulsed electromagnetic field exposure on synaptic transmission in fruit flies.
LabCures LabCures, a new Buck for-profit spinoff, hopes to generate money for life sciences research by using the Internet to attract lots of small donations. Different from typical crowd-funding sites, LabCures will only feature research from established labs, and donations will go immediately to researchers without having to meet a threshold for initial funding before donations are collected.
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 21
year in review
Busy Year in the Patxi’s Pizza Learning Center Foretells Major Program Expansion The Buck Institute’s K–12 education program touched more than 2,200 children in 2014—a number that is poised to swell, thanks to a major gift from Bill Freeman, the CEO of Patxi’s Pizza and a Buck Advisory Council member. Known for local philanthropy dedicated to education and children’s health and welfare, Patxi’s is working with the Buck Institute to develop
22 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
special summer camps and scholarship programs to reach underserved children who would not generally have opportunities to be immersed in science. Plans are also being made for additional science education outreach through Patxi’s res taurants, with nine locations in the Bay Area and stores in Denver and Seattle.
“The Buck is a perfect partner for us,” says Freeman. “Working toward a healthy lifespan for the children of today is a great way to ensure the world’s future. We’re very excited about the programming and opportunities the Patxi’s Pizza Learning Center will offer the Bay Area community and beyond.” Buck Advisory Council member Bill Freeman with the 2014 Summer Scholars in the Patxi’s Pizza Learning Center.
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 23
year in review
The Buck Institute and the University of Southern California Launch PhD Program in the Biology of Aging
F
or the first time in this country, a program is under way to train PhDs who will be experts in the biology of aging, thanks to the vision and collaborative intent of leaders at the Buck Institute and the University of Southern California (USC) Davis School of Gerontology. Four students have been selected for the 2014 inaugural class, which will feature course work and bench-based research at both campuses. The joint Buck-USC program will include research and education on regenerative medicine and the molecular, cellular, and integrative biology of aging. “Establishing this PhD program marks a milestone in the development of the Buck, both in terms of our mission and our commitment to lead the field of aging research,” says Buck president and CEO Brian Kennedy. “The next generation of scientists dedicated to extending human healthspan are waiting in the wings—this program will allow them to jump into the field fully prepared to participate and make their own breakthroughs.” Most of the students selected for the program already have a firm footing in aging research. Megumi Mori comes from Montreal’s McGill University, where she worked on age-related neurodegeneration in fruit flies (Drosophila)
LEFT from top: Azar Asadi Shahmirzadi, Megumi Mori, and Maria Konovalenko RIGHT Kenneth Wilson
24 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
under the tutelage of Buck faculty Pejmun Haghighi, who maintains a lab there. Maria Konovalenko will arrive from Moscow with a master’s degree in applied mathematics and physics and extensive knowledge of aging research, acquired as vice president of Science for Life Extension, a nonprofit foundation aimed at supporting and increasing funding for the field. Azar Asadi Shahmirzadi received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, where she focused on irritable bowel syndrome.
Kenneth Wilson begins his PhD studies already knowing his way around the Buck. A Novato native, he received his master’s degree from Dominican University, working under Buck faculty Pankaj Kapahi, who urged him to apply for the program. After initial coursework at USC, he will be back in the Kapahi lab, managing 180 strains of fruit flies on various diets and looking at natural genetic variations that extend lifespan and impact metabolism, body weight, and activity levels.
Celebrating Our History
From Dream to Reality—1975 to 1999 back. In March of 1985, Marin County Supervisor Gary Giacomini proposed resolving the dispute by using half of the estate to create a new research center in Marin that focused on Alzheimer’s and age-related diseases. That same month, in response to the trial judge’s call for settlement options, Mrs. Buck’s executor, John Elliot Cook, proposed the creation of a freestanding research institute on aging in Marin County. In preparing the case for trial, Mr. Cook’s attorney, Mary McEachron (now the Buck Institute’s Chief Administrative Officer), asked eminent gerontologist John W. Rowe, MD, of Harvard Medical School to convene a panel of renowned experts in aging to consider the feasibility of creating such a research center. The seven-member panel created a vision and a preliminary plan for a collaborative institute of distinguished scientists from diverse fields—all focused on research with the greatest potential to extend the healthy years of life.
The history of the Buck Institute begins with Beryl Hamilton Buck. In letters to her trustees, she said that, among other things, she wanted “to extend help toward the problems of the aged,” not only the indigent, but those afflicted by accident and illness late in life.”
“We can only imagine how proud Auntie Beryl would be of the incredible gift she sponsored to improve the quality of life for those who are challenged with the aging process” —Bill and Vicki Hamilton, Beryl Buck’s grand-nephew and his wife The Marin philanthropist died in 1975. The events that led to the opening of the Buck Institute in 1999 followed one of the most highly publicized and studied chapters in American philanthropy. Mrs. Buck left most of her estate (initially valued at $10 to $12 million) to The San Francisco Foundation, to be spent in Marin County. By the time probate settled in 1979, the value of the Buck estate had swelled to $262 million, thanks to the sale of Belridge Oil, a closely held corporation that owned the nation’s largest private oil reserves. In 1984, The San Francisco Foundation filed suit to break the Marin-only restriction of Mrs. Buck’s trust. As expected, Marin County officials fought
After a six-month trial, litigation settled. The Marin Community Foundation was appointed successor trustee to The San Francisco Foundation, and a decision was made to select three “Major Projects” to share 20 percent of the annual income from the Buck Trust. At the request of Mr. Cook, and with the approval of Beryl Buck’s family, the “Buck Institute on Aging” was incorporated in November 1986. For nearly a year, McEachron worked to rally public support for the selection of the Buck Institute as one of the Major Projects. In August 1987, with the backing of many community and governmental organizations and thousands of individuals, the Marin Superior Court selected the Institute to receive 15 percent of the net income from the Buck Trust in perpetuity. Two years later, the Buck purchased its current 488-acre site on Mount Burdell in Novato, and internationally acclaimed architect I.M. Pei was selected to design the facilities. Despite strong efforts by opponents of animal research to stop the project, construction began in 1996 and the Institute formally opened in September 1999, with Dale Bredesen, MD, as its founding president. The Buck Institute became the first research center in the nation to fulfill the challenge of a 1991 National Academy of Sciences report calling for the establishment of at least 10 centers of excellence focused on research on aging.
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 25
Celebrating Our History
Q & A with Dr. John W. Rowe on the Founding of the Buck
ABOVE Dr. John W. Rowe, who led the panel of experts that helped create the Buck Institute LEFT An early meeting of the Buck Institute’s first Scientific Advisory Board
I
n 1985, John W. Rowe, MD, assembled a panel of experts to consider the creation of the Buck Institute, and he later testified as an expert witness at the trial that led to its inception. Dr. Rowe, then the founding director of the Division on Aging at Harvard’s Medical School, also served as a Buck Trustee and the head of our Scientific Advisory Board. Retired as chairman and CEO of Aetna, Inc., he is now a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Can you put the development of the Buck Institute in context?
In 1985, when the opportunity arose to develop an institution that was research-based and focused
26 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
solely on issues of aging, there was increasing awareness of the demographic transformation in this country, but most of the efforts focused on services for older people. The National Institute on Aging had been founded, but it was just beginning to find its way. Describe the actual meeting of the group later known as “The Chicago Panel.”
We assembled a group of scholars who were highly respected in various domains that were relevant to age-related research. We tried to find a convenient place to meet, so we wound up in terrible conference rooms in the basement of a hotel in the middle of O’Hare Field in Chicago. But the good thing
“For me to see where we are now very much reminds me of a piece from Aristotle. Aristotle taught us the difference between potentiality and actuality. In those days, we were dealing with potentiality. Today, we’re sitting here in the —John W. Rowe, MD midst of actuality.”
LEFT The development team visits the future site of the Buck Institute in 1990. Mary McEachron (front, third from left) stands next to architect I.M. Pei. BELOW Campaign button from 1995. Voters in Novato approved “Measure B,” which cleared the way for the Buck Institute to be built on Mt. Burdell.
about it was there were no distractions from the conversation—no windows, nothing else to go see or do. Led by Mary McEachron, who had a vision for how this might be accomplished from the legal, financial, organizational, and community points of view, we tried to fill in the white space on the canvas that dealt with issues related to the science and education as well. That was a very exciting meeting for me, and I think for the others who participated. We came up with a strategy, and we came out with enthusiasm. The meeting dealt with scientific strategy, the establishment of a Board of Trustees and a Scientific Advisory Board, executive leadership, and faculty recruitment. What was your over arching goal at that time?
We saw the opportunity to send a signal, to establish a freestanding, independent, high-quality research center that was interdisciplinary and included different kinds of scholars working together, but at the same time, focused on issues solely related to aging. We saw this as the first such
institute in the United States, one that would be a model for the kinds of research that could be done and for the kinds of people who could be trained. It’s our 15th anniversary. How have we done?
The Buck is very much recognized in the field of biogerontology—it has had a dominant role in fueling the interdisciplinary activities that are now a feature of the field. I think the focus of the Buck—the intense focus on these issues—provides supporters with leverage. It’s like a laser. And there’s not a lot of the stuff that goes on in large universities. There’s not a lot of administration soaking up the money, not a lot of bureaucratic barriers. The Buck is able to get the work done and get it done in a specific, interdisciplinary, nimble way. The Buck has also successfully demonstrated an ability to retain key scientists over time. Churn is very counterproductive and expensive. And you want to maintain your momentum in those laboratories and keep them efficient. You want to keep those leading scientists around, and the Buck has been able to do that.
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 27
2014 board of trustees The Buck Institute receives support and guidance from a non-compensated Board of Trustees. These recognized leaders from the business, science, and nonprofit communities set policy, approve financial plans, and help shape the strategic direction of the Institute.
Richard “Dick” Bodman
Jim Gerber
Fouad Makhzoumi
E. Lewis Reid
Chairman of PurThread Technologies, Inc.
Co-founder of Western Athletic Clubs, Inc., the owner and operator of luxury athletic and health facilities throughout the West Coast
Executive CEO of Future Group, including Future Pipe Industries Group of Dubai, which has over 3,500 employees in 23 countries
Former Chair of Buck Board of Trustees
Stephen Hauser, MD
Former member of the International Board of the Council on Foreign Relations: US/Middle East Project
Chairman of Layalina Productions, Inc. Managing General Partner of VMS Group General Manager of Bodman Oil & Gas, LLC
Nathaniel “Ned” Eames David, PhD Partner, Arch Venture Partners
James Edgar
Chair, Department of Neurology, UC San Francisco Chair, Buck Institute Scientific Advisory Board
Harlan P. Kleiman Co-founder and CEO of Self Health Network
Founder of the Makhzoumi Foundation, which helps increase the standard of living for underprivileged Lebanese
Barbara Morrison Vice-Chair of the Buck Advisory Council
Management consultant
Founder/CEO of Shoreline Pacific
Founding member of Edgar, Dunn and Company, an international consulting firm
Co-founder of Long Wharf Theatre UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Board Member
Roy Eisenhardt
Charles La Follette
Bay Area civic and business leader
President of La Follette Capital
Former President of the Oakland A’s baseball team
Founder and Board President of Working Solutions, a nonprofit that helps micro-entrepreneurs access capital
Edward Lanphier Founder, President, CEO, and member, Board of Directors of Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.
David M. Perry
Former Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences Currently serves as a Trustee of the California Pacific Medical Center Foundation Frequent interviewer at City Arts & Lectures
John W. Larson
Chairman and Founder of Bay West Group in San Francisco
Shahab Fatheazam
Former Chair of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and President of the Branson School
M. Arthur Gensler Jr., FAIA Founder of Gensler, a global architecture, design, planning, and strategic consulting firm
Senior Managing Director of TeamCo Advisers
Bill R. Poland
Retired San Francisco lawyer with over 40 years of practice devoted to high-tech and life science companies
Managing Director and head of Healthcare Group, Lincoln International
Mayor of Belvedere, CA
Board member of Biotechnology Institute
Lecturer in law at the University of California, Berkeley
Chairman, Buck Advisory Council
President of TMC Development, a provider of real estate financing
Current Chairman of WageWorks, a NYSE company
Fay Hartog Levin Former U.S. Ambassador, the Netherlands
28 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
Real estate developer
Franklyn Prendergast, MD, PhD Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Professor of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics at the College of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota Director Emeritus of the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and of the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine Emeritus member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees
Director of Community Foundation Sonoma County
Larry E. Rosenberger Former President and CEO and current Research Fellow of Fair Isaac Co-author of The Deciding Factor: The Power of Analytics to Make Every Decision a Winner
Ralph Snyderman, MD Chancellor Emeritus at Duke University and James B. Duke Professor of Medicine Former Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine at Duke Vice President for Medical Research and Development at Genentech Member of the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Charles M. Stockholm Semi-retired business executive with over 50 years of commercial financial experience, primarily in the AsiaPacific region Served as Chairman of Citibank International and was Senior Executive Vice President of Crocker National Bank President of the Bay Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America President of the Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco
scientific advisory board The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) consists of leading scientists in the fields of aging research and age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Members of the SAB provide guidance on the Institute’s scientific and educational programs.
Stephen L. Hauser, MD Chair, Buck Institute SAB Chair, Department of Neurology, UCSF
Robert H. Brown Jr., MD, DPhil Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Steven A. Carr, PhD Director of Proteomics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Ana Maria Cuervo, MD, PhD Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Marion Bessin Liver Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
In Memory of Catherine Munson January 21, 1928 – March 3, 2014 Catherine Munson was a longtime Buck Institute Board Trustee and former Board Chair. Her ambassadorship and philanthropic generosity inspired many to support the Institute’s mission to extend the healthy years of life through research and education. She has left a lasting mark on the Institute. Her friendship will be sorely missed. The Buck celebrates her remarkable life and congratulates her on being an example of healthy aging. Catherine was 86 years old, in good health and fully engaged in life prior to succumbing to a brief, serious illness.
Cynthia J. Kenyon, PhD Vice President, Aging Research, Calico
James L. Kirkland, MD, PhD Professor of Aging Research, Director of Mayo Clinic Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging
Jeffrey D. Macklis, MD, DHST Director, MGH-HMS Center for Nervous System Repair, Harvard University
Thomas A. Rando, MD, PhD Director, Glenn Laboratories for the Biology of Aging; Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine Deputy Director, Stanford Center on Longevity, Stanford University
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 29
buck advisory council The Buck Advisory Council (BAC) is a global network of diverse individuals who advocate for the Buck Institute and its mission—to increase healthspan through research and education. The BAC includes leaders in government, business, finance, pharmaceuticals, law, philanthropy, and other fields. Many have served as advisors to governments, universities, public commissions, and nonprofit organizations.
Dorothea Dutton
William Freeman
Vice President, Wealth Management Consultant, The Private Client Reserve of U.S. Bank
Founder and CEO, Patxi’s Pizza
San Francisco, CA
Shafik Gabr
BAC members advise the Buck on strategic priorities, serve as informal ambassadors to raise awareness of our achievements, and set the pace for philanthropy at the Institute.
David Elias Principal, Alesco Advisors
Chairman, Managing Director, ARTOC Group for Investment and Development
East Amherst, NY
Cairo, Egypt
Peter G. Ellis
Steven M. Gluckstern
Principal, Cannon Design
Chairman, Ivivi Health Sciences LLC
Arthur Ablin
Shadi Arnita
Deepak Chopra
Professor Emeritus, Clinical Pediatrics, UCSF
Founder and Chairman of the Board, A&Z Pharmaceutical, LLC
Founder and CEO, Eckhart Corporation
San Francisco, CA
Hussam Abu Issa Vice-Chairman and COO, Salam International Qatar
Tarek AbuZayyad
Pittsburgh, PA
Mikhail Batin Executive Director, Science for Life Extension Foundation Moscow, Russia
Partner, Head of Merchant Banking, Stanhope Capital LLP
Peter Bennett
London, UK
San Francisco, CA
Cinzia Akbaraly
Jeff Bohnson
Founder and Member, Akbaraly Foundation Honorary General Counsel of Italy in Madagascar Groupe SIPROMAD
CEO and Founder, Best In Class Care
Madagascar
Chester P. Aldridge Chairman and CEO, US Equity Holdings Greenbrae, CA
James A. Aleveras J.P. Morgan Securities LLC San Francisco, CA
The Honorable George Antoun General Honorary Consul, Consulate of Kyrgyzstan Lebanon
Wissam Ariss Founder and Chairman of the Board, Star Goods Lebanon
Managing Director, Greenhill Global, LLC
Chicago, IL
Razmig Boladian Founder, Rubicon Point Partners San Francisco, CA
Patricia L. Cahill Kentfield, CA
Najib Canaan
Chicago, IL
Novato, CA
Shannon Fairbanks
Louis Ciminelli
Founder & Chairman, The Fairbanks Investment Fund
Chairman and CEO, LPCiminelli
Washington, D.C.
Buffalo, NY
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
Catherine T. “Kiki” Goshay Founder, Kiki Goshay Productions Kentfield, CA
Dayton Coles Larkspur, CA
Sheri Coles Larkspur, CA
A. Crawford Cooley Novato, CA
Sherri Corker San Rafael, CA
Mark Cutis Chief Investment Officer, Abu Dhabi Investment Council United Arab Emirates
The BAC awarded its 2014 Global Humanitarian Award to May Makhzoumi, President of the Makhzoumi Foundation. The Foundation, headquartered in Beirut, was the first organization in Lebanon to partner with the UN Refugee Agency to provide relief to those fleeing Syria.
Mazen Darwazeh Executive Group Vice-Chairman, Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC
Shahab Fatheazam
Stephen A. Goveia
Founder, Marinus Capital Advisors, LLC
Pleasanton, CA
Darien, CT
Jordan
Chairman, Buck Advisory Council
Margaret E. Haas
Daniel E. Cantara
Larry D. Dingus
Trustee, Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Buffalo, NY
San Anselmo, CA
Managing Director and Head of the Healthcare Group, Lincoln International LLC
Mehmet Celebi
Kevin Dorwin
Chicago, IL
Founding Partner, Investments, Construction, Arti Bir Group
Managing Principal, Bingham, Osborn & Scarborough LLC
Darla Flanagan
Madrid, Spain
San Francisco, CA
30 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
Ross, CA
James W. Harpel Senior Partner, Palm Beach Capital West Palm Beach, FL
General Partner, MKD Investments
Maher Kaddoura
San Francisco, CA
Jordan
Social Entrepreneur
Buck Advisory Council Nilesh Satish Kanade CEO, NCORD Biotech Ltd. Pune, India
Dato Fawziah Abdul Karim CEO, SSU Management Services Malaysia
Lady Jamileh Kharrazi Chairman, Jamileh Kharrazi Charitable Foundation United Kingdom
Arthur Kirsch Senior Advisor, GCA Savvian New York, NY
Harlan P. Kleiman Trustee, Buck Institute for Research on Aging CEO, Self Health Network San Francisco, CA
Ronald G. Landes President, SOS Solving Organ Shortage Austin, TX
Edward Lanphier Trustee, Buck Institute for Research on Aging Founder, President, CEO, and member, Board of Directors of Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.
Buck Advisory Council members at the 2014 spring meeting, which was held on the Buck campus Peter J. Marguglio
Veena Panjabi
Larry E. Rosenberger
Neill Walsdorf Sr.
Tiburon, CA
Vice President and Co-owner, World Industries
Chair of the Buck Institute Board of Trustees
CEO, Mission Pharmacal Company
Joseph Maroun Sr.
Miami, FL
Noel Thomas Patton
Former President and CEO and current Research Fellow of Fair Isaac
San Antonio, TX
Chairman of the Board, Harissa LLC and Azour LLC Menlo Park, CA
Founder, T.A. Sciences
San Quentin, CA
President, Mission Pharmacal Company
Susan E. Mayer
New York, NY
Professor, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
Kevin Perrott
Chicago, IL
Mountain View, CA
Maura B. Morey Tiburon, CA
Barbara Morrison Vice-Chair of the Buck Advisory Council
Director, SENS Research Foundation
Kaveh Safavi Managing Director, Global Health Care, Accenture
Marika Sakellariou
Judy C. Webb
Dan Perry
Luxury Home Specialist
Belvedere, CA
President, Alliance for Aging Research
Corte Madera, CA
Washington, D.C.
Rubar S. Sandi
Ross, CA
Washington, D.C.
President, TMC Development
Bruce Raabe
Rashid M. Skaf
Jessica Lewin
San Francisco, CA
CEO, S. R. Travel
President and CEO, AMX Corporation
Cherilyn Murer
Founder and President, Relevant Wealth Advisors
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
William N. Macartney III Clinton, NY and Naples, FL
Fouad Makhzoumi Trustee, Buck Institute for Research on Aging Executive Chairman and CEO, Future Pipe Industries Lebanon
President and CEO, Murer Consultants, Inc. Joliet, IL
Bora Ozturk Founder and General Partner, March Capital Management San Francisco, CA
Robert J. Palay Chairman & CEO, Cellular Dynamics International Madison, WI
Marylin P. Wanlass Santa Rosa, CA
Mary Poland
Trustee, Buck Institute for Research on Aging
San Antonio, TX
Chicago, IL
Chairman, CEO, TSG Global Holdings
Board member of Biotechnology Institute
Neill Walsdorf Jr.
Mill Valley, CA
Richardson, TX
E. Lewis Reid
Richard Stone
Trustee, Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Founder and Chairman, Private Ocean
Sebastopol, CA
San Rafael, CA
Chris Reiter
Linda K. Trocki
Senior Vice President, Partner, Woodruff-Sawyer
Tiburon, CA
Novato, CA
Brooke N. Wade
Douglas Rosenberg
President, Wade Capital Corporation
Kentfield, CA
Vancouver, Canada
Norman R. Weldon Amelia Island, FL and Evergreen, CO
Thomas D. Weldon Chairman, Managing Director, Accuitive Medical Ventures Amelia Island, FL
E. Packer Wilbur Chairman, Southport Properties Southport, CT
Donald F. “Fritz” Zimmer Jr. Partner, King & Spalding, Tort and Environmental Litigation Group San Francisco, CA
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 31
financial summary Operating and Capital Revenue for FY2014 Corporate Research Agreements 5.3%
Contributions 12.2% Interest and Other 4.0%
Foundation and Other Grants 9.8% Buck Trust 17.5%
Government Grants 51.2%
cumulative donors
M
any extraordinary individuals and institutions have been inspired by the Buck’s interdisciplinary research on aging to make financial contributions to ensure that the Institute thrives and the research continues. Among this group are some who have given generously over many years to a variety of programs and initiatives— highlighting their commitment to the growth and stability of the organization while demonstrating their belief in the Buck’s mission, its exceptional scientists, and the remarkable research undertaken here. We are extremely proud and fortunate to have been the recipient of such steadfast support.
$5,000,000 and above Drucilla and Arthur Gensler Ellen and Douglas Rosenberg
Operating Expenses for FY2014 Fundraising 4.1%
Bond Interest and Related Costs 5.4%
$2,500,000–$4,999,999 Fred Drexler Marylin P. Wanlass
$1,000,000–$2,499,999 John W. Bissinger, Jr. Trust General and Administrative 21.6%
Phyllis M. Faber Judy and James Harpel William G. Irwin Charity Foundation JEC Foundation Nichola Jo and Craig Johnson La Follette Family Fund Cameron and Edward Lanphier Elisabeth R. Levy Mary and Lew Reid Barbara C. and Richard M. Rosenberg Elizabeth M. Stevens
Mericos Foundation Research 68.9%
Rowe Family Foundation
$50,000–$99,999
Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation
Zarife and George Antoun
$500,000–$999,999 Anonymous Barbara and Gerson Bakar Jess and A. Crawford Cooley
Marjorie E. Belknap Buck Institute Impact Circle Fund Kelli and G. Steven Burrill Ann and Louis Ciminelli Joey and Warren C. Conklin
William T. and Kathryn Freeman
Joan Corrigan
Harold J. and Reta Haynes Family Foundation
Mark N. Cutis Sandra D. Donnell
Michaela and Jay Hoag
Linnea and Jim Gerber
100%
Catherine H. Munson
Margaret E. Haas Fund
90%
Mary and Bill Poland
Brenda and Brian Kennedy
Diane and Larry Rosenberger
Lady Jamileh Kharrazi
Percent of Total Budget Funded by the Buck Trust (FY1999–2014)
80%
Pamela and John Larson
70% 60% 50%
$100,000–$499,999
Fay Hartog-Levin and Daniel E. Levin
Suhir and Hussam Abu Issa
May and Fouad Makhzoumi
Cinzia and Ylias Akbaraly
40%
Myfanwy Ozeroff and James Aleveras
30%
Aida and Dale E. Bredesen
20%
Corinne Hellier Buck 1993 Trust
10%
Patricia L. and John Cahill, Jr. 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Mary C. Sauer and Robert J. Doris
32 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
Judy and James Edgar
Mary McEachron Rita and Herbert Myers Susan Ohrenschall Herbert Simon Family Foundation Judy C. Webb
cumulative sponsors $10,000,000 and above The Buck Trust California Institute for Regenerative Medicine National Institutes of Health
$5,000,000–$9,999,999 CHDI Foundation The Ellison Medical Foundation
$2,500,000–$4,999,999 The S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation Larry L. Hillblom Foundation
California Breast Cancer Research Program
Foundation for Retinal Research
eBioscience
Glenn Foundation for Medical Research
Michael J. Fox Foundation William Randolph Hearst Foundation
John Douglas French Alzheimer’s Foundation
W.M. Keck Foundation Neurobiological Technologies U.S. Department of Defense
$500,000–$999,999
The Hereditary Disease Foundation William G. Irwin Charity Foundation Johnson & Johnson
BioMarin Pharmaceuticals Joseph Drown Foundation
U.S. Department of Energy
Seahorse Bioscience Simon-Strauss Foundation Wings of Freedom Foundation
Wells Fargo
Institute for the Study of Aging
$50,000–$99,999 $100,000–$499,999
Alva LLC American-Italian Cancer Foundation
Anonymous
American Parkinson Disease Association
American Biosciences
The Brookdale Foundation
American Federation for Aging Research
Cenexys, Inc.
$1,000,000–$2,499,999
Oracle Corporation Progeria Research Foundation
Mitokor National Parkinson Foundation
Alzheimer’s Association
Huntington’s Disease Society of America PEW Latin American Fellows Program
Merck & Co. Muscular Dystrophy Association
Anonymous
Hereditary Disease Society of America
Danish Cancer Foundation Electrophoretics Limited
Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade Breast Cancer Research Program The California Endowment Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation
honor roll of donors The following gifts were received between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014. Michael and Catherine Podell Fund
Nathaniel E. David
Jessica Lewin
William T. and Kathryn Freeman
Mary and Bill Poland
Gunnel and Larry Dingus Kevin Dorwin
William N. and Linda Macartney
$250,000–$499,999
Cameron and Edward Lanphier
Emine and Rubar Sandi
Suhir and Hussam Abu Issa
Pamela and John Larson
$500,000 and above John W. Bissinger, Jr. Trust Drucilla and Arthur Gensler
$100,000–$249,999 Barbara and Gerson Bakar Harold J. and Reta Haynes Family Foundation Nichola Jo and Craig Johnson Diane and Larry Rosenberger
Ann and Louis Ciminelli Joan Corrigan
May and Fouad Makhzoumi Catherine H. Munson Barbara and Richard Rosenberg
$25,000–$49,999 Myfanwy Ozeroff and James Aleveras
Mary and Lew Reid
$10,000–$24,999 Frank Howard Allen & Co. Elizabeth and Shadi Arnita Karna and Richard Bodman Ani Vartanian and Razmig Boladian The William Boone Educational Foundation, Inc.
Judy and James Edgar Barbara and David Elias Peter G. Ellis and Paula Garrett-Ellis Neghmeh and Shahab Fatheazam Darla and Patrick Flanagan Selim J. Ghorayeb Judy and Steven Gluckstern Kiki Goshay Margaret E. Haas Fund Maher Hikmat Mahmoud Kaddoura
Zarife and George Antoun
Corinne Hellier Buck 1993 Trust
Mark N. Cutis
Lynn and Najib Canaan
Betsy and Roy Eisenhardt
Lori and Daniel Cantara
Dato Fawziah Abdul Karim
Cinzia and Ylias Akbaraly
Linnea and Jim Gerber
Brenda and Brian Kennedy
Buck Institute Impact Circle Fund
Judy and James Harpel
Deepak Chopra and Deep Mala
Lady Jamileh Kharrazi
Kelli and G. Steven Burrill
Fay Hartog-Levin and Daniel E. Levin
Jess and A. Crawford Cooley
Arthur Kirsch
Sherri Corker
Patricia and Jay Cahill
Sandy and Harlan Kleiman
Elisabeth R. Levy
Rula and Mazen Darwazeh
La Follette Family Fund
Marylin P. Wanlass
$50,000–$99,999
Rupa and Nilesh Kanade
The Florence S. Mahoney Foundation Linda Trocki and Peter Marguglio Carmen and Joseph Maroun Sr. Tad Mitchell Barbara H. Morrison Cherilyn and Michael Murer Noel Thomas Patton Carol and Daniel Perry Laura and David Perry Chris Reiter Kaveh T. Safavi Marika Sakellariou Rashid Skaf Elizabeth M. Stevens Maryanna and Charles Stockholm Richard Stone
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 33
honor roll of donors Tracy and Brooke Wade Beverly and Neill Walsdorf Sr. Neill B. Walsdorf Jr. Norman R. Weldon Thomas D. Weldon
$5,000–$9,999 Deborah and Arthur Ablin Family Fund Wissam Issam and Yasmine Ariss Marjorie E. Belknap Margery and Rick Blume Aida and Dale Bredesen Jane and David Duncan Dorothea M. Dutton Phyllis M. Faber Linda and Stephen Goveia Marin Financial Advisors, LLC Jolson Family Foundation Raja Kamal and Rosanne Model Ronald G. Landes Mary McEachron Kevin Perrott Carol Rayner Ron Viner
Frank and Barbro Greene Charitable Fund Hilary and Chris Hansen Marilyn and Bob Isherwood Paul Kefalides and Mark Neely Elinor A. and James E. Lacy Ragnhild and Knut Larssen R. Elton Leith Susan and David Mayer Jane Miller Susan Ohrenschall Becky and Jerry Oken Peggy Pennal Grace and Roland Perkins Margit and James Pettipas PG&E Corporation Foundation Virginia and Don Pierce
Elaine and Ken Chew
Andrea Schultz
Joseph Bodovitz
Patricia and Melford Chudacoff
Jackson Scott
Sydne and Allan Bortel
Carole Bennett and Norman Ciampi
Nancy and Robert Sellers
Nancy and N. Edward Boyce
Colleen and John Silcox
Toni and Gary Bramon
David Slate
Ute and John Brandon
Geraldine Messina Smith
Leanna Breese
Jenifer and John Smyth
Rachel Brem
Barbara and Harvey Sperry
Ruth Broady
Gary R. Spratling
Geraldine and Martin Brownstein
Arthur Cohen Bill Cope Greg Costopoulos Stone Coxhead S. Malvern Dorinson Catherine Doyle Sharon Early Maryann and John Elloway Lois B. Epstein, M.D., D.Sc. Jacqueline and Christian Erdman Judi and Fredric Finkelstein Alison Fuller
Diane L. and Edward A. Powell Fund
Elizabeth and Hugh Fullerton
Lois Prentice
Hugh Hagerty
Price Family Foundation
Anthia and Charles Halfmann
The George Sarlo Foundation
Gay and Wyman Harris
Hermann E. Schnabel
Evelyn Haupt
Audrey and Andrew Shapiro
Sunny Blende and Randy Hixon
Margaret C. and Lloyd H. Smith
Patricia and Joseph Gryson
Gabriella and Glenn Isaacson
Judy C. Webb
Soroptimists International of Novato
Diana and Theodore Jorgensen
Susan and Fritz Zimmer
Paul A. Spiegel
$1,000–$4,999
Joanne Smaciarz and Rodney Stock
Jan and Bill Kerr
Anonymous Tarek AbuZayyad Wanda R. Headrick and Hans Adler Scott B. and Annie P. Appleby Charitable Trust Bank of Marin Constance P. and Christopher C. Benz Jean and Stuart Brown Jeanne J. and William Cahill CaterMarin Jan King and John Clifford Phoebe Cowles Tareq Darwazeh Nathan and Violet David Foundation Nancy Marsh SangsterDe Haan and Robert De Haan Philip Economon Sally and Anthony Elshout Margot Fraser Fund The Geistlinger Family Trust Gary Giacomini
Aileen and Daniel Keegan
Vi Grinsteiner Strain and Dick Strain
Leslee and Roger Budge
Pauline L. and John G. Stuber
Mary Jane Burke
Diane and Paul Temple
Anne and John Busterud
Deborah and Timothy Terrill
Virginia S. Button
Michael A. Thompson
Judith Campisi
Sally Tilbury
Jeanne Carley
Lorraine Voskanian
Linda Carlson
Cristina and Terrence Wadsworth
Elizabeth Enemark and Theodore Carpenter
Cynthia Harrison Wallach
Birgit Chase
Donna and Richard Wallrich
Sylvia and Wallace Chipman
Susan Wheeler
Carolyn S. Ciampi
Christine and Paul Wichman
Nico Cinocco
Susan and Al Wilcox
Cheryl A. Clarke
Susan and Ian Wilson
Mimi and Peter Clarke
Carroll and George Yandell
Ann and Robert Clausen Christine Clausen
$1–$499
Nikki and Don King
Anonymous
Carmella Kramer
Diane and John Akers
Nancy and Dick Kuhn
Kathleen and Peter Allan
Evelyn Warren
K.C. and Steve Lauck
Catherine Amparano
Carine Zeeni and Joseph Antoun
Sharon and Kenneth Levien
Patricia Anderson
Nancy Lumer
Ann Andrews
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
Katie Torgerson and Ron Marley
Patsy and R. Howard Annin Jr.
Shirley McDonald
Elizabeth and James Austin
Charlotte S. and Donald F. Urban
$500–$999 Anonymous Active 20/30 Club of Santa Rosa #50 James Adams, M.D. and Carolyn Gracie, M.D. The Aguila Family Phyllis and Christian Baldenhofer Nancy Batt Francesca and Patrick Bell
Catherine and Ted McKown Lucinda Merrill Lillian J. and Bernie F. Mulaskey Merla Zellerbach and Lee Munson Hilda Namm Laurie Nardone Cheryl Finley-Neal and Barry Neal
Joan R. Bergsund
Patricia Gilbert and Jeremy Norman
Elaine and Lyman Black
Joyce Palmer
Boring Charitable Fund
Mandy and Sam Parke
Mary Jo Broderick
Kelley Baer and Louis Pozzo
Diane and Davis Brown
Jeanne W. Rathjens
Sally Buehler
Maryanne and Louis Ravano
Joan Capurro
Roberta and James Romeo
34 Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
Wendy Buchen
Dawna and J. Dietrich Stroeh
Linda Armstrong Barbara and Larry Babow Marabeth Bacon Daniel Barajas Marina Zuk and Michael Barber Judith and Ron Barr Lawrence Bauer Robert Baughman Jane Gianino and Harold Baum Peggy and John Bell Mary Bersot Rose and Frank Bisbiglia Josephine and George Blagden Susan and Howard Blair Rosalind and David Bloom Helen Bodington
Connie Codding Ellie Corley Janice and Richard Cotton Cindee and Philip Crawley Judith and Robert Creasy Katherine and Tom Culligan Virginia Cunningham Kay and Warren Davis Patricia and Robert Dawson Jeanne DeJoseph and Suzanne Dibble Ann De Vogel Anne R. Delaney Thomas R. Delebo James DePeyster Shirley and Donald Diamond Dolores Dietz Jean Arnold and Tom Digulla Roberta Dillon Christine Dohrmann Marjorie and Jeron Donalds Mary and Kevin Dowling Sarah and Kenneth Drexler Roberta and Alan Dunham Roselee Dunlavy Elke and Vernon Dwelly Dianne M. Easton Ann Eckelhoff
honor roll of donors Delia F. Ehrlich Lisa M. Ellerby Audrey and Kenneth Ellingsen Marcia and Steve Ellis Charmaine Eng-Ngin Jean and Herbert Epstein John Erdmann Kathleen and Dick Eschleman Kristi Evans Margaret and Arthur Faibisch Leon Farley Elizabeth and Jim Ferguson Lisa Fialco Poppy H. Finston Arlis Fisk Judy Flowers Graham Forder Louisa and David Fraser Charles B. Freas Barbara and E.W. Fredell Wendell Freeman Vida Ray and Ted Freeman Madelon and Roger Fross
Karen Hemmeter and Robert Hall
Jan and Matt Lennon
Donna and Tom Oshel
Judith and Leonard Shaw
Fran and Walter Hall
Mike Leslie
Steve Page
Jeffrey Sheff
Kristine M. Leung
Kathleen and Alan Pallie
Alice and Michael Shiffman
Lorraine and Robert Levin
Norman H. Palter
Mary Shull
John Levinsohn
Claire and Simon Pass
Sybil Skinner
Sandra Levitan
Angelo Pastorino
Don and Jean Smith
Henry Levitan
Elaine and Darrel Snyder
Nyla and Aaron Levy
Patricia Conway and James Patten
Rosario Carr-Casanova and Richard E. Levy
Lynn and Richard Payne Teri Pearson
Cheryl and Gideon Sorokin
Judith and Robert Lewis
Gail and David Perin
Patricia and Lyle Lewis
Darlys and Thomas Perry
Linda Liscom
Donna and Jerry Peters
Victoria Lunyak and David Linton
Neil B. Peterson
Nancy Ellenbogen and Joel Lurie
Maria Pitcairn
Donna Halow Glenne Harding Jenifer Harris Anita and William Dennis Hassler Patricia J. Hassman Jo and Dean Heffelfinger Kay and Roger Heigel Emily and Robert Heller Mary Freer Hempel Rebecca and Robert Henn Judith and William Henry Patricia Hess Ann L. Heurlin Helen Morgan Hewitt Jorgen Hildebrandt Cindy Hill Mary M. Hofmann Hogan Land Services, Inc. Jean Howard Virginia and Don Humphreys
Samantha Lyons Jeanne and Patrick MacLeamy Burdette and Michael Maddalena Delphine and Dennis Mangan Diana and Kevin Mann Michelle Martino
Ken Petron Suzie G. Pollak Melissa Prandi Viacheslav Prokhorov Nancy Ragano Janet and Rudy Ramirez Phyllis and Steven Reinstein Shannon Reiter
Marie McKinney
Michele and Steve Rempe
Margaretha and Anthony Miglo
Harry Richardson Richard Robinson
Virginia Milano
Lynda Rodefer
Cindy Milano
Kathlyn and Rich Ronsheimer
Candiece and John Milford
Carma Rose
Dorothy and Arlen Mills
Linda Rosen
Barbara Millstein
Jay Rosenberger
Sally and Indru Mirchandani
Judith and David Rosner
Beverly and Carl Mitchell
Robert A. Roth
Laura Monterosso
Susan Rouder
Janie and Joseph Karp
Karen and William Morgenstern
Deborah and Herbert Rowland
Scott Kerr
Carol Mowbray
Kathy and Russ Ketron
Kathleen Mozena
Dixie J. Ruud
Delyn and Nicholas Kies
Kari and Hans Mueller
Mildred N. King
Margaret Murphy
Joan and Stanley Green
Norma King
Eileen W. Murray
Elizabeth and Joseph Greenberg
Marion and William Kleinecke
Janet Natov
Derek Knell
Gwen and Jim Neary
Barbro and Robert Gregory
Dipa Bhaumik and Vishwanath Koppaka
Cynthia and Manny Nestle
Verna and Jack Krout Maria Kuester
Madalienne F. Peters and Bix Newhard
Linda and Jim Kuhns
Jeanette F. Nichols
Ava and Sam Guerrera
Helen L. LaHaye
Eddie M. Nomura
Margie and David Guggenhime
Almon E. Larsh, Jr.
Thomas Novak
Anne Latta
Betty Obata
Janine Guillot and Shannon Wilson
Ann and Richard Laye
Glorraine Obertello
Colleen and Robert Haas
Judy and David Layne
Frances and Louis O’Brien
Sharon Leach
Ann W. Ocheltree
Judy and Robert Leet
Andrea and David Oppenheimer
Peggy and Bob Fujimoto Clara Pearl Fusco Solange and Andre Gabany Ellen White and Ronald Gaines Anita Gajewski Debi and James Galli Tom Gaman Betty E. Gandel Elizabeth and David Ganz Rita and Kent Gershengorn Patricia and Stewart Gittings Nina and John Gladish Betty and Jon Goerke Gail and Marc Goldyne Joanne Gordon Lorraine L. Grace
John Greif Shirley and Nelson Gremmels Sara G. Griffith Linda Grindel
Julie and Walter Haas Kevin Hagerty
Judy Hunt Lander and William Hynes Barbel and Gordon Jacobs Helene and Stephen Jaffe Michelle and Paul Jakab Wendy and Dean James Fanny and Heinrich Jasper Shirley Johnson Kay and David Jones Miriam and Edwin Kaegi Richard Kalish
Mardi Leland
Helen F. Neville
Dylis and Peter Sommer Gregory Spencer Jon and Maria Stark Susan and Richard Steinbach David and Vicki Stolberg Maureen Reyes and Jonathan Straw Sucherman Consulting Group, Inc. Shirley A. Sullivan Marcia and Timothy Taebel Katherine and Jay Taggart Marilyn and Irving Tallman Skipper and John Taylor Maureen and Paul Ter Beek Cindy and Mark Terrien Beatrice Levit and Al Thomas Berit Tisell Donald N. Tornberg Maureen Tresch Kurt Trutner Ewa Uding
Deanne Roy Margaret J. Salenger Haywood King and Bruce Sams Patricia Sanborn Barbara and Jules Schechner Kathleen and Bill Schlegel Inga and John Schmidt
Suzette Veluz Cathy Viscarra Lisa Volat George Wagner Barbara C. Wallace Russell Wallace Linda and Jeffrey Warren Martha and Douglas Watt David Weibel Joyce B. Wells Mary Jane Wets Nancy Wills Peggy and Charles Wilson
Carolyn Schorr
Janice and George Wissler
Nyra Krstovich and John Schrader
Suchitra Wong Gerry Zalkovsky
Gail Schroeder
Pat and Walt Zebrowski
Sally and Steven Schroeder
Jeannette Ziegler
Mary Barbara Schultz Virginia and William Schultz Jacqueline Sciarrillo Michele E. Scott SENS Foundation Susan Severin Brenda Shank Joan M. Shannon
Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report 35
As of June 30, 2014
ADMINISTRATION
FACULTY
B r ian K e n n e dy , P h D President and Chief Executive Officer
J u li e A n de rs e n ,
M ary M c E ach ron , JD Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel
C h r i stoph e r B e nz ,
R aja K amal ,
PhD Senior Vice President for Institute Relations
M arti n B ran d ,
MD
PhD
D ale B r e de s e n ,
R e my G ross III Vice President, Business Development and Technology Advancement
J u dith C ampi s i ,
MD
MD, P h D
PhD
Professor
L i sa E lle r by ,
PhD Associate Professor
J e n n i fe r G ar r i son , Assistant Professor
PhD
PhD
P ejm u n H ag h ig h i , R ob e rt H ug h e s , H e i n r ich J as pe r ,
V ictor ia L u nyak ,
PhD
Associate Professor PhD
S i mon M e lov ,
PhD Associate Professor
PhD
S ean M oon ey ,
PhD
D avi d N icholls ,
Associate Professor
PhD Associate Professor
Vice President, Facilities and Planning
D avi d G r e e n b e rg ,
G or don L ithgow , Professor
Professor
Professor
R ach e l B r e m ,
PhD
Professor
Professor
N ancy D e r r
B radfor d G i bson , Professor
Professor
Vice President, Finance, and Chief Financial Officer
R alph O’R ear
PhD
Professor
Professor
P an kaj K apah i ,
PhD Associate Professor
B r ian K e n n e dy ,
PhD President and CEO, Professor
PhD Associate Professor PhD
Professor
A rvi n d R amanathan ,
PhD
Assistant Professor
X ian m i n Z e ng ,
PhD Associate Professor
D e e pak L amba ,
MBBS, P h D Assistant Professor
The courtyard at the heart of the Buck campus underwent a landscaping upgrade this year. The work and landscape materials were donated by Ghilotti Construction Company as part of their 100th anniversary celebration. The tulip trees and irrigation system were donated by members of the Buck Board of Trustees.
36  Buck Institute 2014 Annual Report
Design: Tobi Designs; Editor-in-Chief and Writer: Kris Rebillot; Content Strategist: Carlotta Duncan; Writer: Todd Plummer; Copy Editor: Virginia Kean; Photography: Richard Morgenstein, Robert Vente, Todd Plummer, and Leslie Belingheri; Project Manager: Leslie Belingheri; Proofer: Shannon Waite
buck staff
Buck Institute 8001 Redwood Blvd. Novato, CA 94945 Tel: 415-209-2000 E-mail: info@buckinstitute.org www.buckinstitute.org
FPO