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Highlights of the Year Technology Transfer Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is engaged in technology transfer as one way of deliver- ing important discoveries to the public. We continue to ramp up institutional support to CSHL scientists in partnering with companies, investors, and others to achieve their research-related objectives and add value to the basic research that is the bedrock of science at Cold Spring Harbor. Our success can be measured in terms of dollars, transactions, and relationships, but most impor- tantly how these efforts eventually translate into applications that benefit society. In 2014, CSHL had 561 active patent cases in progress for 133 technologies and 1627 active technology transfer agreements. Net licensing revenue totaled $3,866,042. The return on commercialization efforts is reinvested in research and innovation at CSHL. In June, CSHL announced the settlement of a long-running malpractice suit against law firm Ropes & Gray and attorney Matthew P. Vincent just days before the case was to go to a jury in Massachusetts state court. Malpractice impeded the timely issuance of a CSHL patent on short- hairpin RNAs (shRNAs). These are engineered molecules that allow researchers to turn off expres- sion of virtually any target gene or combination of genes in human and other mammalian cells. The shRNA technology at issue was developed by Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Gregory Hannon, Ph.D. It represents a con- siderable advance over other technologies, including the RNA interference technology developed by Nobel Prize winners Drs. Andrew Fire and Craig Mello. The Han- non shRNA technology has had a powerful impact across academic and industry medical research, including its use shRNA, named for its hairpin shape to identify new drug targets and therapies for cancer. Ultimately patented by CSHL in 2012 while the Laboratory simultaneously pursued the malprac- tice suit, the proprietary shRNA technology is now a widely used biomedical research tool in can- cer research and drug development. Many companies have already signed licenses for this technology with CSHL, and the Laboratory is pursuing additional licensing opportunities. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Board of Trustees The CSHL Board of Trustees elects members whose academic and professional accom- plishments reach beyond the boundaries of science, providing well-informed governance in an increasingly complex fiscal and regulatory environment. The Board welcomed Lalit Bahl, Ph.D., of Renaissance Technologies Corporation, David M. Knott of Knott Part- ners, and Elizabeth McCaul of Promontory Financial Group. L. Bahl The Board congratulated retiring member Thomas Lehrman, who served from 2008 to 2014 and was active on the Planning, Investment, and Academic Affairs committees. James H. Simons was elected Honorary Trustee. Jim is the founder of Renaissance Technologies and Chairman of the Simons Foundation. He and his wife, Marilyn, who serves as Vice Chairman of the CSHL Board of Trustees, are leaders in private funding of basic research at CSHL and throughout the country. Trustees, faculty, students, and employees mourned the pass- ing of long-time friends, former CSHL Chairman and Honorary D. Knott Trustee David Luke and his wife Fanny. E. McCaul 5 6 Highlights of the Year B. Stillman and Double Helix Medal winners M. Meselson, M. Thomas, and A. Solomon With support from the CSHL Association, the Corporate Advisory Board, foundations, and individuals, CSHL raised more than $6.6 million for the CSHL Annual Fund, which provides unrestricted support for research and education. The 9th Double Helix Medals Dinner, honoring Matthew Meselson, Marlo Thomas, and former CSHL trustee Andrew Solomon, raised a record $4 million. Through his award-winning writings and lectures, Andrew has promoted awareness and un- derstanding of mental illness, including a number of disorders that have a genetic basis and are under active investigation at the Laboratory. Dr. Meselson is a legendary geneticist whose landmark experi- ment in 1958 with Franklin Stahl revealed critical aspects of DNA replication, essentially proving Jim Watson and Francis Crick’s hypothesis as to how the double helix of DNA is copied. Marlo Thomas has raised the visibility of research in health care as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, spearheading national campaigns in support of the hospital’s mission to advance cures and prevent catastrophic pediatric diseases through research and treatment. In 1962, Marlo’s father, Danny Thomas, founded St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. With generous support from Jim and Marilyn Simons, we established the Simons Center for Quantitative Biology in 2009. The Center brings together experts in applied mathematics, com- puter science, physics, and engineering to further basic research and investigation into illnesses including cancer, autism, bipolar disorder, and depression. Thanks to Jim and Marilyn, this year we were able to recruit computational biologist Adam Siepel from Cornell University to be the inaugural Chair of the Simons Center. We are grateful to all major donors who in 2014 supported research and education programs at the Laboratory. The Stanley Medical Research Institute contributed $10 million to support the Laboratory’s Stanley Institute for Cognitive Genomics. The G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation continued its support of neuroscience research to map the mouse brain. A gift from the Seraph Foundation will help sup- port the Laboratory’s new state-of-the-art Genetic Screening Facility, named for John and Edna Daven- port. The New York State Empire State Development Jim and Marilyn Simons Corporation awarded CSHL $1.5 million to equip a Highlights of the Year 7 Center for Metabolomics, where researchers will assess cell metabolism and oxidative vulner- abilities to develop new small- molecule inhibitors for treating cancers, autism, diabetes, and orphan diseases. The Lustgarten Foundation contributed $5 million to support pancreatic cancer researcher Douglas Fearon, M.D., who was recruited from the University of Cambridge, U.K., to continue his work on harnessing the immune system to fight cancer. This support is in addition to a similar amount that was previously given by the Lustgarten Foundation to support pancreas cancer re- search in David Tuveson’s laboratory. The year’s outstanding additions to our Board, scientific staff, and community of supporters all bode well for a future of discovery and teaching innovation. All help CSHL maintain its leader- ship position in both research and education in biology and the life sciences. Research Faculty Awards The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) to Assistant Professor Florin Albeanu and Professor Partha Mitra, who are working to develop new technologies that will provide insight into the structure and operation of neural circuits and address how complex behaviors emerge from them. The awards are part of President Barack Obama’s multiyear BRAIN Initiative that aims to answer fundamental questions about how the brain works. The National Science Foundation (NSF) selected Assistant Professor Michael Schatz to receive its prestigious CAREER Award. The Faculty Early Career Development Program is targeted for teacher-scholars who are most effective in integrating research and education. Mike was one of a small group selected from among more than 200 young scientists who were under consideration. Assistant Professor Molly Hammell was one of seven 2014 Rita Allen Scholars. The award supports promising early-career investigators, and Molly received the Foundation’s highest honor: designation as the Milton E. Cassel Scholar, which pays tribute to a long-time president of the Rita Allen Foundation. Assistant Professor Anne Churchland was named a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences by the Pew Charitable Trusts. She also received a Klingenstein-Simons Fellowship in the Neurosci- ences from the Simons Foundation and the Esther A. and Joseph Klingenstein Fund. Associate Professor Mikala Egeblad won an Era of Hope Scholar Award from the United States Department of Defense (DoD) Breast Cancer Research Program. This prestigious award supports early-career scientists who have demonstrated extraordinary creativity, vision, and leadership po- tential within the field of breast cancer research. Mikala is one of only two recipients of the award this year. EMBO, founded 50 years ago as the European Molecular Biology Organization, elected Pro- fessor David L. Spector, Ph.D., to its ranks. David, who is CSHL’s Director of Research, is one of 50 outstanding researchers in the life sciences newly elected to membership. He was also elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, joining some of the world’s most accomplished leaders from academia, business, public affairs, the humanities, and the arts. The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance honored Lloyd Trotman, Associate Pro- fessor, with one of six prizes for Young Investigators in Cancer Research. The prize seeks to fuel innovative scientific discoveries in the search for a cure. I was honored to be selected as the 2014 recipient of the Herbert Tabor Research Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). The award is given for excellence in biological chemistry and molecular biology and for contributions to the community of scientists. It was my pleasure to give the
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