2004 a Nnual R Eport
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2004 ANNUAL R EPORT Depicted in BWF’s logo, the eye of the ancient Egyptian god Horus is considered a symbol of health. THE BURROUGHS WELLCOME FUND IS AN INDEPENDENT PRIVATE FOUNDATION DEDICATED TO ADVANCING THE BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES BY SUPPORTING RESEARCH AND OTHER SCIENTIFIC AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 2004 ANNUAL R EPORT CONTENTS ABOUT THE BURROUGHS WELLCOME FUND ............................................2 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE ..........................................................................4 — BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES ..............................................................8 — INFECTIOUS DISEASES ..............................................................11 — INTERFACES IN SCIENCE............................................................14 — SCIENCE EDUCATION ..............................................................17 — TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH ......................................................20 REPORT ON FINANCE ..........................................................................26 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ..........................27 GRANTS INDEX ..................................................................................35 INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS ............................................................66 PROGRAM APPLICATION DEADLINES ......................................................69 ADVISORY COMMITTEES ......................................................................70 BOARD OF DIRECTORS ........................................................................73 STAFF ..............................................................................................75 CONTACT INFORMATION FOR MAJOR PROGRAMS ....................................78 Burroughs Wellcome Fund t 919.991.5100 Mailing Address: Shipping Address: f 919.991.5160 Post Office Box 13901 21 T. W. Alexander Drive www.bwfund.org Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3901 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 A BOUT THE B URROUGHS W ELLCOME F UND 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, we seek to accomplish two 1880 by two young American pharmacists, Henry Wellcome primary goals—to help scientists early in their careers develop and Silas Burroughs, who had moved to London to manufacture as independent investigators, and to advance fields in the basic and sell “compressed medicines”—that is, pills—which the biomedical sciences that are undervalued or in need of pair believed could replace the potions and powders of the day. particular encouragement. Their firm prospered. After Silas Burroughs died in BWF has an endowment of about $600 million, and we 1895, Henry Wellcome directed the growth of the company award approximately $25 million in grants annually in the into an international network with subsidiaries in numerous United States and Canada. We channel our financial support countries on several continents. As the business grew, Henry primarily through competitive peer-reviewed award programs, Wellcome held firm to his strong belief that research was which encompass five major categories—basic biomedical sci- fundamental to the development of excellent pharmaceutical ences, infectious diseases, interfaces in science, translational products—a belief he put into practice by establishing the research, and science education. BWF makes grants primarily to industry’s first research laboratories. degree-granting institutions on behalf of individual researchers, When Henry Wellcome died in 1936, his will vested all who must be nominated by their institutions. To complement of the corporate shares in a new organization—the Wellcome these competitive award programs, we also make grants to non- Trust—devoted to supporting research in medicine and allied profit organizations conducting activities intended to improve sciences and to maintaining museums and libraries dedicated the general environment for science. to these fields. Over the decades, the Trust grew to become The Burroughs Wellcome Fund was founded in 1955 as the world’s largest charitable foundation devoted exclusively the corporate foundation of Burroughs Wellcome Co., the U.S. to the biomedical sciences. branch of the Wellcome pharmaceutical enterprise, based in In 1955, leaders at the Wellcome Trust and Burroughs the United Kingdom. The Wellcome enterprise was started in Wellcome Co.-USA envisioned an extension of this effort in 4 B URROUGHS W ELLCOME F UND the United States—and so was born the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. After nearly four decades as a corporate foundation, BWF in 1993 received from the Trust a $400 million gift that enabled us to become a foundation fully independent of the Wellcome Trust and the Burroughs Wellcome Co. Though we are today an independent philanthropy, our history and joint program activities allow us to maintain productive ties with the Wellcome Trust. With this increase in assets resulting from the Wellcome Trust endowment, BWF has been able to play a larger role in funding biomedical research, including extending our support into Canada. In carrying out this work, BWF is governed by a a century after two enterprising American pharmacists set in Board of Directors composed of distinguished scientists and motion their pioneering partnership, the Burroughs Wellcome business leaders, and our competitive award programs are Fund remains committed to the belief that fostering research guided by advisory committees composed of leading researchers by the best and brightest scientists offers the fullest promise and educators. for improving human health. The importance of curiosity-driven research, as endorsed by Henry Wellcome, continues to be our guide. Thus, more than 2004 ANNUAL R EPORT 5 P RESIDENT’ S M ESSAGE Enriqueta C. Bond, Ph.D. Surveying the Science Landscape, Building Alliances, and and engineering (S&E) workforce, as well as trends affecting our Convening Awardees current programs. At present, our programs support scientific On May 25, 2005, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund turns work at the interface between the physical, chemical, and 50. Over the past half century, the Fund has shifted priorities computational sciences and biology; physician-scientists who to keep pace with the evolving nature of the research enterprise, work on translating basic knowledge from bench to bedside; though our mission—to advance the biomedical sciences scientists who advance understanding of the host-pathogen through support of research and education—has stayed constant. interface in infectious diseases; and grants encouraging earlier So has our commitment to investing in the career development independence and risky science by young scientists. BWF also of young scientists and supporting investigators in underfunded promotes K-12 science education in North Carolina so that or undervalued areas of science. there will be more students coming through the pipeline to Every five years, BWF’s Board of Directors and staff fill tomorrow’s S&E workforce. (with input from outside specialists) step back from day to day The board also considers undervalued or underfunded areas operations to reconsider the Fund’s mission and strategies for of science in which a private funder can make a difference. Such implementing our programs—an exercise we call “terrain areas include work on translational science and research at the mapping.” With the accelerating pace of scientific discovery, interface of scientific disciplines, as well as work in reproductive it makes sense to regularly scan advances in science, analyze science and prevention of premature birth where political government and industry funding gaps in science, benchmark concerns about abortion, malpractice liability, and complex our efforts against those of other science funders, and refine science may slow research. and update our programs. I will describe below some of the Congress has reacted to 9/11 and anthrax terrorism by trends and issues that we think might affect our program plans increasing funding for research on infectious diseases and for for 2005-2006. producing new vaccines and therapeutics, especially those with potential to fight bioterrorism. These investments bring welcome Scanning the Science Environment new attention to the study of several specific infectious diseases, These are exciting times. An unprecedented array of but in this funding climate, BWF’s flexible support of work research opportunities challenges scientists to push the on pathogenesis—especially in underserved and undervalued boundaries of science. Consequently, to guide our terrain systems—is more important than ever to young researchers mapping efforts, our board tracks changes in biomedical working on basic problems. research and in the preparation and support of the science 6 B URROUGHS W ELLCOME F UND The NIH Roadmap scientists who can become tomorrow’s knowledge and team Efforts by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and leaders. In addition to continuing to invest in individual awards, other health funders reinforce our current investments and raise the BWF board is discussing whether we have a role in support- questions about how to reshape our funding for 2005-2006. ing team science efforts and, if so, what that role might be. This past year, both the NIH and the Food and Drug Acknowledging that basic science discoveries must be trans- Administration (FDA) have issued strategic plans to guide lated into interventions