Summer 2008

VOLUME 5 NUMBER 2

From Research, The Power to Cure

Focus on Florida

InsIde >FOcUs ON FLORida >NasdaQ OpEN >REsEaRch UpdatE

B U r n h a m R E p O R t

JOhN REEd, M.d. , ph.d. President and CEOProfessor and Donald Bren Presidential Chair

KRisti iNa VUORi, M.d., ph.dExecutive Vice President for Scientific AffairsDirector, Cancer Center

KaRiN EasthaMExecutive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

BL aiR BLUMSenior Vice President External Relations

EdgaR giLLENwatERsVice PresidentExternal Relations

ELizaBEth giaNiNiVice PresidentExternal Relations

chRis LEEVice PresidentExternal Relations

aNdREa MOsERVice President Communications

Please address inquiries to:

[email protected]

Burnham Institute for Medical Research10901 North Torrey Pines Road La Jolla, CA 92037 858.646.3100

Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona8669 Commodity Circle, 4th Floor Orlando, FL 32819 407.745.2000

www.burnham.org

iN this issUE

pREsidENt’s MEssagE 1

FOcUs ON FLORida

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

Florida Faculty Grows 6

Message from Blair Blum 8

Letter from Elizabeth Gianini 9

Burnham Angels 9

Burnham Trustee Bob Mandel 10

BURNhaM NEws

NASDAQ Open 11

Research Update 12

Run For Discovery with Team Burnham! 13

S av e t h e D at 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, [email protected].

P r e s I d e n t ’ s M E s s a g E

www.burnham.org | the BUrnham rePort 1

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 prin-

cipal 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 partner-

ship. 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

At the end of 2005, then-

Governor 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 expec-

tation is that Orlando will

be a markedly better place

to live with the presence of

Burnham.”

As economic development

goes, the plan and its execu-

tion 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

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 prin-

cipal 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 F L O R i d a

2 the BUrnham rePort | www.burnham.org

Building A Life Science Community

When the Burnham Institute for Medical Research made its deci-sion 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 exuber-ance 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.

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.

Former Governor Jeb Bush

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 govern-

ment 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 understand-

ably discreet about details,

reports half a dozen biomed-

ical companies seriously

scrutinizing the Lake Nona

landscape. Burnham’s Lake

Nona campus may attract

additional San Diego organiza-

tions 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.”



“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 accomplish-

ments 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)


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 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 innova-

tive 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 develop-

ment 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 construc-

tion companies “divert

construction, demolition and

land-clearing debris from

disposal in landfills and incin-

erators, 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 pro-

jects. A.J. Murray, Assistant

Project Manager at BE&K,

met with Steve Brownley, Vice

President of the Landscape

Division at Concepts in

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.



Burnham and BE&K Construct

New Facility with the Environment in Mind

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.



BurnhamPartnerships

in OrlandoTake 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 insti-tutions 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

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 opera-tions 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 acceler-ated 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.

Burnham Research Briefings

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

UpcOMiNg BURNhaM REsEaRch BRiEFiNgsWednesday, September 10 at 6 p.m. Sorosis of Orlando, 501 E Livingston St, Orlando 32803Free and Open to the Public

The next Burnham Research Briefing will discuss neurodegen-erative 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 irrevo-cably 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.

March 5 briefing with Pamela Itkin-Ansari

Left to right: Dr. David Moorhead, Florida Hospital; Dr. John Reed, Burnham;

Dr. Daniel Kelly, Burnham; Dr. Samuel Crockett, Florida Hospital

Florida Faculty

GrowsWhen 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 sepa-

rate grants.

That will bring the total scien-

tific 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.

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

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 scien-

tific 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.



MeetMasanobu

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 prob-

lems 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

to enhanced drug delivery and

increased efficacy of radiation

during cancer treatment.

Komatsu’s current research

focuses on the role an intracel-

lular signaling protein called

R-Ras plays in inhibiting

abnormal vessel growth. “Our

recent studies indicate that R-

Ras 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 under-

graduate degree as well as

his Ph.D. at the University of

Miami. He was a postdoctoral

fellow at Burnham, in the lab of

Dr. Erkki Ruoslahti, Burnham’s

president from 1989-2002.

While at Burnham, Komatsu

learned to appreciate its scien-

tific 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 collabo-

rates with Burnham faculty

members Dr. Pilar Ruiz-Lozano

and Dr. Mark Mercola, studying

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 exper-

tise 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.

MeetLayton

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

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 collabora-

tors 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.



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 pharma-

ceutical 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.

Björn Tyrberg, Ph.D.

dr. Björn tyrberg, an assis-

tant 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 postdoc-

toral 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.



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.

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 plea-

sure of meeting people who

represent the best of Orlando.

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

Hitt, President of UCF and

Ray Gilley, President/CEO

Metro Orlando Economic

Development Commission,

co-chaired the initial fund-

raising campaign to raise

philanthropic support for

Burnham. This effort

produced $5 million from a

group of interested citizens

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, collabora-

tive medical research to cure

human disease, improve quality

of life, and thus create a legacy

for our employees, partners,

donors, and community.

I am convinced that

Central Florida will continue

to increase its support of

medical research. Looking

forward, I know that our part-

nership will be a springboard

for economic growth in the

region. Burnham arrived in

Florida with a great vote of

confidence from the State, the

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 scien-

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 bi-

coastal 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 Power to Cure!

Blair Blum

Senior Vice President

External Relations

A Message from Blair Blum


What a pleasure it was to be greeted by a community that embraces the

power and promise of medical research.

Blair Blum and Elizabeth Gianini

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

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

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

Trustee Bob Mandell, Randy

Fields and the Anheuser-Busch

Corporation. Central Florida’s

enthusiasm is contagious and

the External Relations team is

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

group of individuals in the

External Relations office, the

Institute as a whole, and in the

community at large.



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.

BurnhamAngelsDavid 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


Letter from Elizabeth Gianini Vice President, External Relations

Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona

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

Burnham Trustee Bob Mandell



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

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 fore-

front 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 busi-

ness, 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 collabora-

tive nature of their research.

There’s no hierarchy in terms

of the research happening by

the different teams of scien-

tists. 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 continua-

tion 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 not-

too-distant future. And it’s all

because the Burnham Institute

for Medical Research chose to

locate in our community.”

B U r n h a m N E w s


NASDAQ Open

Burnham Institute for Medical Research rang the opening bell for NASDAQ on Thursday, March 20. The event was a celebration in recognition of the estab-lishment 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 NASDAQ-

listed companies.

Burnham’s Florida orga-

nization was represented by

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:

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

Kay ChandlerPartner, Cooley Godward Kronish, Counsel to Burnham for Florida transaction

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

Howard CohenBurnham Trustee

Mayor Richard CrottyOrange County, Florida

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

Karin EasthamExecutive Vice President & COO Burnham Institute for Medical Research, Burnham Trustee

M. Wainwright FishburnPartner, Cooley Godward Kronish Former Burnham Trustee

Elizabeth GianiniVice President, External Relations Burnham at Lake Nona, Orlando

Alan GleicherGleicher Capital, LLC Burnham Trustee

Michael GrindstaffPartner, Shutts & Bowen Represented Burnham on Florida transaction

David HaleChairman, Hale BioPharma Ventures, Burnham Trustee

Brent JacobsSenior Vice President Cushman & Wakefield Burnham Trustee

Greg LucierChairman & CEO, Invitrogen Burnham Trustee

Robert MandellBurnham Trustee

Andrea MoserVice President, Communications, Burnham Institute for Medical Research

Douglas ObenshainPartner, Ernst & Young LLP, San Diego, Burnham Trustee

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

Jennifer TobinPartner, Shutts & Bowen Represented Burnham on Florida transaction

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

Kenneth WoolcottPrincipal, Six Degrees Capital Consulting, Burnham Trustee

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

Anne Chinoda, Florida’s Blood Centers (right)

with Toby Cohen and Mayor Richard Crotty

B U r n h a m R E s E a R c h U p d a t 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 demon-strated 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 coro-nary progenitors and suggested that the action of vitamin A may be mediated, at least in part, by means of the activation of Wnt

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 coro-nary artery disease. This research is supported by the National Institutes of Health.

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

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 vascular-

ization, 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, hyperten-

sion, 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.

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 tran-

scription, 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

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 collabora-

tion with Nic Jones, Ph.D. from the

University of Manchester UK, used

a mouse model that expresses a tran-

scriptionally inactive form of ATF2

in skin cells (keratinocytes). When

the mice were subjected to chemi-

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 develop-

ment; thus providing an example of

a mechanism by which ATF2 func-

tions as a tumor suppressor.

This research is supported by

a grant from the National Cancer

Institute of the National Institutes

of Health.

cORONaRy aRtERy disEasE

BREast caNcER

sKiN caNcER

B U r n h a m N E w s


Run For Discovery with Team Burnham!

RUN FOR DISCOVERY! Join Team Burnham TODAY!

FLORida KicK OFFtUEsday, JULy 15 6 p.M.

Baker & Hostetler LLP

SunTrust Center, Suite 2300, 200 South Orange Avenue

Orlando, Florida 32801

caLiFORNia KicK OFFthURsday, JUNE 26 & wEdNEsday, JULy 9 5 p.M.

Burnham Institute for Medical Research

Ruoslahti Way, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road

La Jolla, CA 92037

waLt disNEy wORLd MaRathON wEEKENdORL aNdO, FLORidaJaNUaRy 9-11, 2009

What is Team Burnham for Medical Research?

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 aware-

ness 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:tRaiNiNg

• A five month training plan

by a professional marathon

coach

• Organized training runs with

the team

• Nutrition tips

• Team Burnham training

shirts

RacE sUppORt/tRaVEL

• Race entry fee

• Roundtrip air and hotel

accommodations in Florida

• Hospitality suite and meals

provided

• Team Burnham shirts for

race day

thE OppORtUNit y tO MaKE aN iMpact iN 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 estab-

lished major medical research

programs in cancer, neurode-

generation, diabetes, infectious

and inflammatory and child-

hood diseases.

www.BURNhaM.ORg/tEaMBURNhaM

Burnham Officers and

Board of Trustees

OFFicERs

Malin Burnham

Chairman

Gregory T. Lucier

Vice Chairman

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

President and Chief

Executive Officer

Professor and Donald Bren

Presidential Chair

Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D.

Executive Vice President for

Scientific Affairs

Karin Eastham

Executive Vice President and

Chief Operating Officer

Eric Lofgren

Vice President

Chief Financial Officer

and Treasurer

Margaret Dunbar

Secretary

BOaRd OF tRUstEEs

Linden S. Blue

Mary F. Bradley

Brigitte M. Bren

Arthur Brody

Terrence J. Bruggeman

Malin Burnham

Howard I. Cohen

Karin Eastham

Carl Eibl

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

Alan A. Gleicher

W.D. Grant

David F. Hale

Brent Jacobs

Robert C. Kyle

Robert J. Lauer

Sheila B. Lipinsky

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

Gregory T. Lucier

Douglas F. Manchester

Robert A. Mandell

Nico Nierenberg

Douglas H. Obenshain

Mark A. Pulido

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

Scott South

Stuart Tanz

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

Ex-OFFiciO

Ernest Beutler, M.D.

Nonprofit OrganizationU.s. postage

paidthe Burnham institute

o F F I c e r s a n d t R U s t E E s

Cert no. XXX-XXX-XXX

Printed on recycled paper.

FPo

10901 North Torrey Pines Road

La Jolla, CA 92037

Summer 2008

Documents

burnham research briefings

future of burnham research

burnham scientists

burnham angels

burnham partnerships

team burnham

burnham report

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