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Fueling Curiosity-Driven Research 2014 ANNUAL REPORT

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Fueling Curiosity-Driven Research 2014 ANNUAL REPORT Fueling Curiosity-Driven Research 2014 ANNUAL REPORT 2014 Annual Report Contents About the Burroughs Wellcome Fund 4 President’s Message 6 Biomedical Sciences 11 Diversity in Science 15 Infectious Diseases 18 Interfaces in Science 23 Population and Laboratory Sciences 28 Regulatory Science 30 Reproductive Sciences 34 Science Education 36 Science and Philanthropy 45 Report on Finance 46 Grants Index 50 Advisory Committees 77 Board of Directors and Staff 79 Contact Information 79 Burroughs Wellcome Fund 21 T. W. Alexander Drive P. O. Box 13901 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3901 919.991.5100 www.bwfund.org Fueling Curiosity-Driven Research | 2014 Annual Report 3 About the Burroughs Wellcome Fund The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is an independent private foundation dedicated to advancing the biomedical sciences by supporting research and other scientific and educational activities. Within this broad mission, BWF seeks to accomplish two primary goals—to help scientists early in their careers develop as independent investigators and to advance fields in the biomedical sciences that are undervalued or in need of particular encouragement 4 Burroughs Wellcome Fund The importance of curiosity-driven research, as endorsed by Henry Wellcome, guides the mission of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Financial support is channeled primarily through The firm prospered. After Burroughs died in 1895, competitive peer-reviewed award programs. Grants Wellcome directed the growth of the company into are made primarily to degree-granting institutions an international network with subsidiaries in on behalf of individual researchers. To complement numerous countries on several continents. As the these competitive award programs, grants are also business grew, Wellcome held firm to his belief that made to nonprofit organizations conducting research was fundamental to the development of activities intended to improve the general excellent pharmaceutical products and established environment for science. the industry’s first research laboratories. BWF was founded in 1955 as the corporate When Wellcome died in 1936, his will vested all of foundation of Burroughs Wellcome Co., the U.S. the corporate shares in a new organization—the branch of the Wellcome pharmaceutical enterprise, Wellcome Trust—devoted to supporting research in based in the United Kingdom. In 1993, BWF medicine and allied sciences and to maintaining received a $400 million gift from the Wellcome Trust museums and libraries dedicated to these fields. to become a fully independent foundation. The Trust grew to become the world’s largest charitable foundation devoted exclusively to the LEGACY The Wellcome enterprise was established biomedical sciences. in 1880 by two young American pharmacists, Henry Wellcome and Silas Burroughs, who moved to The importance of curiosity-driven research, as London to manufacture and sell “compressed endorsed by Henry Wellcome, guides the mission of medicines”—that is, pills—which they believed the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and its commitment could replace the potions and powders of the day. to the belief that fostering research by the best and brightest scientists offers the fullest promise for improving human health. Fueling Curiosity-Driven Research | 2014 Annual Report 5 President’s Message John Burris reviews the greatest challenge to biomedical science, funding. He encourages collaborative discussion and investment across a variety of constituents to enable the national potential in biomedical research to be realized. 6 Burroughs Wellcome Fund John E. Burris, Ph.D. President Burroughs Wellcome Fund Economic news, in general, is brighter than just a few Over time, the current system has created a great years ago. The housing market is on the upswing, imbalance in the workforce. The number of jobless rates are dropping, and commentators say postdoctoral positions, originally intended to we are no longer in “the Great Recession.” provide several years of additional training before a scientist advances to a faculty or other position, far But the news from one very significant sector of the outweighs the number of available faculty positions, economy—biomedical research—is bleak. Funding as well as other satisfying career options. The result from the National Institutes of Health, the backbone is a highly educated, highly skilled workforce who of biomedical research funding in America, has may not have the career options. Many decide to steadily decreased in real dollars since 2004. In leave science, which is never a good return on an 2013, the National Institutes of Science received investment. Others move from one postdoc position $29.3 billion, when adjusted for inflation is almost to another, biding their time as long as possible. 12 percent less than in 2004. NIH-funded research supports an estimated 402,000 jobs across America, The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is an independent yet investment in the NIH has been flat for more than private foundation with two primary goals: To help a decade. Postdoctoral researchers, the workhorse scientists early in their careers develop as of biomedical research, are forced out of science independent investigators and to advance fields in when their mentor’s funding ends, or they find the basic biomedical sciences that are undervalued themselves in a series of postdoc positions without or in need of particular encouragement. We identify the prospect of running their own labs. the most talented, motivated scientists doing the most promising work in research that is underserved There are other challenges eroding America’s by NIH or corporate funding. biomedical research enterprise. In a March 2014 article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of In 2014, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund distributed Sciences, several well-respected scientists, including $28.4 million in grants to scientists around the Harold Varmus, director of the National Cancer country, including $3 million to K-12 teachers in our Institute and former director of the NIH, highlighted home state of North Carolina. Our investment in “systemic flaws” in U.S. biomedical research. During scientists affords them the opportunity to take risks the last decades of the 20th century the NIH budget and the chance to make critical, incremental and, doubled, then doubled again. Then, it dropped. This sometimes, major insights in understanding. inconsistent and unreliable investment goes hand-in- glove with methods for choosing who receives grant funding, and for what. A recent shift in focus toward “translational research” risks compromising the science of fundamental questions that open doors yet unknown. Fueling Curiosity-Driven Research | 2014 Annual Report 7 President’s Message continued Our investment in scientists affords them the opportunity to take risksand the chance to make critical, incremental and, sometimes, major insights in understanding. By investing in science education, we are looking to American scientists, are in jeopardy. With their the future for the next generation of scientific careers go a significant number of jobs directly and leaders. Our funding enables the best science and indirectly related to biomedical research, as well as mathematics teachers to flourish through career the scientific knowledge that would have been development opportunities. Our program in informal produced. science and mathematics education helps develop The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is committed to the joy of curiosity and discovery so crucial to the supporting biomedical researchers long into the research enterprise. future. We encourage substantial, in-depth and Our investments are primarily directed at the urgent discussions from a variety of constituents long-term health of fundamental academic research. that will set U.S. biomedical research on a course We are hopeful that our awardees can leverage our that enables our national potential to be realized. funding into fruitful careers. However, without significant investments in time, energy and finances to improve the biomedical research landscape, our scientists’ careers, and those of many other Fiscal Year 2014 Major Competitive Grant Awardees Career Awards at the Prashant Mali, Ph.D. Ramkumar Sabesan, Ph.D. Scientific Interface Harvard Medical School University of California-Berkeley University of California-San Diego School of Optometry Ariana E. Anderson, Ph.D. University of California-Los Angeles Nikhil S. Malvankar, Ph.D. Kimberly Murley Stroka, Ph.D. University of Massachusetts-Amherst Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Amit Choudhary, Ph.D. Harvard University Elizabeth A. Nance, Ph.D. Michael D. Vahey, Ph.D. Broad Institute Johns Hopkins University University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health Matthew C. Good, Ph.D. Elizabeth Hesper Rego, Ph.D. University of California-Berkeley Harvard School of Public Health Heng Xu, Ph.D. Baylor College of Medicine Xin Zhang, Ph.D. Scripps Research Institute 8 Burroughs Wellcome Fund BWF awarded $35.3 million in grants during fiscal year 2014. Biomedical Sciences Infectious Diseases ($9.8 million) ($8.0 million) 22% Diversity in Science 28% Interfaces in Science ($0.88 million) ($7.1 million) 20% 3% Translational Research ($0.23 million) Reproductive Sciences 10% 8% ($3.0 million) 7% Science Education Regulatory Science ($3.4 million) ($2.6 million) Science & Philanthropy ($0.32 million) For audited financial statements and evaluations of our grant programs, visit www.bwfund.org/annualreport or scan the QR code. Career Awards for Ethan Michael Goldberg,
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