SCRIPPS FLORIDA FUNDING CORPORATION
ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2013
2013 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DAVID J. GURY, CHAIRMAN ∙ DR. PAMELLA DANA, VICE CHAIRMAN C. GLEN GED ∙ C. GERALD GOLDSMITH ∙ MARK J. KASTEN THOMAS G. KUNTZ ∙ RICHARD M. LUCERI, M.D. EDWARD SABIN ∙ ART WOTIZ SARA MISSELHORN, PROJECT DIRECTOR
130 SCRIPPS WAY, SUITE B41 JUPITER, FL 33458 (561)655-9669 [email protected]
SCRIPPS FLORIDA FUNDING CORPORATION ANNUAL REPORT
For Year Ended September 30, 2013
INTRODUCTION
Florida Statute 288.955 (the “Enabling Statute”) created Scripps Florida Funding Corporation (“SFFC”) to facilitate the establishment and operation of a biomedical research institution for the purposes of enhancing education and research and promoting economic development and diversity. In addition, the Enabling Statute charged SFFC with the obligation to assure the compliance by The Scripps Research Institute (“TSRI”) with the Enabling Statute and the agreement between SFFC and TSRI (the “Operating and Funding Agreement”). The Enabling Statute provides that SFFC shall prepare or obtain certain reports, audits, and evaluations of TSRI’s compliance with the performance expectations and disbursement conditions contained in the Enabling Statute. As such, SFFC is submitting this Annual Report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House, as required by the Enabling Statute to be submitted by December 1 of each year. This SFFC Annual Report addresses the activities and outcomes of SFFC and Scripps Florida (“SF”) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013 (“Fiscal 2013”). The Scripps Florida Annual Report addressed the activities and outcomes of Scripps Florida for the year ended June 30, 2013, and SFFC received the Scripps Florida Annual Report on August 25, 2013. The information in the Scripps Florida Annual Report was informally updated for this SFFC Annual Report.
The SFFC Annual Report serves to report on both the requirements and the aspirations as set forth by the Operating and Funding Agreement with Scripps and is presented in two parts: first, a summary that highlights the substantial events that have occurred during the year ended September 30, 2013; and second, an itemized report that corresponds with the applicable sections of the Enabling Statute.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 2 Annual Report 2013 ABOUT THE SCRIPPS FLORIDA FUNDING CORPORATION In November 2003, Governor Bush signed into law an historic piece of legislation that laid the framework for The Scripps Research Institute to expand its world-renowned scientific research and endeavors into Florida. The bill, passed by the Florida Legislature during special session, provided a one-time investment of $310 million from federal economic stimulus monies to create Scripps Florida and pay certain expenses for the first seven years, specifically salaries and equipment purchases. In June 2006, The Scripps Research Institute revised the Scripps Florida business plan and SFFC and TSRI revised the scheduled disbursements from SFFC, which expanded grant funding to ten years, or through 2014.
To oversee the investment and spending of the State’s investment in Scripps Florida, the Florida Legislature created the Scripps Florida Funding Corporation, hereto referred to as SFFC, a non-profit entity comprised of a nine-member Board of Directors and one ex-officio member. The role of SFFC was enunciated by Governor Bush, “my vision for this board is that it manages the financial portion of our partnership, but lets Scripps do what it does best – conduct biomedical research.”
SFFC Board of Directors Of the nine-member Board of Directors, three Directors are appointed by each of the Governor, House Speaker and the Senate President. Mr. David Gury serves as Chair of the Board of Directors and Dr. Pamella Dana as Vice-Chair. The full Board of Directors consists of the Chair and Vice Chair and Mr. Charles Glen Ged, Mr. C. Gerald Goldsmith, Mr. Mark J. Kasten, Mr. Thomas G. Kuntz, Dr. Richard M. Luceri, Mr. Ed Sabin and Mr. Art Wotiz.
ABOUT THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is one of the world's largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. TSRI is internationally recognized for its contributions to science and health, including its role in laying the foundation for new treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. An institution that evolved from the Scripps Metabolic Clinic founded by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1924, the institute now employs about 3,000 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL, where its renowned scientists— including three Nobel laureates—work toward their next discoveries. The institute's graduate program, which awards PhD degrees in biology and chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation. For more information, see www.scripps.edu.
ABOUT SCRIPPS FLORIDA Scripps Florida, a division of the not-for-profit Scripps Research Institute, sits on 30 acres adjoining the Florida Atlantic University campus in the Town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County, Florida. Over 500 scientists, technicians, and administrative staff work in the 350,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art biomedical research facility which opened in March 2009. Scripps Florida focuses on basic biomedical science, drug discovery and technology development. In addition to the one-time grant from the State of Florida, Palm Beach County provided an economic package that included funding for land and construction of the current permanent facility.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 3 Annual Report 2013 SCRIPPS FLORIDA HIGHLIGHTS
As of September 30, 2013, Scripps Florida employed 528 people and had received $49.5 million in research support from non-state sources. Since inception, Scripps Florida research has resulted in over 100 domestic and foreign patent applications, 39 technology licenses and $355 million in grants and gifts from the National Institutes of Health, foundations and donors.
The next subsections - Scripps Florida Institutional Milestones, Scripps Florida Philanthropic Accomplishments, Scripps Florida Faculty, and Scripps Florida Scientific Accomplishments, which includes scientific publications, grant awards, and scientific awards - summarize the highlights of the Scripps Florida events that have occurred during the year ended September 30, 2013.
Scripps Florida Institutional Milestones
Scripps Research Institute Named David Blinder to Key Fundraising Position In January 2013, Scripps appointed David Blinder, PhD, as senior vice president for external affairs at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). Mr. Blinder began his new position, which oversees external affairs on both the Scripps California and Scripps Florida campuses, on March 1, 2013.
Blinder earned a BA in philosophy, magna cum laude, from Princeton University in 1972 and an MA and PhD in philosophy from UC Berkeley in 1979 and 1981, respectively. He then joined Yale University as an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy. In 1987, he joined the philanthropy staff at Princeton University, while continuing to lecture in philosophy. After positions in leadership gifts and corporate and foundation relations, Blinder became director of development for Princeton in 1992. At that time, he became involved in developing the university’s $1 billion 250th anniversary campaign. In 1995, he joined Wellesley College as vice president for resources and public affairs. There, he planned and implemented a record-breaking campaign for liberal arts fundraising. In 2007, he joined University of California (UC), Berkeley, where he was a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet, Council of Deans, and UC Berkeley Foundation Campaign Steering Committee. Before he joined Scripps, he was associate vice chancellor of university relations and vice president of the UC Berkeley Foundation. In that capacity, Blinder was senior manager of a highly successful fundraising effort, The Campaign for Berkeley. Publicly launched in 2008, the campaign has raised $2.7 billion toward a $3 billion goal.
Michael A. Marletta, PhD, president and CEO of TSRI, commented, “His leadership and accomplishments in development and management will be essential to our philanthropic efforts. I am very much looking forward to working with him to build a strong financial future for the institute.”
Florida’s Marshall Criser III Joined Scripps Research Institute Board of Trustees As per the agreement between TSRI and SFFC, SFFC is permitted to request two nominations to the TSRI Board of Trustees. At the SFFC annual meeting on March 13, 2013, the SFFC Board of Directors voted to nominate Marshall M. Criser III, president of AT&T Florida, for membership in the Board of Trustees and in May 2013, TSRI Board of Trustees elected Mr. Criser to its Board.
As president of AT&T Florida, Criser is responsible for leading AT&T’s operations throughout the state. Prior to the merger of AT&T and BellSouth in December 2006, he held the same position with
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 4 Annual Report 2013 BellSouth. Criser has held various senior management positions with the company, including vice president of regulatory and external affairs, vice president of regulatory and strategic planning for BellSouth International, and director of state and agency relations in Washington, D.C. He began his career at Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company, where he held positions in regulatory, internal audits and comptrollers divisions. A Florida native, Criser earned a BA in business administration at the University of Florida. He also completed the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France. Criser’s business, public sector and community involvement is extensive. He is chair of the Florida Council of 100, co-chair of the Florida Higher Education Coordinating Council, and a member of the Executive Committee and chair of the Audit Committee of Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership devoted to statewide economic development. In 2010, he was appointed by the Florida Board of Governors to serve on the Board of Trustees of the University of Florida. He served previously on the Florida Transportation Commission under appointments by Governor Jeb Bush and Governor Charlie Crist. In addition, he serves on the board of the Miami Dade College Foundation.
"It is a privilege to serve with the trustees of The Scripps Research Institute,” said Criser. “Scripps's exploration and investment in research and education have made a significant impact from coast to coast. More importantly, Scripps researchers are solving problems and developing the problem-solvers of the future."
James E. LaBelle Joined Scripps Research Institute Board of Trustees Also at the May 2013 TSRI Board of Trustee’s meeting, James E. LaBelle, chief medical officer and corporate senior vice president of Scripps Health was elected to serve on TSRI Board of Trustees. Scripps Health is a private, nonprofit health system in San Diego, California that includes four hospitals on five campuses, outpatient clinics, home health and hospice care with thousands of affiliated physicians.
LaBelle was appointed chief medical officer and corporate senior vice president of Scripps Health in January 2013. Prior to this appointment, he was corporate vice president of quality, physician co- management and medical management with Scripps Health. He also served as medical director of emergency services at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas and served two terms as the hospital’s chief of staff. A physician in the field of emergency medicine for more than 25 years, LaBelle is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American College of Physician Executives. LaBelle earned a BS degree in electrical engineering and an MD from the University of Washington, as well as completing an internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of California, San Diego. He also holds a Healthcare Executive MBA from the University of California, Irvine. LaBelle is co-founder and past president and CEO of Connect the Docs Multi-Specialty Network, Inc., as well as a co-founder and past chairman of Connect the Docs Medical Management.
“We would like to extend a warm welcome to Marshall and Jim,” said Dick Gephardt, President/CEO of Gephardt Government Affairs and lead trustee of the TSRI Board of Trustees. "We are confident their contributions as board members will enhance TSRI’s preeminence in biomedical research and graduate education."
“We are delighted to have Marshall and Jim join our board,” said TSRI President and CEO Michael A. Marletta. “Marshall brings a wealth of business experience and will help us build even stronger ties to
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 5 Annual Report 2013 our community in Florida. Jim's experience in medicine and research will serve us very well and in addition he brings a sincere interest, which I share, in forging new relationship to the Clinic and Scripps Health. We enthusiastically look forward to working with both of them.”
Karen Marcus to Assist Scripps Florida with Government and Community Relations In April 2013, Scripps contracted with former County Commissioner Karen Marcus to provide advice and assistance in community and government relations. She was a member of the Palm Beach County Commission for 28 years before retiring last December because of term limits. In her new role with Scripps Florida, Marcus keeps SF informed about local, regional and state-wide events, legislation and activities; connects SF with key organizations throughout the state; and raises awareness about Scripps Florida’s initiatives and programs. Not included in her duties is lobbying the Palm Beach County Commission, as rules prohibit former commissioners from lobbying that entity for two years after they leave office.
“Having worked to bring Scripps Florida to Palm Beach County, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to be part of the institute’s continued success,” Marcus said.
Scripps Florida Philanthropic Accomplishments
During the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, gifts and pledges to Scripps Florida totaled more than $4.2 million and new pledges, more than $3.4 million. Highlights include: Rich and Helen DeVos continued their support of the graduate education program at Scripps Florida by making a new $1.25 million pledge, which will be used to attract, enrich and retain outstanding PhD students in the life sciences.
The William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust awarded $1,000,000 for four years of support for Scripps Florida’s Education Outreach Programs, overseen by Program Director Deborah Leach-Scampavia.
The Josilyn Faith Foundation for Prader-Willi Syndrome has made a $450,000 commitment to Roy Smith, chair of the Department of Metabolism and Aging, to support the development of therapies for the disease and to fund a three-year postdoctoral training fellowship.
The Esther B. O'Keeffe Charitable Foundation donated $250,000 to fund neuroscience training and public outreach under the direction of Professor Ron Davis, chair of the Department of Neuroscience; the gift will help train the next generation of scientists, as well as support a series of presentations to raise community awareness of Scripps Florida’s work to understand and combat brain diseases.
The Joseph B. & Rita P. Scheller Charitable Foundation has made a $250,000 five-year commitment to create the Scheller Graduate Student Fellowship.
Jimmy & Becky Mayer demonstrated their resolve in advancing research through the generous renewal of their Marie Mayer Postdoctoral Training Fellowships in Cancer Biology under the direction of Department of Cancer Biology Chair John Cleveland.
A private family foundation has pledged $100,000 to Roy Smith, chair of the Department of Metabolism and Aging, for use at his discretion.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 6 Annual Report 2013 In its second year, PGA National’s 2013 Women’s Cancer Awareness Days fundraising effort resulted in contributions in excess of $212,000, supporting five Postdoctoral Training Fellowships in Cancer Research under the mentorship of five faculty members.
The Samuel J. and Connie M. Frankino Foundation has made a $105,500 gift to fund a two-year postdoctoral training fellowship for Dr. Lorraine Clark under the direction of Professor Tom Kodadek. Dr. Clark will work on developing an efficient screening test to detect Alzheimer's disease before symptoms appear, setting the stage for early treatment options.
The Klorefine Foundation has made a gift of $100,000 for a two-year postdoctoral training fellowship for Dr. Xiuling Li under the direction of Associate Professor Christoph Rader. Dr. Li will work on novel antibody-drug conjugates—which could act as smart bombs selectively delivered to cancer cells without harming the normal cells and tissues—for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
The Rendina Family Foundation has made a $150,000 pledge to fund a two-year postdoctoral training fellowship for Dr. Laura Rosenberg under the mentorship of Assistant Professor Derek Duckett. Dr. Rosenberg will continue pursuing a project aimed at developing more effective therapies for glioblastoma, a virulent type of brain cancer.
Rick and Lesley Stone have made a $120,000 commitment to fund a postdoctoral training fellowship in the laboratory of Professor Patrick Griffin, chair of the Department of Molecular Therapeutics. The recipient of the fellowship will be Dr. Vinh Lamm, who is working on a project that holds promise for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2.
The Rainwater Charitable Foundation has made a gift of $112,500 for the first year of two two-year postdoctoral training fellowships under the direction of Professor Matt Disney in the Department of Molecular Therapeutics. The two postdoctoral fellows will work on designing drugs that selectively inhibit RNA variants that encode a mutant protein implicated in frontal temporal dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
The Men's Golf Association at the BallenIsles Country Club has provided approximately $105,000 to fund a prostate cancer research fellowship to be supervised by Associate Professor Kendall Nettles of the Department of Cancer Biology.
Scripps Florida Faculty
There was significant faculty hiring in Fiscal 2013 as Scripps Florida prepares to meet its goal of 545 employees by December 2013. The following announcements explain the key positions appointed during the period of October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013.
TSRI Appointed Boger as Department of Chemistry Chair and Kodadek as Vice Chair In October 2012, TSRI named Dale Boger, PhD, as chair of its Department of Chemistry. In addition, Thomas Kodadek, PhD, was appointed vice chair. TSRI’s Department of Chemistry is comprised of scientists on both coasts. Boger is based in the institute’s La Jolla, CA, campus, and Kodadek in the Jupiter, FL, campus. Boger succeeds K. C. Nicolaou, who had served as chemistry chair since the inception of the department in 1989.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 7 Annual Report 2013 TSRI has been highlighted in a Science Watch survey of "high-impact" papers in chemistry as the top institution worldwide by citations per paper. And, according to U.S. News & World Report, the institute's graduate program is rated seventh overall in the nation in chemistry, with a ranking of third in the specialty of organic chemistry and fourth in biochemistry.
Ten faculty members have joined the institute’s chemistry department to head laboratories in the last four years, including Kodadek, who arrived in 2009.
Boger, 59, received his BS in chemistry from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas (1975) and PhD in chemistry from Harvard University (1980). He returned to the University of Kansas in 1979, moved to Purdue University in 1985, and, in 1991, joined the faculty at TSRI. Boger is internationally recognized for his work in organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, natural products total synthesis and biological evaluation, synthetic methodology development including combinatorial chemistry, and bioorganic chemistry. He has made seminal contributions to the understanding of DNA-drug interactions, small molecule stabilization or disruption of protein–protein interactions involved in signal transduction, and to the discovery and validation of new biological targets. Boger has been the recipient of numerous awards for his work, including an inaugural year Searle Scholar Award, the inaugural year ISHC Katritzky Award in Heterocyclic Chemistry, an American Chemical Society (ACS) A. C. Cope Scholar Award, the ACS Award for Creativity in Organic Synthesis, the Paul Janssen Prize for Creativity in Organic Synthesis, the ACS Ernest Geunther Award in Natural Products, and the ACS Ralph Hirschmann Award in Peptide Chemistry. He is also an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Kodadek, 53, received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Miami (1981) and a PhD in organic chemistry from Stanford University (1985). He completed postdoctoral work in biochemistry at the University of California, San Francisco, and joined the University of Texas, Austin, as an assistant professor in 1987. He joined the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as a professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Biology in 1998 and became director of the Division of Translational Research there in 2005. At Scripps Florida, Kodadek holds joint appointments in the Departments of Chemistry and Cancer Biology. Kodadek has made fundamental discoveries in nucleic acid enzymology, including elucidating the biochemistry of homologous genetic recombination and the role of the proteasome in eukaryotic transcription. His more recent research is focused on developing chemical tools to address important problems in biology and medicine, for example identifying synthetic molecules capable of targeting antibodies, B cells and T cells in an antigen-like fashion for the purpose of monitoring and manipulating the immune system. His awards and honors include the Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellowship, American Cancer Society Junior Faculty Research Award and the NIH Director's Pioneer Award. He is also an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Scripps Research Institute Appoints Innovative Scientist to Metabolism and Aging Department In November 2012, Anutosh Chakraborty was appointed as an assistant professor in the Department of Metabolism and Aging. Before coming to Scripps Florida, Chakraborty was affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD.
Chakraborty’s research is aimed at understanding the molecular details of the various signaling pathways involved in metabolic diseases, particularly the family of inositol hexakisphosphate kinases
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 8 Annual Report 2013 (IP6Ks), which play a role in a range of physiological activities from programmed cell death to the regulation of insulin and glucose homeostasis. Chakraborty received his bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of Burdwan, India, in 1995 and a master’s degree in 1997 from the same institution. He was awarded a PhD from the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in 2005. He conducted postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins, and then became a research instructor there. In 1998, Chakraborty was awarded a Lectureship after qualifying in the Joint Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India, and the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test. He received a Merit Research Grant Award the following year. He ranked second in the nationwide Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE), conducted by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in 1999. In 2008, Chakraborty was a key member of a Johns Hopkins research team that discovered a novel way to develop stronger, less-harmful anticancer drugs— showing that the action of IP6K2, which promotes cell death in response to stress such as commonly prescribed anti-cancer drugs, can be controlled when bound to a heat shock protein, HSP90. The study was published the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2010, he was the lead author of a study published in the journal Cell that suggested that selective inhibitors of IP6K1 could have strong therapeutic potential in treating type-2 diabetes associated with obesity and insulin resistance—with few adverse side effects. He demonstrated that mice deleted of the IP6K1 gene are protected from age and high-fat-diet-induced weight gain and insulin resistance. Two Noted Harvard Scientists – Farzan and Choe - Appointed to Scripps Florida Faculty In December 2012, TSRI appointed Professor Michael R. Farzan and Associate Professor Hyeryun Choe to the faculty on its Florida campus. Prior to joining Scripps Florida this month, both were on the faculty at Harvard Medical School.
Farzan’s research is focused on uncovering the process by which various viruses, including HIV-1 and SARS coronavirus, enter target cells and the immune system’s response to this event. Farzan is also working to find ways to enhance these immune responses. For example, his lab identified the cellular receptor for the SARS virus, a key post-translational modification of CCR5 necessary for HIV-1 infection, and a family of innate immune factors that prevent viruses from entering cells. He has shown that some antibodies mimic certain host receptors, an important finding since such similarities make it more difficult for the virus to escape the body’s immune response. Farzan is currently investigating these antibodies, their role in controlling long-term infection, and how to better draw them out. His long- term goal is to find an appropriate combination of antibody and antibody-like molecules to provide long- term protection from HIV-1 infection following a single inoculation.
Farzan received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College in 1984 and a PhD in Immunology from Harvard Medical School in 1997. He was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Farzan joined Harvard Medical School as an instructor in the Department of Pathology in 1999. In 2002, he was named an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine and, in 2005, an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. In 2007, he was promoted to associate professor and, in 2012, to professor. Among Farzan’s honors are the Richard A. Smith Prize for outstanding research at Dana- Farber Cancer Institute, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigators in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award, and a Kavli Fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences and Kavli Foundation.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 9 Annual Report 2013 Choe’s research has focused on identifying the processes by which enveloped viruses enter their target cells. That focus has led to the identification of a number of key factors essential for entry of HIV-1, SARS coronavirus and a number of hemorrhagic fever viruses. Among her significant research is a 2007 Nature paper that reported the identification of a key receptor for pathogenic New World arenaviruses— Machupo, Junin, Guanarito and Sabia, which cause hemorrhagic fever and significant casualties in various regions of South America. The team was also able to show that iron depletion enhances, and iron supplementation slows, infection by these viruses, suggesting iron supplements as a possible treatment.
Choe received a bachelor’s degree from Seoul National University in Korea in 1977 and a master’s degree in 1980. She was awarded a PhD from Pennsylvania State University in 1984, and subsequently conducted postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School. In 1997, Choe was appointed as an instructor at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. In 2000, she became an assistant professor at Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Choe was the second most cited scientist for research published in 1996-7 as reported by Thomson Reuters' Essential Science Indicators Science Watch; in 2002, she was named a Prominent Scientist by the Society for Biomedical Research.
Memory Researcher Tomchik Appointed to Faculty In January 2013, TSRI appointed Assistant Professor Seth Tomchik as a laboratory head on the Florida campus. Previously, Tomchik was a senior research associate and a member of the Ron Davis laboratory at Scripps Florida.
Tomchik, who received a prestigious National Institute of Mental Health Pathway to Independence award in 2010, focuses his research on how the brain influences both innate and learned behaviors. Like many scientists who study memory, he uses the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model system to study and decipher the intricacies of neural circuits. Genetic techniques, coupled with in vivo imaging and precise manipulation of neuronal activity, enable him to study how various neurotransmitter pathways are involved in shaping normal behavior and disease. His ultimate goal is to uncover the pathophysiology of diseases such as fragile X and neurofibromatosis type 1. Neurofibromatosis type 1 is a tumor disorder that produces tumors within the nervous system and often results in learning difficulties.
Tomchik received an Honors Program BA cum laude in psychology from the University of Miami in 2001, and a PhD in biology from the same institution in 2005. From 2006 to 2007, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami and later, from 2007 to 2009, at Baylor College of Medicine. Tomchik received a Robert E. Maytag fellowship in 2002 and a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Biomedical Discovery Training fellowship in 2007. He joined TSRI in 2009.
Innovative Biotech Scientist Sundrud Appointed to Cancer Biology Department In March 2013, TSRI appointed Mark Sundrud as an assistant professor in the Department of Cancer Biology. Before joining Scripps Florida, Sundrud was a principal scientist and head of discovery biology at Tempero Pharmaceuticals, a GlaxoSmithKline-funded Massachusetts-based biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutics for autoimmune diseases.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 10 Annual Report 2013 In his research program at Scripps Florida, Sundrud aims to better understand the molecular underpinnings of how inflammatory T cells develop and promote tissue inflammation—with the ultimate goal of applying that knowledge towards the development of new therapies. His research has been focused on understanding the metabolic and stress response pathways of Th17 and he explains… “if we switch that around, we may also be able to harness these same T cells and these same pathways to eradicate tumors.”
Sundrud earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology with honors from Concordia College and a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he received the Sidney P. Colowick Memorial Award for outstanding graduate research. He went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School, where he was awarded a fellowship from the Irvington Institute fellowship program of the Cancer Research Institute. As the head of target discovery at the newly formed Tempero Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sundrud oversaw the company's early research programs that were focused on defining the mechanisms underlying T cell-mediated inflammation and on developing innovative therapeutic strategies for the treatment of chronic and autoimmune inflammation. Sundrud also served as the scientific manager of a research alliance between GlaxoSmithKline and the Harvard Medical School-affiliated Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Children's Hospital in Boston. Sundrud was the lead author of a groundbreaking 2009 study, published in the journal Science, which described how halofuginone, a small molecule derived from the root of the blue evergreen hydrangea, specifically inhibits the development of a unique, inflammatory subset of CD4+ “helper” T cells known as Th17 cells, which have been implicated in a variety of common autoimmune disorders.
Immunology Researcher Solt Appointed to Faculty In April 2013, TSRI appointed Laura Solt as assistant professor at the Florida campus. Previously, Solt was a research associate and a member of the laboratory of Professor Thomas Burris at Scripps Florida.
Solt’s research is focused on nuclear receptors, a family of protein molecules that are best known for sensing and controlling hormone activity inside the cell; they have been implicated in the progress of a number of cancers, the generation of metabolic syndrome, and several autoimmune diseases. Due to the wide range of physiological and potential pathological consequences of aberrant nuclear receptor activity, this family of proteins is a popular area of research as potential targets for drug development, including for type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and metabolic syndrome.
Solt received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, with a concentration in Pre-Medical studies, from Boston College in 1998 and a PhD in Immunology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2008 before joining Scripps Florida as a postdoctoral fellow. In the Burris lab, Solt was deeply involved in research that led to the development of first-in-class, highly selective compounds that effectively suppress certain types of autoimmune responses, including the severity of multiple sclerosis in animal models. These compounds could provide new and more effective therapeutic approaches to multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. Solt, 36 and a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, is past-president of the Scripps- Florida Society of Research Fellows and one of the founders of the campus’s chapter of Network for Women in Science.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 11 Annual Report 2013 Innovative Scientist Xu Appointed to Neuroscience Department In May 2013, TSRI appointed Baoji Xu as a professor in the Department of Neuroscience. Before joining Scripps Florida, Xu was an associate professor at the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC.
Xu’s work will revolve around three research topics: local protein synthesis in dendrites (branch-like extensions on nerve cells), which has been implicated in the formation of long-term memory; central control of body weight and glucose homeostasis; and the mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s.
Xu earned a bachelor’s degree from Xiamen University in China in 1983, a master’s degree from Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology, Chinese Academy in 1986, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1995. His doctoral dissertation research in the laboratory of Professor David Clayton involved understanding the mechanisms that control replication of mitochondrial DNA, with support of a predoctoral fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation. Xu did his postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Professor Louis Reichardt at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Francisco, from 1996 to 2001, studying the role of neurotrophins in the cerebral cortex and in weight control. After briefly working on the development of obesity therapeutics at Chiron Corporation (currently Novartis Emeryville Research Center in California), Xu joined Georgetown University as an assistant professor in 2003. At Georgetown University, Xu carried out a highly successful research program and published many papers in prominent journals. He received an American Heart Association Scientist Development Award and was funded by numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health, American Diabetes Association, Klarman Family Foundation, March of Dimes Foundation and Whitehall Foundation.
Columbia University Scientist Snyder Appointed to Chemistry Department In September 2013, TSRI appointed Scott A. Snyder as an associate professor with tenure in the Department of Chemistry. Before coming to the Florida campus of TSRI, Snyder was a member of the Columbia University faculty.
Snyder’s research focus is on the total synthesis of natural products, materials widely used in the drug development process, either as medicines themselves or as progenitors to more highly bioactive and selective molecules. For instance, at TSRI Snyder will continue his work on the chemistry and biology of resveratrol, an ingredient in red wine and grape skins thought to be behind the so-called “French paradox”– the notion that despite the consumption of significant amounts of fat and cholesterol within the typical French diet, citizens of that nation experience relatively few heart attacks because their diet also includes large amounts of red wine. Snyder’s goal is to explore these more complex compounds and see what their effects might be in humans. His creative approach for the controlled synthesis of many members of the resveratrol family was recently published in the journal Nature.
Snyder received his bachelor’s degree in 1999 from Williams College. After finishing graduate studies at TSRI under the tutelage of Professor K. C. Nicolaou in 2004, he was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Professor E. J. Corey at Harvard University, the 1990 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. In 2006, Snyder was appointed as an assistant professor at Columbia University, and in the ensuing seven years established a vigorous research program that was recognized by a number of honors. For instance, in 2010, he received an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship and a
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 12 Annual Report 2013 Bristol-Myers Squibb Unrestricted Grant in synthetic organic chemistry; in 2011, a DuPont Young Professor Award; and, in 2012, the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society. He will deliver The Chemical Record Lecture at the Japanese Chemical Society meeting in early 2014. In addition to his research, Snyder is also a recognized leader in chemical education, having co-authored an advanced graduate text while a graduate student and, more recently, an undergraduate text used worldwide which is currently in its 11th edition. Snyder also plans to involve himself deeply in education and outreach at TSRI.
Scripps Florida Scientific Accomplishments
The following is an overview of Scripps Florida’s scientific accomplishment from October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013, ranging from scientific publications, federal grants and finally to scientific awards.
Scientific Publications
Articles from Scripps Florida scientists were published in a variety of scientific research publications ranging from online editions of prestigious journals to Proceedings from the Journal from the National Academy of Sciences. The following are a small sample of the hundreds of publications during the year by Scripps scientists.
Scientists Develop Novel Technology to Identify Potential Biomarkers for Ulcerative Colitis Scientists from the Florida campus of TSRI developed a novel technology that can identify, in animal models, potential biomarkers of ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the colon. The study was published October 3, 2012, in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The new research focuses on the protein arginine deiminases (PAD), which have been implicated in a number of diseases, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. PADs participate in reactions in the body that form the amino acid citrulline in proteins through a process known as citrullination. This modification can have significant effects on the structure and function of the modified proteins.
While abnormally high PAD activity is present in a host of human diseases, the exact role of citrullination in these diseases remains unknown, largely due to the lack of readily available chemical probes to study it. In the new study, the scientists describe a chemical probe called rhodamine‐phenylglyoxal (Rh‐PG), which tags citrulline-containing proteins with a fluorescent imaging compound. According to Paul Thompson, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry at TSRI, who led the study, the next step will be to produce further generations of this chemical probe to isolate the biomarker proteins and determine their sites of modification, as well as to quantify the extent of the citrullination. Scientists Devise New Screening Method to Aid RNA Drug Development Research Scripps Florida scientists developed a new method of screening more than three million combinations of interactions between RNA and small molecules to identify the best targets on RNA as well as the most promising potential drug compounds. This novel technology may lead to more efficient drug development. The study was published in the October 9, 2012 issue of the journal Nature Communications.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 13 Annual Report 2013 RNA has multiple biological functions, including encoding and translating proteins from genes and regulating the amount of protein expressed under various cellular conditions. Recent studies have identified RNA as a “molecular switch” that controls cellular events such as gene expression, making RNA an attractive target for small molecules that serve as chemical genetics probes, analytical tools or potential drugs. However, to date information on which small molecules bind to which parts (structural motifs) of RNA has been sparse, hampering this promising area of research and development. That’s where the new study comes in. Matthew Disney, an associate professor at TSRI who authored the study with graduate student Tuan Tran, notes that larger, more chemically diverse small molecule libraries could be screened to provide additional ligands with an affinity for RNA recognition, plus additional RNA motifs preferred by small molecules. The new method could be used to create easily accessible small molecule libraries biased towards binding to RNA. The new technology will also be used in a computer program designed by Disney that brings together information on the interaction between small molecules and RNA with data on the RNA folds present in segments of the human genome that contribute to specific human diseases. TSRI Scientists Pinpoint Gene Variations Linked to Higher Risk of Bipolar Disorder Scripps Florida Professor Ron Davis, who led the new study, which was published by the journal Translational Psychiatry and his team, identified small variations in a number of genes that are closely linked to an increased risk of bipolar disorder, a mental illness that affects nearly six million Americans, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. A strong tendency towards bipolar disorder runs in families; children with a parent or sibling who has bipolar disorder are four to six times more likely to develop the illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. While the genetic basis for bipolar disorder is complex and involves multiple genes, it appears to be associated with a biochemical pathway known as cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling system. The Davis laboratory and others have previously shown that the cAMP signaling plays a critical role in learning and memory processes. The new study focused on this signaling pathway. Scripps Florida Scientists Uncover Secrets of How Intellect & Behavior Emerge During Childhood Scripps Florida Scientists have shown that a single protein plays an oversized role in intellectual and behavioral development. The scientists found that mutations in a single gene, which is known to cause intellectual disability and increase the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder, severely disrupts the organization of developing brain circuits during early childhood. This study helps explain how genetic mutations can cause profound cognitive and behavioral problems. The study was published in the November 9, 2012, issue of the journal Cell. The genetic mutations that cause developmental disorders, such as intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder, commonly affect synapses, the junctions between two nerve cells that are part of the brain’s complex electro-chemical signaling system. A substantial percentage of children with severe intellectual and behavioral impairments are believed to harbor single mutations in critical neurodevelopmental genes. Until this study, however, it was unclear precisely how pathogenic genetic mutations and synapse function were related to the failure to develop normal intellect. Gavin Rumbaugh, a TSRI associate professor led the new research which focused on a critical synaptic protein known as SynGAP1. Mutations in the gene that encodes this protein cause disabilities in an estimated one million people worldwide, according to the paper. Using animal models that were
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 14 Annual Report 2013 missing just one copy of SynGAP1, as seen in some patients with intellectual disability, the scientists found that certain synapses develop prematurely in the period shortly after birth. This dramatically enhances what is known as “excitability”—how often brain cells fire—in the developing hippocampus, a part of the brain critical for memory. The balance between excitability and inhibition is especially critical during early developmental periods, when neural connections that ultimately give rise to normal cognitive and behavioral functions are forming. Interestingly, inducing these mutations after the critical development period was complete had virtually no impact on normal synapse function and repairing these pathogenic mutations in adulthood did not improve behavior or cognition. These results imply that very early intervention is essential in neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly for cognitive problems. The team is now aggressively searching for the optimal period during development in which repairing these mutations is most beneficial. Rumbaugh speculates that successfully defining these treatment windows, combined with the fast- approaching ability to identify potential pathogenic mutations in utero, will provide a possible path toward eradicating this type of intellectual disability and lowering the risks for autism. “We believe a cure is possible,” he said. “It is likely that there are many other single mutations out there that cause distinct forms of these spectrum disorders. Our strategy could be applied to these disorders as well.” Team Reveals Key Protein Interactions Involved in Neurodegenerative Disease TSRI Professor Philip LoGrasso, who, along with TSRI Associate Professor Kendall Nettles, led the study, have defined the molecular structure of an enzyme as it interacts with several proteins involved in outcomes that can influence neurodegenerative disease and insulin resistance. The enzymes in question, which play a critical role in nerve cell (neuron) survival, are among the most prized targets for drugs to treat brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study was published online ahead of print on November 8, 2012, by the journal Structure. The new study reveals the structure of a class of enzymes called c-jun-N-terminal kinases (JNK) when bound to three peptides from different protein families; JNK is an important contributor to stress- induced apoptosis (cell death), and several studies in animal models have shown that JNK inhibition protects against neurodegeneration. The scientists used what they called structure class analysis, looking at groups of structures, which revealed subtle differences not apparent looking at them individually. Study Shows Protein-Making Machinery Can Switch Gears with a Small Structural Change For the past several years, Min Guo, an assistant professor at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), has focused on the intricate actions of an ancient family of catalytic enzymes that play a key role in translation, the process of producing proteins. These complex enzymes are a group of fundamental molecules that make building blocks for protein production. Present in every cell, these enzymes— known as aminoacyl-transfer RNA synthetases (tRNA synthetases)—select the proper amino acids and assign them to transfer RNAs to make a protein in the ribosome. As an essential step of determining the genetic code, tRNA synthetases have been around for billions of years. However, this essential part of the protein-making machine did not stop evolving. Now, in a study published online ahead of print on November 15, 2012, by the journal Molecular Cell, Guo, Ehud Razin of The Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, and a large team of international scientists have shown that this enzyme can actually also work in another fundamental process in humans. In this case, the enzyme activates a process that creates a copy of RNA from DNA—transcription, which is the first
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 15 Annual Report 2013 step leading to gene expression. All this takes is a single chemical alteration (phosphorylation) at a specific site on the enzyme, which then triggers a cascade of structure changes, freeing the enzyme from translation to another role—that is, regulating transcription. This newly discovered ability has large implications for our understanding of immune response, including allergies and cancer, Guo said. Recent research has also shown that the transformed synthetase in the new study also increases metastasis in breast cancer cells. Scripps Florida Scientists Uncover a Novel Cooperative Effort to Stop Cancer Spread SF scientists have uncovered a group of what have been considered relatively minor regulators in the body that band together to suppress the spread of cancer from its primary site. The discovery offers a fresh batch of possible therapeutic targets as well as new diagnostic tools with the potential to predict and inhibit the spread of cancer (metastasis) in patients suffering from the disease. The research, published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry, was conducted by TSRI Professor Donald G. Phinney, a nationally recognized authority in the study of adult bone marrow-derived stem cells, and a postdoctoral fellow in his laboratory, Christopher L. Haga. The scientists found that a cluster of seven microRNAs (miRNA) function cooperatively to repress a process known as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). While EMT is part of the normal biology of cell development in some parts of the body, the process has recently been implicated in two dangerous aspects of tumor growth—tumor metastasis and the growth of drug-resistant cancer stem cells. MicroRNAs are tiny fragments of RNA found in all mammalian cells. They bind to messenger RNAs, a process that generally results in gene silencing. This cluster of miRNAs, located in a genetic region known as DLK1-DIO3, suppresses a specific signaling network in human cancers that primarily affect glands such as breast cancer. Researchers Develop New Compound that Reverses Fatty Liver Disease Scientists from TSRI Florida campus have developed the first synthetic compound that can reverse the effects of a serious metabolic condition known as fatty liver disease. True to its name, the disease involves an abnormal buildup of fat in the liver. The compound—known as SR9238—is the first to effectively suppress lipid or fat production in the liver, eliminating inflammation and reversing fat accumulation in animal models of fatty liver disease. The new compound also significantly lowered total cholesterol levels, although precisely how that occurred remains something of a mystery. Thomas Burris, a professor at TSRI who led the study, which was published in an online edition of the journal ACS Chemical Biology explained that fatty liver, which often accompanies obesity and type 2 diabetes, frequently leads to more serious conditions including cirrhosis and liver cancer. The condition affects some 10 to 24 percent of the general population, according to a 2003 study in GUT, an international journal of gastroenterology and hepatology. The work was supported by the State of Florida. Scripps Florida Scientists Create New Approach to Destroying Disease-Associated RNAs in Cells Scripps Florida Scientists developed a new approach to alter the function of RNA in living cells by designing molecules that recognize and disable RNA targets. As a proof of principle, in the new study the team designed a molecule that disabled the RNA causing myotonic dystrophy. The study, published online ahead of print on December 20, 2012 by the journal Angewandte Chemie, reports the creation of
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 16 Annual Report 2013 small molecules that recognize disease-associated RNAs, targeting them for destruction. Since small molecules are cell-permeable, the approach could have benefits over traditional methods of targeting RNAs for degradation, such as antisense or RNA interference (RNAi). Matthew Disney, an associate professor at TSRI pioneered the research. “This approach may allow for the inactivation of many cellular RNAs by small molecules and potentially lead the way to a whole range of novel therapeutics.” It’s well known that gene expression can be controlled by triggering the degradation of messenger RNA—the blueprint for the production of proteins. This is accomplished through the recruitment of compounds that cleave or split the molecule. While several compounds can induce RNA cleavage in vitro, this has not been accomplished efficiently in living cells—until now. In the study, Disney and Research Associate Lirui Guan attached a rationally designed small molecule that targets the RNA that causes myotonic dystrophy type 1 with a molecule that produces hydroxyl radicals. Upon the small molecule’s recognition of the target, a hydroxyl radical was released that cleaved the disease-associated RNA, alleviating the disease-associated defects. Disney noted that, despite the compound’s producing a highly reactive species, the compounds are non-toxic at relatively effective doses. The team accomplished this feat through what Disney calls a bottom-up approach to targeting RNA.
Scientists Uncover Potential Drug Target to Block Cell Death in Parkinson's Disease Oxidative stress is a primary villain in a host of diseases that range from cancer and heart failure to Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. Now, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found that blocking the interaction of a critical enzyme may counteract the destruction of neurons associated with these neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting a potential new target for drug development. These findings appear in the January 11, 2013 edition of The Journal of Biological Chemistry. During periods of cellular stress, such as exposure to UV radiation, the number of highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules can increase in cells, resulting in serious damage. However, relatively little is known about the role played in this process by a number of stress-related enzymes. TSRI team was led by Professor Philip LoGrasso and focused on an enzyme known as c-jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK). Under stress, JNK migrates to the mitochondria, the part of the cell that generates chemical energy and is involved in cell growth and death. That migration, coupled with JNK activation, is associated with a number of serious health issues, including mitochondrial dysfunction, which has long been known to contribute to neuronal death in Parkinson’s disease. The study showed for the first time that the interaction of JNK with a protein known as Sab is responsible for the initial JNK localization to the mitochondria in neurons. The scientists also found blocking JNK mitochondrial signaling by inhibiting JNK interaction with Sab can protect against neuronal damage in both cell culture and in the brain. In addition, by treating JNK with a peptide inhibitor derived from a mitochondrial membrane protein, the team was able to induce a two-fold level of protection of neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, the brain region devastated by Parkinson’s disease. The study noted that this inhibition leaves all other cell signaling intact, which could mean potentially fewer side effects in any future therapies.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 17 Annual Report 2013 Study Shows How Brain Cells Shape Temperature Preferences While the wooly musk ox may like it cold, fruit flies definitely do not. They like it hot, or at least warm. In fact, their preferred optimum temperature is very similar to that of humans—76 degrees F. Scientists have known that a type of brain cell circuit helps regulate a variety of innate and learned behavior in animals, including their temperature preferences. What has been a mystery is whether or not this behavior stems from a specific set of neurons (brain cells) or overlapping sets. Now, a new study from TSRI shows that a complex set of overlapping neuronal circuits work in concert to drive temperature preferences in the fruit fly Drosophila by affecting a single target, a heavy bundle of neurons within the fly brain known as the mushroom body. These nerve bundles, which get their name from their bulbous shape, play critical roles in learning and memory. The study, published in the January 30, 2013 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience, shows that dopaminergic circuits—brain cells that synthesize dopamine, a common neurotransmitter—within the mushroom body do not encode a single signal, but rather perform a more complex computation of environmental conditions.
Scientists Uncover Previously Unknown Mechanism of Memory Formation It takes a lot to make a memory. New proteins have to be synthesized, neuron structures altered. While some of these memory-building mechanisms are known, many are not. Some recent studies have indicated that a unique group of molecules called microRNAs, known to control production of proteins in cells, may play a far more important role in memory formation than previously thought. Now, a new study by scientists on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute has for the first time confirmed a critical role for microRNAs in the development of memory in the part of the brain called the amygdala, which is involved in emotional memory. The new study found that a specific microRNA— miR-182—was deeply involved in memory formation within this brain structure. In the study, led by TSRI assistant professor Courtney Miller and published in the Journal of Neuroscience, the scientists measured the levels of all known microRNAs following an animal model of learning. A microarray analysis, which enables rapid genetic testing on a large scale, showed that more than half of all known microRNAs are expressed in the amygdala. Seven of those microRNAs increased and 32 decreased when learning occurred. Miller is now interested in whether or not high levels of miR-182 accumulate in the aging brain, something that would help to explain a tendency toward memory loss in the elderly. She also notes that other research has shown that animal models lacking miR-182 had no significant physical or cellular abnormalities, suggesting that miR-182 could be a viable target for drug discovery.
Compound Developed by Scripps Florida Scientists Protects Heart Cells During & After Attack Using two different compounds they developed, scientists from the Florida campus of TSRI have been able to show in animal models that inhibiting a specific enzyme protects heart cells and surrounding tissue against serious damage from heart attacks. The compounds also protect against additional injury from restored blood flow after an attack, a process known as reperfusion. The study, which was led by Philip LoGrasso, a professor and senior scientific director of discovery biology at Scripps Florida, appears in the February 8, 2013 print edition of The Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 18 Annual Report 2013 A heart attack severely restricts blood supply, starving heart cells and surrounding tissue of oxygen, which can cause enormous damage in relatively little time—sometimes in just a few minutes. Known as an ischemic cascade, this drop-off of oxygen results in a sudden crush of metabolic waste that damages cell membranes as well as the mitochondria, a part of the cell that generates chemical energy and is involved in cell growth and death. Unfortunately, restoring blood flow adds significantly to the damage, a serious medical issue when it comes to treating major ischemic events such as heart attack and stroke. Reperfusion re-invigorates production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species that attack and damage cells, exacerbating inflammation, turning loose white blood cells to attack otherwise salvageable cells and maybe even inducing potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias. The scientists found that inhibiting the enzyme, c-jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK), pronounced "junk," protected against ischemic/reperfusion injury in rats, reducing the total volume of tissue death by as much as 34 percent. It also significantly reduced levels of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial dysfunction. In earlier studies, TSRI scientists found that JNK migrates to the mitochondria upon oxidative stress. That migration, coupled with JNK activation, they found, is associated with a number of serious health issues, including liver damage, neuronal cell death, stroke and heart attack. The peptide and small molecule inhibitor (SR3306) developed by LoGrasso and his colleagues blocks those harmful effects, thereby reducing programmed cell death four-fold.
Fin Findings Underline Potential of New Technology to Diagnose Disease Scripps Florida researchers developed cutting-edge technology that can successfully screen human blood for disease markers. This tool may hold the key to better diagnosing and understanding today’s most pressing and puzzling health conditions, including autoimmune diseases. Thomas Kodadek, a professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Cancer Biology and vice chairman of the Department of Chemistry at TSRI, developed the technology with his group. The latest study, published in the journal Chemistry & Biology on March 21, 2013, shows how the technology accurately identified human blood markers for neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a rare autoimmune disorder resembling multiple sclerosis that can result in blindness and paralysis. Following a similar study on mouse models for multiple sclerosis two years ago, the work confirms that the technique can also be successfully applied to humans.
New Compounds Found that Alter Cell Signaling and Point to New Approaches to Breast Cancer Using a broad spectrum of analytical tools, Scripps Florida scientists uncovered a class of novel compounds that can alter cell signaling activity, resulting in a variety of responses including a strong anti-inflammatory effect. These findings could lead to new strategies for treating diseases such as breast cancer. The study, published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, focuses on compounds that interact with the estrogen receptor-α, a therapeutic target in breast cancer that causes widely varied effects, including cell proliferation, inflammatory activity and immune cell changes. The receptor, which binds to estrogens or similar molecules, is over-expressed in nearly three-quarters of breast cancer cases. The scientists, led by Kendall Nettles, a TSRI associate professor, used a unique “structure class analysis” approach, making it far easier to identify broad structural patterns underlying how estrogen
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 19 Annual Report 2013 receptors bind to other molecules. In general, ligands—molecules that bind to a larger complex and trigger a reaction—bind in two distinct ways, either through a dynamic, changeable orientation or a single, constrained orientation. In the study, TSRI scientists compared a set of estrogen receptor ligands with dynamic binding orientation with those that bind in a single orientation. Scripps Scientists Identify First Potentially Effective Therapy for Human Prion Disease Human diseases caused by misfolded proteins known as prions are some of most rare yet terrifying on the planet—incurable with disturbing symptoms that include dementia, personality shifts, hallucinations and coordination problems. The most well-known of these is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which can be described as the naturally occurring human equivalent of mad cow diseases. Now, scientists from the Florida campus have for the first time identified a pair of drugs already approved for human use that show anti-prion activity and, for one of them, great promise in treating these universally fatal disorders. The study, led by TSRI Professor Corinne Lasmézas and performed in collaboration with TSRI Professor Emeritus Charles Weissmann and Director of Lead Identification Peter Hodder, was published online ahead of print by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The new study used an innovative high-throughput screening technique to uncover compounds that decrease the amount of the normal form of the prion protein (PrP, which becomes distorted by the disease) at the cell surface. The scientists found two compounds that reduced PrP on cell surfaces by approximately 70 percent in the screening and follow up tests. The two compounds are already marketed as the drugs tacrolimus and astemizole.
Scientists Create Novel Approach to Finding RNAs Involved in Long-Term Memory Storage Despite decades of research, relatively little is known about the identity of RNA molecules that are transported as part of the molecular process underpinning learning and memory. Now, working together, scientists from Scripps Florida, Columbia University and the University of Florida, Gainesville, have developed a novel strategy for isolating and characterizing a substantial number of RNAs transported from the cell-body of neuron (nerve cell) to the synapse, the small gap separating neurons that enables cell to cell communication. Using this new method, the scientists were able to identify nearly 6,000 transcripts (RNA sequences) from the genome of Aplysia, a sea slug widely used in scientific investigation. The scientists’ target is known as the synaptic transcriptome—roughly the complete set of RNA molecules transported from the neuronal cell body to the synapse. Published in April 2013 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study showed how scientists focused on the RNA transport complexes that interact with the molecular motor kinesin; kinesin proteins move along filaments known as microtubules in the cell and carry various gene products during the early stage of memory storage. Sathya Puthanveettil, a TSRI assistant professor, designed the study.
Scripps Research Institute Scientists Discover How a Protein Finds Its Way Proteins, the workhorses of the body, can have more than one function, but they often need to be very specific in their action or they create cellular havoc, possibly leading to disease. Scripps Florida scientists uncovered how an enzyme co-factor can bestow specificity on a class of proteins with otherwise nonspecific biochemical activity. The protein in question helps in the assembly of ribosomes, large macromolecular machines that are critical to protein production and cell growth. This new discovery expands scientists’ view of the role of co-factors and suggests such co-factors could be used to
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 20 Annual Report 2013 modify the activity of related proteins and their role in disease. TSRI Associate Professor Katrin Karbstein, led the study. The new study, published April 29, 2013, in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sheds light on proteins called DEAD-box proteins, a provocative title actually derived from their amino acid sequence. These proteins regulate all aspects of gene expression and RNA metabolism, particularly in the production of ribosomes, and are involved in cell metabolism. The link between defects in ribosome assembly and cancer and between DEAD-box proteins and cancer is well documented. Potential Drug Compound Designed that Attacks Parkinson’s Disease on Two Fronts Scientists from the Florida campus of TSRI have found a compound that could counter Parkinson’s disease in two ways at once. In a new study published online ahead of print by the journal ACS Chemical Biology, the scientists describe a “dual inhibitor”—two compounds in a single molecule—that attacks a pair of proteins closely associated with development of Parkinson’s disease. “In general, these two enzymes amplify the effect of each other,” said team leader Phil LoGrasso, a TSRI professor who has been a pioneer in the development of JNK inhibitors for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. “What we were looking for is a high-affinity, high-selectivity treatment that is additive or synergistic in its effect—a one-two punch.” A dual inhibitor ultimately would be preferred over separate individual JNK and LRRK2 inhibitors because a combination molecule would eliminate complications of drug-drug interactions and the need to optimize individual inhibitor doses for efficacy, the study noted. Now the team’s new dual inhibitor will need to be optimized for potency, high selectivity (which reduces off-target side effects) and bioavailability so it can be tested in animal models of Parkinson’s disease. Study Shows a Solitary Mutation Can Destroy Critical ‘Window’ of Early Brain Development Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have shown in animal models that brain damage caused by the loss of a single copy of a gene during very early childhood development can cause a lifetime of behavioral and intellectual problems. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, sheds new light on the early development of neural circuits in the cortex, the part of the brain responsible for functions such as sensory perception, planning and decision-making. The research also pinpoints the mechanism responsible for the disruption of what are known as “windows of plasticity” that contribute to the refinement of the neural connections that broadly shape brain development and the maturing of perception, language, and cognitive abilities. The key to normal development of these abilities is that the neural connections in the brain cortex—the synapses—mature at the right time. In an earlier study, the team, led by TSRI Associate Professor Gavin Rumbaugh, found that in mice missing a single copy of the vital gene, certain synapses develop prematurely within the first few weeks after birth. This accelerated maturation dramatically expands the process known as “excitability”—how often brain cells fire—in the hippocampus, a part of the brain critical for memory. The delicate balance between excitability and inhibition is especially critical during early developmental periods. However, it remained a mystery how early maturation of brain circuits could lead to lifelong cognitive and behavioral problems.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 21 Annual Report 2013 The current study shows in mice that the interruption of the synapse-regulating gene known as SYNGAP1—which can cause a devastating form of intellectual disability and increase the risk for developing autism in humans—induces early functional maturation of neural connections in two areas of the cortex. The influence of this disruption is widespread throughout the developing brain and appears to degrade the duration of these critical windows of plasticity.
“In this study, we were able to directly connect early maturation of synapses to the loss of an important plasticity window in the cortex,” Rumbaugh said. “Early maturation of synapses appears to make the brain less plastic at critical times in development. Children with these mutations appear to have brains that were built incorrectly from the ground up.”
The accelerated maturation also appeared to occur surprisingly early in the developing cortex. That, Rumbaugh added, would correspond to the first two years of a child’s life, when the brain is expanding rapidly. “Our goal now is to figure out a way to prevent the damage caused by SYNGAP1 mutations. We would be more likely to help that child if we could intervene very early on—before the mutation has done its damage,” he said.
Scripps Florida Scientists Turn Muscular Dystrophy Defect On and Off in Cells For the first time, Scripps Florida scientists identified small molecules that allow for complete control over a genetic defect responsible for the most common adult onset form of muscular dystrophy. These small molecules will enable scientists to investigate potential new therapies and to study the long-term impact of the disease. Myotonic dystrophy is an inherited disorder, the most common form of a group of conditions called muscular dystrophies that involve progressive muscle wasting and weakness. Myotonic dystrophy type 1 is caused a type of RNA defect known as a “triplet repeat,” a series of three nucleotides repeated more times than normal in an individual’s genetic code. In this case, a cytosine-uracil-guanine (CUG) triplet repeat binds to the protein MBNL1, rendering it inactive and resulting in RNA splicing abnormalities. To find drug candidates that act against the defect, TSRI Associate Professor Matthew Disney, whose new research was published June 28, 2013, by the journal Nature Communications and his colleagues analyzed the results of a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored screen of more than 300,000 small molecules that inhibit a critical RNA-protein complex in the disease. The team divided the NIH hits into three “buckets”—the first group bound RNA, the second bound protein, and a third whose mechanism was unclear. The researchers then studied the compounds by looking at their effect on human muscle tissue both with and without the defect. Diseased muscle tissue treated with RNA-binding compounds caused signs of the disease to go away. In contrast, both healthy and diseased tissue treated with the protein-binding compounds showed the opposite effect—signs of the disease either appeared (in healthy tissue) or became worse. In addition, Disney said, with the new discovery, scientists will be able to develop a greater understanding of how to control RNA splicing with small molecules. RNA splicing can cause a host of diseases that range from sickle-cell disease to cancer, yet prior to this study, no tools were available to control RNA splicing.
Drug Candidate Designed at Scripps Research Institute Leads to Improved Endurance An international group of scientists has shown that a drug candidate designed by scientists from Scripps Florida significantly increases exercise endurance in animal models. These findings could lead to new
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 22 Annual Report 2013 approaches to helping people with conditions that acutely limit exercise tolerance, such as obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure, as well as the decline of muscle capacity associated with aging. The study was published July 14, 2013, by the journal Nature Medicine.
The drug candidate, SR9009, is one of a pair of compounds developed in the laboratory of TSRI Professor Thomas Burris and described in a March 2012 issue of the journal Nature as reducing obesity in animal models. The compounds affect the core biological clock, which synchronizes the rhythm of the body’s activity with the 24-hour cycle of day and night. The compounds work by binding to one of the body’s natural molecules called Rev-erbα, which influences lipid and glucose metabolism in the liver, the production of fat-storing cells and the response of macrophages (cells that remove dying or dead cells) during inflammation.
In the new study, a team led by scientists at the Institut Pasteur de Lille in France demonstrated that mice lacking Rev-erbα had decreased skeletal muscle metabolic activity and running capacity. Burris’ group showed that activation of Rev-erbα with SR9009 led to increased metabolic activity in skeletal muscle in both culture and in mice. The treated mice had a 50 percent increase in running capacity, measured by both time and distance.
Scripps Florida Scientists Detail Critical Role of Gene in Many Lung Cancer Cases Scripps Florida scientists have shown that a well-known cancer-causing gene implicated in a number of malignancies plays a far more critical role in non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease, than previously thought. These findings establish the gene as a critical regulator of lung cancer tumor growth. This new information could turn out to be vital for the design of potentially new therapeutic strategies for a group of patients who represent almost half of non-small cell lung cancer cases. In the study, published online ahead of print by the journal Cancer Research, the scientists found that presence of known oncogene Notch 1 is required for survival of cancer cells. In both cell and animal model studies, disabling Notch 1 leads to a rise in cancer cell death.
Joseph Kissil, a TSRI associate professor, led the study. “We were able to identify Notch 1 as the critical oncogene to target, at least in a common form of lung cancer.” The new findings show that Notch1 is required for initial tumor growth, as it represses p53, a well-known tumor suppressor protein that has been called the genome’s guardian because of its role in preventing mutations. The p53 protein can repair damaged cells or force them to die through apoptosis—programmed cell death.
Scripps Florida Scientists Devise New Way to Dramatically Raise RNA Treatment Potency Scientists from the Jupiter campus of The Scripps Research Institute have shown a novel way to dramatically raise the potency of drug candidates targeting RNA, resulting in a 2,500-fold improvement in potency and significantly increasing their potential as therapeutic agents. The new study, published recently online ahead of print by the journal Angewandte Chemie, confirms for the first time that a small molecule actually binds to a disease-causing RNA target—a breakthrough that should help scientists identify precise RNA targets within living cells, profile their interactions, and predict drug candidates’ side effects. In the new study, the scientists created a small molecule that binds to the genetic defect in RNA that causes myotonic dystrophy type 1 and improves associated defects in cell culture. Matthew Disney, a TSRI associate professor authored the research with a research associate in his lab, Lirui Guan.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 23 Annual Report 2013 To achieve the increase in the drug candidate’s potency, Disney and his colleagues attached a reactive molecule (a derivative of chlorambucil, a chemotherapy drug that has been used to treatment a form of leukemia) to the small molecule they had identified. As a result, the new compound not only binds to the target, it becomes a permanent part of the target—as if it were super glued to it, Disney said. Once attached, it switches off the CUG defect and prevents the cell from turning it back on. Disney was surprised at the approximately 2,500-fold improvement in potency with the new approach.
Scripps Florida Scientists Link a Protein to Initial Tumor Growth in Several Cancers A team led by scientists from Scripps Florida have shown that a protein once thought to inhibit the growth of tumors is instead required for initial tumor growth. The findings could point to a new approach to cancer treatment. The study was published as the September cover article of the journal Science Signaling.
The focus of the study was angiomotin, a protein that coordinates cell migration, especially during the start of new blood vessel growth and proliferation of other cell types. In addition to identifying angiomotin’s critical role in tumor formation, TSRI Associate Professor Kissil and his colleagues found the protein is active within the cell nucleus. Earlier cell studies focused on the function of the protein at the cell membrane.
Scripps Florida Scientists Pinpoint Proteins Vital to Long-Term Memory Scientists from Scripps Florida found a group of proteins essential to the formation of long-term memories. The study, published online ahead of print on September 12, 2013 by the journal Cell Reports, focuses on a family of proteins called Wnts. These proteins send signals from the outside to the inside of a cell, inducing a cellular response crucial for many aspects of embryonic development, including stem cell differentiation, as well as for normal functioning of the adult brain.
The findings stem from experiments probing the role of Wnt signaling components in olfactory memory formation in Drosophila, the common fruit fly—a widely used doppelgänger for human memory studies. In the new study, the scientists inactivated the expression of several Wnt signaling proteins in the mushroom bodies of adult flies—part of the fly brain that plays a role in learning and memory. The resulting memory disruption, Ron Davis, chair of the TSRI Department of Neuroscience, said, suggests that Wnt signaling participates actively in the formation of long-term memory, rather than having some general, non-specific effect on behavior.
Scripps Research Institute Study Suggests Possibility of Selectively Erasing Unwanted Memories The human brain is exquisitely adept at linking seemingly random details into a cohesive memory that can trigger myriad associations—some good, some not so good. For recovering addicts and individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), unwanted memories can be devastating. Former meth addicts, for instance, report intense drug cravings triggered by associations with cigarettes, money, even gum (used to relieve dry mouth), pushing them back into the addiction they so desperately want to leave. Now, for the first time, scientists from Scripps Florida have been able to erase dangerous drug- associated memories in mice and rats without affecting other more benign memories.
The surprising discovery, published in September 2013 online ahead of print by the journal Biological Psychiatry, points to a clear and workable method to disrupt unwanted memories while leaving the rest intact. Courtney Miller, a TSRI assistant professor, led the research. In the new study, the scientists
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 24 Annual Report 2013 inhibited actin polymerization—the creation of large chainlike molecules—by blocking a molecular motor called myosin II in the brains of mice and rats during the maintenance phase of methamphetamine-related memory formation.
Grant Awards
Grant awards from sources other than the State of Florida totaled almost $70 million this fiscal year, contributing to approximately $375m in grant awards since inception.
$2.1 Million Grant Funds Testing of Potential ALS Treatments A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute was awarded $2.1 million by the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs to study several compounds with the potential to greatly improve the quality of life for those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease (named after the famed Yankee first baseman who died of the condition in 1941). Philip LoGrasso, a professor on the Florida campus of Scripps Research, will be the principal investigator for the new two-year study, which also involves scientists from Columbia University. LoGrasso and his Scripps Florida colleagues have already identified and validated a series of compounds that inhibit an enzyme called c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK, pronounced “junk”) with proven neuroprotective effects in a variety of experimental models of human diseases, particularly Parkinson’s disease. JNK has been shown to play an important role in neuronal survival. As such, this kinase is a highly desirable target for drugs to treat neurodegenerative disorders. Making the new study possible, LoGrasso said, are the cell and animal models of ALS produced by scientists at Columbia University. These models capture the hallmarks of this disease, including selective motor neuron degeneration, and many of the clinical features of the disease. The team is also trying to develop new compounds that are highly selective for JNK3, a single isoform of JNK that is expressed only in the brain and the heart, thereby enabling tissue-specific inhibition and thus limiting many potential side effects. $2 Million Awarded to Study Tumor-Inhibiting Proteins Scientists from Scripps Florida were awarded just over $2 million from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health to identify proteins that play key roles in tumor cell proliferation and to determine if targeting these proteins could result in the inhibition of tumor growth. Joseph Kissil, a TSRI associate professor, is the principal investigator for the five-year study. While normal cells possess mechanisms that inhibit rapid growth, tumor cells find ways to continue their expansion. Signals to grow or stop growing are triggered by a number of conditions, including what is known as “cell-cell contact” when cells reach critical density. The new study is focused on finding out exactly how this cell-cell contact controls growth. A central player in regulating these signals is a protein named merlin, a product of a tumor suppressor gene NF2 (neurofibromatosis type 2); neurofibromatosis is a disease caused by genetic mutations that result in tumors of the nervous system. The NF2 gene also stops functioning in a broad range of tumors, when merlin then becomes incapacitated. Kissil and his colleagues recently identified proteins known
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 25 Annual Report 2013 as angiomotins, which are involved in cell movement and new blood-vessel growth, as holding sway over merlin’s ability to inhibit tumor cells. $1.6 Million Awarded to Develop Chemical Reactions as Tools for Preparing Natural Products Glenn Micalizio, an associate professor at Scripps Florida who is the principal investigator on this project, was awarded more than $1.6 million from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to develop innovative chemical reactions as tools for the laboratory preparation of rare and structurally diverse natural products with significant therapeutic potential.
Micalizio and his colleagues believe that the project has long-term implications for science and medicine. By addressing the limitations and inefficiencies associated with modern chemical science, they hope to establish a firm scientific foundation capable of driving medicinal pursuits for years to come. Compounds targeted in this phase of the project include anticancer, antifungal, analgesic and antibiotic agents whose evaluation as potentially valuable clinical agents is hampered by their low availability from natural sources and the lack of efficient means to accomplish their laboratory synthesis.
Team Awarded $1.2 Million to Develop Drug Candidates for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Neurodegenerative Disorders Scripps Florida scientists were awarded approximately $1.2 million from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to identify, test and develop a series of drug candidates for a number of diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease and several neurodegenerative disorders. Derek R. Duckett, associate scientific director in TSRI’s Translational Research Institute, and Peter S. Hodder, senior director of lead identification at the Translational Research Institute, will act as co-principal investigators for the three-year grant.
The project will focus on an enzyme known as ASK1, which is part of a larger family of mitogen- activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) that help control how cells respond to stress and is involved in mediating cell survival and programmed cell death (apoptosis). Genetic target validation studies have demonstrated that loss of this kinase shows remarkable efficacy in animal models of various diseases.
The new grant will allow the Scripps Florida scientists to perform a high-throughput screening campaign of the TSRI compound collection at their state-of-the-art screening facility.
$1.4 Million Granted to Develop New Therapeutic Approaches to Chronic Leukemia Scientists from the Florida campus of TSRI were awarded more than $1.4 million from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health to create a potential new drug to attack the malignant cells that cause chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), which is the most common leukemia in the Western world. Christoph Rader, a TSRI associate professor, will be principal investigator of the new three-year study. William Roush, a TSRI professor, associate dean of graduate studies and executive director of medicinal chemistry, will be co-principal investigator. CLL affects approximately 150,000 patients and causes 4,500 deaths per year in the United States alone. While chemotherapy and radiation are used to treat this slow growing form of leukemia, currently there are no therapeutic options for the disease in which physicians can selectively target the malignant cells yet spare normal cells and tissues.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 26 Annual Report 2013 The scientists plan to use the recently discovered cell surface receptor TOSO, which is overexpressed in leukemia cells, to create a rapid and effective entry point for delivering drugs to these malignant cells while bypassing normal cells as much as possible. In addition, the team plans to use an antibody fragment to add a second target to the treatment—the receptor tyrosine kinase ROR1, which is expressed exclusively on leukemia cells.
$2.5 Million Awarded to Study Inner Workings of Memory Formation A scientist from the Florida campus of TSRI has been awarded approximately $2.5 million from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to better define how the brain organizes different types of memories among its neurons. Ronald Davis, PhD, a professor and chair of the Department of Neuroscience at TSRI, is the principal investigator for the new study.
The five-year continuation of an earlier grant takes as its research model Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly. The fruit fly is widely used in these studies because humans and flies share many of the same genes involved in learning and memory. The research focuses on the how the brain organizes olfactory or scent memories learned in association with reward conditioning compared to negative conditioning.
The new study has a number of objectives, Davis said, including defining the exact nature of cellular memory traces, the mechanisms for their formation, their duration, and the neurons in which they form.
Aiding current memory research are advances in functional imaging of neural activity in the fly brain, allowing scientists for the first time to see olfactory memory traces as they form—a literal and figurative window into the cellular and systems logic of memory formation.
$2.7 Million Received to Investigate Major Therapeutic Target A consortium of TSRI scientists from both campuses was awarded $2.7 million from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health to study the structural rules that govern a large superfamily of proteins that help regulate critical functions such as reproduction, development and metabolism. The principal investigators for the three-year study will be Kendall Nettles, an associate professor, and Pat Griffin, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Therapeutics, both on the Florida campus of TSRI. They will work with Professor Ian Wilson and the Joint Center for Structural Genomics on TSRI’s La Jolla campus.
The focus of the new project is nuclear receptors, a superfamily of proteins that mediate hormone, lipid and fatty acid activity inside the cell. Nuclear receptors have been implicated in a number of cancers, including prostate, breast and colon cancers. They also represent excellent targets for drug development, including cancer drugs, birth control and anti-inflammatory agents and treatments for diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
To conduct this research, the team will use x-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), methods that provide a three-dimensional picture of a molecule’s atomic structure. The team will draw on the high-throughput screening resources at Scripps Florida, as well as the high-throughput structural biology resources of the Joint Center for Structural Genomics based on the La Jolla, California campus.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 27 Annual Report 2013 Scripps Florida Team Awarded $10.6 Million to Decipher Root Causes of Human Aging While aging may be one of the most familiar (and certainly one of the most discussed) aspects of human biology, it remains one of the least understood. We age but no one really knows precisely how we get there. Thanks to an August 2013 $10.6 million National Institute on Aging grant to a team on the Florida campus of TSRI, the puzzling questions of human aging may soon receive some answers. TSRI Professor Paul Robbins will be principal investigator of the five-year study, which will focus on identifying just how damage that accumulates over time drives the human aging process. Scientists from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, Riverside, will also participate in the study.
Robbins compares that cellular response to calling 911 for help to put out a small fire. While the firefighting response could lead to a lot of collateral damage, if firefighters identify steps to minimize the damage—say, keeping water use to a limited area—the collateral damage can be minimized. Similarly, Robbins says, there will be a lot of new opportunities to minimize the widespread degenerative changes that occur with aging.
The scientists will focus their research on stress caused by DNA damage, specifically by looking at the effects of taking away a cell’s ability to repair this damage. TSRI Associate Professor Laura Niedernhofer, a co-investigator on the grant, showed several years ago that taking away a cell’s ability to repair DNA damage causes very rapid aging in humans and in animal models. The question to be addressed now is: how to stop it?
Although not the primary focus of the research, Robbins is also looking at compounds and even stem cells that could affect these stress response pathways in a therapeutic way. It is estimated that in the next 20 years, the number of individuals in the United States over the age of 65 will double, reaching over 70 million individuals, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. More than 90 percent of Americans over 65 years of age have at least one chronic disease, while more than 70 percent have at least two, according to the National Council on Aging. These chronic diseases account for three-quarters of our healthcare spending, amounting to approximately $3 trillion in costs last year alone.
Scientific Awards
Several Scripps Florida scientists won scientific awards to note their scientific breakthroughs or research. Often these awards were coupled with a substantial monetary award.
Scientists Awarded Special Collaborative Grant to Develop Anti-Addiction Therapies As part of an unprecedented national effort to develop new drugs to treat neurological disorders, scientists from Scripps Florida were awarded an innovative grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to help people break their addiction to nicotine. Paul Kenny, a TSRI associate professor, is the principal investigator for the new study, which aims to develop anti-smoking drug candidates to the point of Phase I clinical trials, which focus on human safety testing. Also helping to guide the work are TSRI scientists Ted Kamenecka, Patricia McDonald and Michael Cameron.
The new study is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Blueprint for Neuroscience Research Grand Challenge, a collaborative effort that includes the NIH Office of the Director and the 14 NIH
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 28 Annual Report 2013 institutes and centers that support research on the nervous system. As part of the project, The TSRI scientists will have access to industry-style drug development services and expertise—what the NIH is calling a “virtual pharma” to help develop these new compounds. “An innovative feature of this grant is the fact that we will have access to a panel of experts to help us advance these compounds into human testing,” Kenny said. “The people on the panel are senior industry experts with considerable experience in drug development programs, who are eager for us to succeed. What’s more, if the drug is successful in Phase I trials, we will receive help from the NIH in establishing appropriate relationships with industry to advance the drug into the later stages of clinical testing, and eventually to marketing a novel smoking cessation medication.” Tobacco smoking is a global scourge, killing more than 5 million people each year worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. It is estimated that if current trends continue, by 2020 smoking will become the largest single health problem worldwide. The World Bank estimates that in high-income countries, smoking-related healthcare accounts for between 6 and 15 percent of all healthcare costs, some $160 billion annually. Nicotine addiction is notoriously hard to break. Even with the most effective smoking-cessation agents available, more than 80 percent of smokers who quit or attempt to quit will relapse.
Scripps Florida Scientist Awarded Prestigious Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award In February 2013, Ron Davis, PhD, chair of the Neuroscience Department on the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute, was selected to receive a prestigious $3.5 million Jacob K. Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award for his work on the complex biology of memory formation and the disorders that disrupt it.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), one agency within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), awards the special merit grant to investigators “who have a history of exceptional talent, imagination and preeminent scientific achievement in the field of neurological science, and who are expected to be exceptionally productive during the tenure of the grant.” The initial award is for a period of four years, with a three-year extension upon request. Seven-year grants are unusual within the NIH system.
The new study will focus on an area of memory formation that has remained relatively mysterious—the role that active forgetting plays in learning and memory. Davis and his colleagues recently showed that dopamine signaling to specific neurons in the brain provides a signal to forget.
“We really know very little about the molecular and cellular biology of active forgetting,” Davis said, “but we believe that it has profound importance for understanding a host of disorders, including post- traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, and even some aspects of autism.”
The award, which was mandated by an act of Congress in 1983, honors the memory of the late Senator Jacob K. Javits of New York who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a severe neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Senator Javits was a passionate advocate for research into a variety of disorders of the brain and nervous system. Scientists receiving the award are selected by the Advisory Council for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 29 Annual Report 2013 Two Scripps Research Institute Scientists Honored by American Chemical Society Matthew Disney and Kate Carroll were selected by the American Chemical Society (ACS) to receive a pair of prestigious awards honoring early-career research in biological and enzyme chemistry. Associate Professors Matthew Disney, PhD, and Kate Carroll, PhD, were recognized at the fall 2013 ACS symposium, held in Indianapolis.
Disney has won the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry, first awarded in 1934. The award is given to a young scientist under the age of 38 for outstanding research in biological chemistry of unusual merit and independence of thought and originality. Previous winners of the Eli Lilly Award include TSRI faculty members Nobel laureate Gerald Edelman, Peter G. Schultz and Benjamin Cravatt.
One of the major promises of the human genome project has been to identify and exploit disease- associated genes for therapeutic intervention, but these studies are sparse. The Disney group is working to fill this void by designing therapeutics targeting gene products that are disease-associated from only sequence. The team has developed compounds to target a variety of genetic abnormalities that cause diseases including myotonic dystrophy, Huntington's disease and cancer.
Carroll has received the Pfizer Award in Enzyme Chemistry, established in 1945. The award, given to an individual under 40 who has accomplished outstanding work in enzyme chemistry, is aimed at stimulating fundamental research in enzyme chemistry. Previous Pfizer Award winners include TSRI’s Frank Huennekens, Paul Schimmel and Gerald Joyce.
The award recognizes Carroll’s pioneering work using the tools of chemistry and biology to elucidate protein cysteine oxidation as a new paradigm for the regulation of cell signaling pathways. Her work has important implications for understanding how post-translational modification, the chemical modification of a protein after its synthesis, affects its function. Her team is also leveraging these discoveries to develop new strategies for treating diseases that have a strong oxidative stress component, including cancer and diabetes.
Scripps Florida Postdoctoral Fellow Receives Prestigious Career Development Award The career of Antonio (Tony) Amelio, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Cancer Biology at The Scripps Research Institute, received a boost from the National Institutes of Health in the form of a Howard Temin Pathway to Independence Award in Cancer Research. The multiyear award from the National Cancer Institute—worth around $1 million over five years—is designed to accelerate the progress of promising junior scientists to scientific independence.
“Tony is one of the best young scientists we have at Scripps Florida,” said John Cleveland, chair of the Scripps Research Department of Cancer Biology and one of Amelio’s mentors. “This award is a complete validation of not only the work he’s been doing, but of everything our mentoring is about— producing great science from terrific young investigators.”
The Pathway to Independence Award is split into two phases. The initial phase provides one to two years of mentored support for postdoctoral fellows; the next phase is three years of independent support contingent on securing an independent tenure-track or equivalent research position. The NIH issues only between 150 and 200 of these awards per year, making them highly competitive and relatively rare. Amelio, who completed his graduate work at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine, is,
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 30 Annual Report 2013 understandably, excited. He’s grateful, too, that during an interruption in the grant review process due to gridlock over the federal budget, the Scripps Florida Department of Philanthropy and the local PGA National Women’s Cancer Awareness Day in nearby Palm Beach Gardens stepped in to support him.
Amelio’s research has been focused on the cell signaling proteins CREB and the CRTC coactivators. His current work bridges these studies and investigations in the Cleveland lab on a cancer-causing gene known as MYC (activated in up to 70 percent of all cancers) in human B cell lymphoma and leukemia to create his own independent research program. He hopes to decipher the role of the CREB and the CRTCs (which regulate key aspects of cell survival) in cooperating with the pathway of MYC to drive the creation and progression of tumors.
NIH New Innovator Award Scott Hansen, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Therapeutics won a prestigious New Innovator Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The award, which was announced in September 2013 by the NIH, provides Hansen with $2.8 million in research funding over the next five years. Hansen is one of only 41 scientists selected nationally for the 2013 award.
Hansen will use the award to study mechanosensation, a process that transforms external stimuli into neural impulses, focusing on two of the five major senses—touch and hearing. Surprisingly, our sense of touch lacks a complete explanation, particularly on the molecular level. How do molecules in a cell actually sense touch and how do they communicate that sensation to the brain? Hansen plans to spend the next five years exploring those issues—with a secondary goal of looking for potential targets for therapeutic intervention in pain and hearing loss.
ABOUT THE BIOTECH CLUSTER SURROUNDING SCRIPPS FLORIDA With no state income tax and a friendly business environment, Florida continues to develop, attract and maintain a vibrant biotech industry. In the 2013 Florida legislative session, the Research and Development Tax Credit Program initially adopted in 2011 was extended. Additionally, the Legislature passed a three year repeal on taxes for manufacturing companies and continued the allocation of the cigarette sales tax surcharge dollars to biomedical research.
Palm Beach County boasts numerous successful companies that span medical devices, pharmaceuticals, manufacturers, therapeutics, and biotechnology including: Anspach Synthes, Atlas Spine, BIOMET 3i, BioTools, Biotest Pharmaceuticals, CHS Pharma, Dyadic International, Cytonics Corporation, Dyadic International, Inc., Envoy Therapeutics, Opko Health and Sancilio and Company. Several of these companies were present prior to the arrival of Scripps Florida and several relocated to the County or expanded its operations in the County due to the proximity of not only Scripps Florida, but also its neighbor and fellow collaborative institute – the Max Planck Florida Institute.
Scripps Florida participates in the effort to develop the biotech cluster and maintains strong involvement in statewide organizations, such as BioFlorida and the Florida High Tech Corridor, and local organizations, such as the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County. Detailed reports from some of these organizations may be found in Appendix 2 and Scripps Florida’s support of these organizations and other organizations may be found in Appendix 4.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 31 Annual Report 2013 Scripps Florida Funding Corporation
Tenth Annual Report
Itemized Report for the Year Ended September 30, 2013
INTRODUCTION
Florida Statute 288.955, referred to as the Enabling Statute, sets forth certain information that is required to be included in the SFFC Annual Report. The information that follows has been organized to correspond to the sections of the Enabling Statute that address information to be included in the SFFC Annual Report. As not every section of the Enabling Statute relates to the SFFC Annual Report, only the sections of the Enabling Statute that apply are referenced herein. For convenience, the text of the Enabling Statue that describes the information to be reported in the SFFC Annual Report is set forth next to each Enabling Statute section reference.
Florida Statute 288.955
Subsection (14) ANNUAL REPORT By December 1 of each year, the corporation shall prepare a report of the activities and outcomes under this section for the preceding fiscal year. The report, at a minimum, must include:
Subsection (14) (a) A description of the activities of the corporation in managing and enforcing the contract with the grantee.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation Board of Directors Meetings Purpose: To oversee the disbursement of the State’s funds invested in Scripps Florida, the Florida Legislature created the Scripps Florida Funding Corporation, hereto referred to as SFFC, a non-profit entity governed by a nine-member Board of Directors and one ex-officio member.
Membership: Of the Board of Directors, three members were appointed by each of the Governor, the House Speaker and the Senate President. Former Governor Bush’s appointees are Mr. David Gury, former President and CEO of Nabi Pharmaceuticals, of Boca Raton, and Dr. Pamella Dana, Senior Strategic Advisor for Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, of Destin. Governor Crist re- appointed Mr. David Gury in March 2008 and Dr. Pamella Dana in February 2009. Governor Scott appointed Mr. Art Wotiz, CEO of Novabone, of Jacksonville on March 25, 2013. Former Senate President Jeff Atwater named Mr. Ed Sabin, Vice-President Biomet, Inc., of Palm Beach Gardens, on February 9, 2009 and Mr. Gerry Goldsmith, Chairman of First Bank of the Palm Beaches, of Palm Beach, on November 15, 2009. Former Senate President Mike Haridopolos appointed C. Glen Ged, a founding partner of Ellis, Ged, & Bodden, P.A., of Boca Raton on November 5, 2012. Former speaker Dean Cannon appointed Dr. Richard M. Luceri, Vice President of Healthcare Services for JM Family Enterprises, Inc., and Mr. Thomas G. Kuntz, Chairman, President and CEO of SunTrust Bank, Florida, on August 3, 2011. Speaker Will Weatherford reappointed Dr. Luceri on January 24, 2013 to serve until November 14, 2016. Speaker Weatherford appointed Mr. Mark J. Kasten, CEO of Kasten Insurance, of Tequesta on August 9, 2013.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 32 Annual Report 2013
An ex-oficio member of the Board of Directors, the head of the Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity or his designee, has not been participating in the SFFC meetings.
Meetings and activities: From October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013, the SFFC Board of Directors (“BOD”) met via conference call on October 9, 2012, November 28, 2012, January 28, 2013 and in-person on March 13, 2013. At the October meeting, the Audit Committee updated the Board on its review of the unaudited financial statements and TSRI and SF’s 2013 budget. The Audit Committee also explained its follow up to the annual meeting on the topic of remediation. Former Audit Committee Chairman Michael Crook explained that over the course of the past few months that the audit committee had worked with Scripps to find a resolution and remediation of the compliance report issues. He stated that the one page document provided for the Board offered a good summary of the process both sides had worked to achieve. Furthermore, both sides had scrutinized the employee details, so the audit committee recommended that the remediation be accepted as complete. The Board voted to accept the compliance report’s remediation. Furthermore, at this meeting, a subcommittee of Chairman Gury, Vice Chair Dana, Ms. Misselhorn, Ms. Deutsch and Ms. Carol Licko was formed to evaluate the future of SFFC as the corporation is nearing its last disbursement of monies. At the November meeting, the Board met to approve the SFFC audit and the SFFC annual report. When the Board met in January, it approved the SFFC 2013 budget and made committee assignments. At the annual in-person meeting in March, the SFFC Board of Directors reviewed the SFFC financial statements as previously reviewed by the Audit Committee, and then Ms. Deutsch outlined the conditions to funding - the requirements that Scripps Florida must meet in connection with the annual grant award. Those conditions were all met satisfactorily, and, thus, the annual grant was approved for the 2013 year. To conclude the board activities of the annual meeting, the Board unanimously approved the nomination of Marshall M. Criser III to the TSRI Board of Trustees. The Board also had the opportunity to tour the Scripps Florida campus and over dinner, heard from Scripps Florida scientist Thomas Kodadek on his research endeavors.
SFFC Committee Meetings
Investment Committee Purpose: The Investment Committee receives and reviews monthly investment reports from the State Board of Administration (SBA) to ensure that SFFC’s investments are consistent with the objectives established in the Trust Agreement and that the SFFC is able to make the disbursements anticipated in the Operating and Funding Agreement between SFFC and TSRI.
Membership: Dr. Thomas was Chairman of the Investment Committee and Mr. Ed Sabin and Mr. Gerry Goldsmith were Committee members, until their appointment to the Audit Committee. In January 2013, Mr. Kuntz was appointed to the Investment Committee. Mr. Rob Smith, Mr. Ben Latham and Mr. Mike McCauley from the State Board of Administration (“SBA”) participate in Investment Committee meetings.
Meetings and activities: Since the grant monies at the State Board of Administration have been apportioned through the last disbursement, the Investment Committee did not meet. Analysis of the last monies to SFFC will be handled by this Committee.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 33 Annual Report 2013
Audit Committee Purpose: The Audit Committee reviews financial information and monitors the financial condition of TSRI and Scripps Florida. The Audit Committee also engages the SFFC auditor, provides oversight for the annual audit of SFFC and compliance monitoring of TSRI and Scripps Florida with the terms of the Operating and Funding Agreement. The Audit Committee provides direction on the scope of the audit engagements and reviews any finding or recommendations related to the audits. The Audit Committee, in turn, reports its recommendations on the reports to the full Board.
The SFFC receives and the Audit Committee reviews the following reports: TSRI and Scripps Florida unaudited quarterly financial statements TSRI and Scripps Florida audited annual financial reports TSRI and Scripps Florida annual budgets Scripps Florida Annual Report Scripps Florida Annual Scientific Report
There are three types of annual audit reports that are received and reviewed by the Audit Committee:
I. Scripps Florida and TSRI provide the following reports to SFFC: 1) Audited financial statements of TSRI, including the operations of Scripps Florida. 2) Audited financial statements of Scripps Florida as a separate division, including a report on internal control and compliance in accordance with Government Auditing Standards. 3) A Federal Single Audit of TSRI in accordance with OMB Circular A-133. The audits are prepared by Deloitte and Touche (“D&T”), the independent auditors for TSRI. SFFC’s independent auditor has been granted access to the D&T workpapers in order to assess the application of generally accepted accounting principles and the significant assumptions made by TSRI management in the preparation of its financial statements.
II. SFFC receives the following reports prepared by an independent auditor engaged by the SFFC: 1) Audited financial statements of SFFC, including a report on internal controls and compliance in accordance with Government Auditing Standards. 2) A Federal Single Audit of SFFC in accordance with OMB Circular A-133.
III. A contractual monitoring and compliance audit of the Operating and Funding Agreement between TSRI and SFFC (“contractual monitoring and compliance audit”) to address the Monitoring Checklist (Exhibit A-1 to the Funding and Program Agreement between OTTED (now known as the Department of Economic Opportunity) and SFFC). The contractual monitoring and compliance audit is completed by an independent auditor contracted by the SFFC who verifies many of the items covered in this Annual Report, including, but not limited to: the number of jobs created the salaries and their consistency with the approved Business Plan designation of a person to assist in collaborative efforts with OTTED and compliance with OTTED’s requests for cooperation purchase of equipment consistent with the approved budget achievement of collaborative efforts with Florida universities
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 34 Annual Report 2013
The independent auditor contracted by the SFFC also prepares the annual not-for-profit organization tax return (Form 990) for SFFC, which is reviewed by the Audit Committee prior to submission to the Internal Revenue Service.
Membership: Mr. Mike Crook served as Chairman of the Audit Committee from January 2009 to January 2013 when Mr. Sabin was appointed as the Chairman. Dr. Pamella Dana remained on the Committee and Mr. Goldsmith agreed to serve on the Audit Committee in January 2013. Other participants in the Audit Committee meetings include SFFC’s auditor, Mr. Scott Porter from Caler, Donten, Levine, Porter & Veil, P.A., TSRI’s Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Donna Weston and TSRI’s Controller Mr. Jared Machado.
Meetings and activities: During Fiscal 2013, the Audit Committee met on October 4, 2012, November 27, 2012, March 7, 2013 and March 13, 2013. In general at these four meetings, the Audit Committee reviewed, discussed and approved the financial reports provided by TSRI and the auditing and compliance matters of SFFC. In October, the audit committee received the 2013 budget and filed it. It was noted that the Committee appreciated the level of detail in the budget and the presentation of it. This meeting also included the follow-up to the annual meeting and TSRI Amendment to the Business Plan. The Audit Committee created a one page summary of the remediation and Scripps agreed that it reflected the remediation properly. Mr. Crook said the committee would finalize this document for presentation to the full Board. At the November meeting, the Audit Committee reviewed and approved the SFFC financial audit for inclusion in the SFFC annual report. In March, Ms. Weston reviewed the December 31, 2012 TSRI and SF unaudited financial statements for the Audit Committee and then Mr. Porter reviewed the SFFC complete single audit. At the annual meeting on March 13, the Audit Committee heard Ms. Weston’s presentation of the September 30, 2012 year end TSRI and SF audited financial statements issued by Deloitte & Touche and Mr. Porter explained his review of SF auditor workpapers, indicating that consistent with prior years there were no areas of concern identified in his review of the Deloitte & Touche workpapers. A substantial amount of time was spent at the annual meeting going through the Agreed Upon Procedures / Monitoring Instrument Compliance Report in preparation for the Board meeting that same afternoon. The March annual meeting concluded with a review of the SFFC tax return form 990.
Reports Committee Purpose: The predominant purpose of the Reports Committee is to review, edit and approve the SFFC Annual Report before it is reviewed and approved by the SFFC Board of Directors.
Membership: Mr. David Gury served as the head of this committee in 2012 and in January 2013, Dr. Luceri and Mr. Ged agreed to serve on the Reports Committee.
Meetings and Activities: Mr. Gury reviewed drafts of the annual report and Ms. Deutsch edited drafts of the annual report during the fall of 2012.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 35 Annual Report 2013 Subsection (14) (b) An accounting of the amount of funds disbursed during the preceding fiscal year to the grantee.
Disbursement Date Principal Interest TOTAL December 15, 2012 $3,691,500 $679,899.38 $4,371,399.38 March 15, 2013 $1,250,000 $362,112.64 $1,612,112.64 June 17, 2013 $1,250,000 $362,112.64 $1,612,112.64 September 17, 2013 $1,250,000 $362,112.64 $1,612,112.64 TOTAL $7,441,500.00 $1,766,237.30 $9,207,737.30 Since inception, the total amount disbursed to Scripps Florida is $349,073,073.50, which includes interest in the amount of $40,323,073.50.
Subsection (14) (c) An accounting of the expenditures by the grantee during the fiscal year of funds disbursed under this section.
Category Amount Scientific Salaries & Benefits $9,462,866 Supplies $1,718,748 Scientific Equipment $4,152,398 External Affairs & Other Program Support $2,508,510 Project Commencement, Facilities, Administration & Capital Expenditures $7,977,693 Total $25,820,215 This schedule reflects cash expenditures charged to the grant from the State of Florida from October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013. The expense categories set forth above reflect those used by Scripps to report grant activity to grantors. This schedule excludes unpaid commitments, unspent grant funds received of approximately $108 million (including interest income) and expenditures funded by other sources.
Subsection (14)(d) Information on the number and salary level of jobs created by the grantee, including the number and salary level of jobs created for residents of this state.
On September 30, 2013, Scripps Florida employed 528 people. Employee Count Year 10 Target Position as of September 30, 2013 (December 31, 2013) Faculty 54 > 38 Scientific Staff 337 > 298 Administration 137 > 89 Current Total 528 Job Creations Target 545 In the above chart, faculty includes tenure track professors, associate professors and assistant professors. Scientific staff includes non-tenure track scientists (research faculty and staff scientists), research associates/ post-docs, lab technicians, and Scripps paid graduate students. Administration includes all other support personnel.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 36 Annual Report 2013 The job creations target number is to be measured on December 31, 2013, the end of the tenth employee hire year. A downward deviation of 25% may be agreed to by the SFFC board to satisfy the job creation deliverable, except with respect to the year ending December 31, 2013. Scripps Florida management anticipates that the target head count will be met on December 31, 2013.
Scripps Florida hired 137 employees between October 1, 2012 and September 30, 2013. Of the 137 employees, 46 were Florida residents of which 34 were Palm Beach County residents at the time of hire. Hired Required Salary Actual Salary in Palm Category in Florida Range Fiscal 2013 Beach Co. (as set forth in the Fiscal Residents Revised Business Plan) Residents 2013 (using CPI 6.30.13) Professors / Chairs 2 $159,847 - $382,244 $200,013 0 0 Associate $97,298 - $205,022 $150,010 - $160,014 0 0 Professors 2 Assistant $83,399 - $149,424 $105,019 - $130,000 0 0 Professors 2 Research Faculty 0 $83,399 - $306,955 N/A N/A N/A Staff Scientists 2 $62,550 - $130,890 $72,446 0 0 Research $39,383 - $63,708 $39,270 - $65,000 6 4 Associates 65 Administration* 64 $56,295 average $41,752* 40 30 TOTAL 137 46 34 * Administration is a combination of Scientific Support (non-Ph.D.) and Administrative Support positions. The average expected salary for this employee category is given, rather than the range that would result in combining all Administrative position salaries. An expected average salary, rather than a range, is a better representation because the various job classifications and range of salaries are broad. ** This average salary represents the amount for new hires only, not for all Administration employees. When all Administration employees are counted, the average is approximately $63,015 at September 30, 2013, which exceeds the required amount. This amount includes graduate student stipends.
Breakdown of Administration Category Hired in fiscal 2013 Average Salary Administrative Support 32 $42,522 Scientific Support 32 $40,982 TOTAL 64 $41,752 The required salary range is adjusted annually from that stated in the revised Business Plan based on increases in the CPI for the annual period. The base salary of all persons employed in a particular category falls within the range for that category, as adjusted by the cumulative change to the CPI. The CPI adjustment to salary ranges for June 2013 was 1.8%. Certain employees of Scripps Florida may receive additional compensation for assuming administrative responsibilities beyond their scientific duties. For example, a faculty member who also serves as an Associate Dean of the Graduate School
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 37 Annual Report 2013 will receive additional compensation for that service. The ranges set forth above do not incorporate such additional compensation.
Subsection (14) (e) Information on the amount and nature of economic activity generated through the activities of the grantee.
See Appendix 1, which is a report on the economic impact of Scripps Florida on Florida’s economy prepared by the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County in November 2013.
Subsection (14) (f) An assessment of factors affecting the progress toward achieving the projected biotech industry cluster associated with the grantee’s operations, as projected by economists on behalf of the Executive Office of the Governor.
See Appendix 2, which contains an assessment of factors affecting the progress toward achieving the projected biotech industry cluster prepared through information provided by state and local economic development organizations and biotech organizations.
Subsection (14) (g) A compliance and financial audit of the accounts and records of the corporation at the end of the preceding fiscal year conducted by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with the rules of the Auditor General.
See Appendix 3, which contains the audited financial statements and supplementary financial information for SFFC for the year ended September 30, 2013. This will be provided as an addendum to this annual report.
Subsection (14) (h) A description of the status of performance expectations under subsection (9) and the disbursement conditions under subsection (10).
Subsection (9) PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS
Subsection (9) (a) The number and dollar value of research grants obtained from the Federal Government or sources other than this state.
Between October 1, 2012 and September 30, 2013, Scripps Florida scientists were awarded 25 research grants from non-Florida sources. Those 25 grants were for a total of $45,505,000.
Subsection (9) (b) The percentage of total research dollars received by TSRI from sources other than this state which is used to conduct research activities by the grantee in this state.
For fiscal 2013, the percent of research funding from sources other than SFFC was 78%.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 38 Annual Report 2013 Subsection (9) (c) The number or value of patents obtained by the grantee.
In fiscal 2013, 22 foreign and domestic patent applications were filed. Since inception, 77 “families” of patent applications have been filed covering Scripps Florida technology, with each family containing 1-6 patent applications. The patents are still under review and no value has been assigned to them.
Subsection (9) (d) The number or value of licensing agreements executed by the grantee.
Nine license agreements were executed during fiscal 2013 with respect to Scripps Florida technologies.
Subsection (9) (e) The extent to which research conducted by the grantee results in commercial applications.
Because of the early stage of the technology being developed at Scripps Florida, no commercial applications have emerged to date. Several research reagents developed at Scripps Florida are now commercially available through license agreements.
Subsection (9)(f) The number of collaborative agreements reached and maintained with colleges and universities in this state and with research institutions in this state, including agreements that foster participation in research opportunities by public and private colleges and universities and research institutions in this state with significant minority populations, including historically black colleges and universities.
The Scripps Research Institute has developed a template entitled the Joint Cooperation Agreement (JCA) to encourage and support research collaborations with Florida institutions. Provisions are included to make it easier to collaborate on filing patents for jointly developed technologies and to share revenues from commercialized innovations. By executing these agreements in advance, TSRI expects to streamline the scientific collaboration process between Florida organizations and Scripps Florida as they work together on biomedical research. Nine Florida institutions have currently executed this formal agreement with TSRI: Florida International University, University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University, University of Central Florida, University of Miami, Florida State University, Nova Southeastern University, University of South Florida and Max Planck Florida Institute.
2-Oct-12 Paul Kenny Invited speaker - Institute for Brain Potential Seminar, Ft. Myers, FL 3-Oct-12 Paul Kenny Invited speaker - Institute for Brain Potential Seminar, Bradenton, FL Jupiter Neuroscience Facutly Forum (TSRI, FAU and MPFI faculty), MPFI, 3-Oct-12 Davis, Page Jupiter, FL 4-Oct-12 Paul Kenny Invited speaker - Institute for Brain Potential Seminar, Clearwater, FL 5-Oct-12 Peter Hodder David Reisman, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA 5-Oct-12 Paul Kenny Invited speaker - Institute for Brain Potential Seminar, Tampa, FL 9-Oct-12 John Cleveland Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida 12-Oct-12 Peter Hodder Peter Kima, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA 13-Oct-12 Kirill Martemyanov Presentation at CURE Symposium in Boca Raton CURE (Cutting-Edge Understanding Research & Education) - Panel Speaker, Boca 13-Oct-12 Roy Smith Raton, FL 16-Oct-12 Dawn Johnson VGTI Visit/Meeting
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 39 Annual Report 2013 ResearchFest Vendor & meeting with Keith Wood, Head of Research-Advanced 24-Oct-12 Roy Smith Technologies, Promega Group Cleveland, Davis, 25-Oct-12 Research Fest, TSRI Page 25-Oct-12 Thomas Burris Florida Tech. Seminar - Scripps Florida Mini-Symposium on Immunochemistry - Targeting the 1-Nov-12 Paul Robbins IKK/NF-kB Pathway for Treating Inflammatory and Degenerative Diseases. Jupiter Neuroscience Facutly Forum (TSRI, FAU and MPFI faculty), TSRI, 7-Nov-12 Davis, Page Jupiter, FL 8-Nov-12 Glenn Micalizio University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 16-Nov-12 Dawn Johnson VGTI Meeting 16-Nov-12 Patricia McDonald Stetson University, Biology Honor Society, Presenter, Deland, FL 20-Nov-12 Paul Robbins Scripps Florida Immunochemistry Symposium - Invited Speaker 20-Nov-12 Brock Grill University of Miami, Department of Physiology seminar series 2-Dec-12 Gavin Rumbaugh ARNP Conference, Hollywood, FL 2-Dec-12 Courtney Miller American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Meeting, Hollywood, FL 5-Dec-12 Thomas Kodadek Seminar-University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida Council Meeting, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, Hollywood, 9-Dec-12 Paul Kenny FL Richard Houghten,Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Port St. Lucie, FL, 18-Dec-12 Peter Hodder USA 9-Jan-13 Peter Hodder Sandy Westerheide, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA 9-Jan-13 Peter Hodder Keith Choe University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA Jupiter Neuroscience Facutly Forum (TSRI, FAU and MPFI faculty), TSRI, 9-Jan-13 Davis, Page Jupiter, FL Invited speaker - Department of Psychology, Florida State University (FSU), 9-Jan-13 Paul Kenny Tallahassee, FL Robbins, 10-Jan-13 Meeting with Herb Weissbach, FAU - Aging to discuss collaborations Niedernhofer 10-Jan-13 Damon Page Nova Southeastern's Autims Program talk, Fort Lauderdale, FL 11-Jan-13 Laura Niedernhofer Meeting with Janet Blanks, FAU - Age-related retinal degeneration 16-Jan-13 Brian Paegel SLAS Conference and Exhibition, Orlando, FL 16-Jan-13 Michael Farzan with Susana Valente - meet with Ron Desrosiers at University of Miami, FL Seminar/Meetings with Dr. Elias Haddad, Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute, Port 18-Jan-13 Matthew E. Pipkin St. Lucie, FL 22-Jan-13 Peter Hodder Herb Weissbach, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, USA Srinivasa FAU Boca Raton Campus speaker/presentation: Rhes, a Multifunctional GTPase, is 23-Jan-13 Subramaniam Essential for Grill, Subramaniam, Tomchik, 25-Jan-13 Puthanveettil, Leadership Palm Beach County Martemyanov, Rumbaugh 1-Feb-13 Dawn Johnson VGTI, Mel Rothberg Jupiter Neuroscience Facutly Forum (TSRI, FAU and MPFI faculty), MPFI, 9-Feb-13 Davis, Page Jupiter, FL 10-Feb-13 John Cleveland Symposium Director, 2013 Miami Winter Symposium 10-Feb-13 Burris, Ja, Hoxha Miami 2013 Winter Symposium: The Molecular Basis of Metabolism & Nutrition 11-Feb-13 Gavin Rumbaugh Speak at Max Planck 13-Feb-13 Dawn Johnson John W. Newcomer, M.D., Florida Atlantic University 17-Feb-13 John Cleveland Invited Speaker - Frontiers in Biomedical Research Symposium
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 40 Annual Report 2013 26 Scripps FL 18-Feb-13 Max Planck Florida Institute Sunposium scientists BioFlorida Palm Beach/Treasure Coast Chapter: Taking a Molecule from the Lab 20-Feb-13 Corinne Lasmezas to the Clinic 20-Feb-13 Seth Tomchik Flies on the Beach: local Drosophila meeting 20-Feb-13 Paul Thompson University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL FAU Medical School - Boca Raton presentation “ Molecular basis of initiation and 25-Feb-13 Sathya Puthanveettil persistence of long-term memory storage” Meeting with collaborators at the Palm Beach Cancer Institute, West Palm Beach, 27-Feb-13 Christoph Rader FL 28-Feb-13 John Cleveland Research presentation, FAU Boca, medical students FAU/Charles Schmidt College of Medicine; Search Committee for chair 4-Mar-13 Paul Robbins Biomedical Sciences Invited speaker - Academic Leadership & Lab Management Workshop, Max 15-Mar-13 Paul Kenny Planck Florida Institute, Jupiter, FL 21-Mar-13 Davis, Page Strosberg Symposium, TSRI, Jupiter, FL 27-Mar-13 Brian Paegel Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 2-Apr-13 Scott Hansen Jupiter Neuroscience Faculty Forum, Presenter, Jupiter, FL Ron Davis, Damon Jupiter Neuroscience Facutly Forum (TSRI, FAU and MPFI faculty), MPFI, 3-Apr-13 Page Jupiter, FL Srinivasa Cure Symposium, speaker and chair personTHE BRAIN ON THE CUTTING- 6-Apr-13 Subramaniam, EDGE OF SCIENCE Patricia McDonald Meeting with grant collaborator, Dr. Ronan Swords, University of Miami, Miami, 15-Apr-13 Christoph Rader FL 20-Apr-13 Many SF scientists Flies on the Beach, Miami University, Miami, FL 25-Apr-13 Philip LoGrasso Seminar Speaker @ Florida Institute of Technology 1-May-13 Miller, Davis, Page Host of Jupiter Neuroscience Faculty Forum at Scripps Meeting with Camillo Ricordi, Universit of Miami - Diabetes - to discuss 3-May-13 Paul Robbins collaborations 9-May-13 Peter Hodder Joyce Slingerland, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA 24-May-13 Laura Niedernhofer Meeting with Janet Blanks, FAU - Age-related retinal degeneration Dmitriy Minond, Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Port St. Lucie, FL, 29-May-13 Peter Hodder USA 7-Jun-13 Paul Robbins Meeting with Steve Ghivzzani, UF - Arthritis - to discuss collaborations 7-Jun-13 Laura Niedernhofer Meeting with William Hauswirth, UF - Age-related retinal degeneration Monthly Conference Call with FASEB Board of Directors to discuss science Monthly Laura Niedernhofer advocacy in FL Monthly Paul Kenny Jupiter Neuroscience Faculty Forum Collaboration with Moduation Therapeutics of Tampa, FL with respect to an 7-Jul-13 Christoph Rader NIH/SBIR grant award 19-Jul-13 Courtney Miller Meeting with David Nees, Cellactis 8-Aug-13 Smith, Ullrich Sam Young, Max Planck Florida Institute 23-Aug-13 Brock Grill Scripps Florida Faculty Colliquium, TSRI, Jupiter, FL 23-Aug-13 Davis, Page Scripps Florida Faculty Colliquium (Davis: Host), TSRI, Jupiter, FL 23-Aug-13 Subramaniam Scripps Florida Faculty Colliquium, TSRI, Jupiter, FL 29-Aug-13 Baoji Xu Seminar Speaker - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 4-Sep-13 Dawn Johnson Jupiter Neuroscience Faculty Forum Xu, Grill, Page, 27-Sep-13 Subramnaiam Scripps Florida Faculty Colliquium, TSRI, Jupiter, FL (Xu: Host)
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 41 Annual Report 2013 Subsection (9) (g) The number of collaborative partnerships established and maintained with businesses in this state.
Scripps Florida continues to maintain collaborative relationships with four Florida based biotechnology companies: Envoy Therapeutics, Opko Health, Dyadic and Protix.
Envoy Therapeutics Envoy Therapeutics is a drug discovery company located in Jupiter, FL. Envoy was founded by scientists from Rockefeller University (NY, NY) and investors from 5AM Ventures (Menlo Park, CA) and is located in Jupiter to access the high-throughput drug screening capabilities of Scripps Florida. Envoy was acquired by the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in November 2012 and in March 2013, a new agreement extended the initial collaboration launched in 2010 between Scripps Florida scientists and Envoy Therapeutics that led to several breakthroughs in identifying potential new compounds for neurological and psychiatric diseases.
Opko Health Opko Health, Inc., based in Miami, is a publicly traded healthcare company involved in the discovery, development, and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, vaccines and diagnostic products. Opko and Scripps are currently collaborating in three major areas: the area of novel diagnostic products to detect Alzheimer’s and other diseases, the development of novel drug candidates to treat Parkinson’s Disease, and the discovery of novel antibodies.
Dyadic A collaborative effort between scientists at Scripps Florida and Dyadic was established to provide a complete annotation of the genome of Dyadic's proprietary fungal organism, Chrysosporium lucknowense ("C1"). The knowledge gained from this effort is expected to facilitate further development of the C1 Host Technology as a robust platform for the discovery, development and production of various materials for medical and industrial applications. Furthermore, this collaboration promotes the development of a successful biotechnology cluster in South Florida as Dyadic International, Inc. is a global biotechnology company based in Jupiter, Florida.
Protix Protix is a start-up company located in Palm Beach County that has platform technology for the identification of amino-acids sites on protein targets that are required for their degradation within the cell to facilitate certain cellular regulatory processes such as mitosis. The company is utilizing this technology to identify sites on proteins that play a role in cellular processes, such as mitotic entry, which can be further exploited as targets for therapeutic and diagnostic applications in a broad range of diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. The company was founded by Scripps Florida professors Nagi Ayad and Donny Strosberg and is based on an invention made in the laboratory of Professor Ayad at Scripps Florida.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 42 Annual Report 2013 Subsection (9) (h) The total amount of funding received by the grantee from sources other than the State of Florida.
Since inception, Scripps Florida has been awarded approximately $305 million from non-State fund, including state and federal agencies, such as the NIH, foundations, pharmaceutical companies and other grantors. During fiscal 2013, Scripps Florida received the following grants: 1 GRANT AWARDS ($305,217,826 since inception) $69,543,800 2 OTHER REVENUE SOURCES $7,928,183 3 CONTRIBUTIONS AT NET PRESENT VALUE $3,866,180 TOTAL $ 81,338,163 1This amount includes federal funding of $63,675,566 for fiscal 2013. 2Other Revenue Sources: Other $657,524 Investment Income on Florida funds $7,270,659 Total $7,928,183 3Contributions include gifts not dedicated to a specific type of research; grants typically have a dedicated area of research or are awarded to a specific scientist.
Please note: Palm Beach County provided the funding for the land and buildings for Scripps Florida. The County funds expended to date by fiscal year are as follows: 2004 - $1,713,494, 2005 - $11,419,527, 2006 - $12,557,455, 2007 - $59,215,156, 2008 - $90,353,050, 2009 - $34,810,750, for a total of $210,069,431. Palm Beach County has completed work on the permanent facilities so it is unlikely that there will be a change in the total amount of funds expended by the County in future years.
Subsection (9) (i) The number or value of spin-off businesses created in this state as a result of commercialization of the research of the grantee.
The three Florida companies that spun off from Scripps Florida and the additional Florida company located in Jupiter to access Scripps Florida - Envoy Therapeutics - are described in Section (9)(g). In February 2011, CuRNA, based on research by Claes Wahlestedt, a Professor in Molecular Therapeutics Department of Scripps Florida, was one of the first spin-offs from Scripps Florida and was purchased by Miami-based Opko Health for $10,000,000. In November 2012, Envoy Therapeutics was purchased by Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals for $140,000,000.
Subsection (9) (j) The number or value of businesses recruited to this state by the grantee.
To assign a numerical value to business recruitment activities is virtually impossible, but it should be noted that Scripps Florida willingly participated when tours or introductions were requested for business recruitment activities. In Palm Beach County during the 2012 – 2013 fiscal year, the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (“BDB’) worked with 15 life sciences and healthcare companies that were considering relocating or expanding in Palm Beach County. Please see Appendix 2
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 43 Annual Report 2013 for details on SF efforts to enhance the life sciences business atmosphere in Palm Beach County, the South Florida region and the State of Florida.
Subsection (9)(k) The establishment and implementation of policies to promote supplier diversity using the guidelines developed by the Office of Supplier Diversity under s. 287.09451 and to comply with the ordinances, enacted by the County and which are applicable to this biomedical research institution and campus located in this state.
Scripps Florida has adopted the following Mission and Vision Statements for Supplier Diversity:
Mission: Scripps Florida’s Supplier Relations and Diversity Program will integrate small and diverse businesses into the procurement process - creating awareness, ownership, and an understanding of the principals of a competitive supply base. These partnerships will maximize cost savings and efficiencies within Scripps Florida’s internal processes and supply chain.
Vision: Scripps Florida recognizes the importance of a diverse supply chain and strives to develop relationships with small and diverse life science and service suppliers who can assist in achieving Scripps Florida’s biomedical research goals. Also, Scripps Florida expects its strategic suppliers to establish business opportunities for small and diverse suppliers.
The TSRI Procurement Department & Mrs. Darci Garbacz, Procurement Manager/ Supplier Diversity Coordinator, continue to pursue opportunities to partner with the diverse business community. Scripps Florida continues to participate in county, state and national diverse supplier shows. These shows help Scripps Florida to identify diverse businesses that can provide goods and services to the institute at a competitive price. Participation in these shows has resulted in partnerships with local companies that provide furniture, pipette calibrations, refrigeration services, relocation services, dry ice services, landscaping and irrigation services, building maintenance services, printing services, shredding services and more. Subsection (9) (l) The designation by the grantee of a representative to coordinate with the Office of Supplier Diversity.
Mrs. Darci Garbacz serves in this position as the Scripps Supplier Diversity Coordinator. Mrs. Garbacz represents Scripps in working with small and minority business enterprises in the State of Florida, and is actively involved in many state and local supplier diversity outreach programs.
Subsection (9) (m) The establishment and implementation of a program to conduct workforce recruitment activities at public and private colleges and universities and community colleges in this state which request the participation of the grantee.
Scripps Florida has extended workforce recruitment efforts to Florida’s higher education institutions throughout the state. Event Location Date Attendee Career Fair FMU, Miami FL 3/21/2013 Linda Gavit Career Fair Statewide, Orlando FL 5/09/2013 Linda Gavit
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 44 Annual Report 2013
Subsection (10) DISBURSEMENT CONDITIONS
Subsection (10)(a) Demonstrate creation of jobs and report on the average salaries paid.
See reply to Subsection (14) (d).
Subsection (10)(b) Beginning 18 months after the grantee’s occupancy of its permanent facility, the grantee shall annually obtain $100,000 of non-state funding for each full- time equivalent tenured-track faculty member employed at the Florida facility.
There was 54 faculty employed on September 30, 2013 and the three year award total was $150,328,580, therefore each Scripps Florida faculty has obtained about $927,954 in non-Florida funding.
Subsection (10) (c) No later than 3 years after the grantee’s occupancy of its permanent facility, the grantee shall apply to the relevant accrediting agency for accreditation of its Florida graduate program.
The re-accreditation of the Scripps Ph.D. program was successfully completed in early 2011, which is approximately two years after Scripps Florida’s occupancy of its permanent facility. The Kellogg School of Science in Technology is a bi-coastal Ph.D. program, reflecting the “one institution/two campus” makeup of The Scripps Research Institute. Owing to the larger size and earlier date of establishment of the Ph.D. program on the La Jolla campus, the reaccreditation process was handled by WASC (the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities). The re-accreditation process included a specific site visit and assessment of the Scripps Florida graduate program in October, 2010, by Dr. Karen Holbrook, Senior Vice President for Research, Innovation & Global Affairs, University of South Florida, and President, University of South Florida Research Foundation. As a result of the overall review and re-accreditation process, the Kellogg School of Science and Technology—including the graduate program at Scripps Florida—received re- accreditation for a 10-year period, effective March 7, 2011.
Subsection (10) (d) The grantee shall purchase equipment for its Florida facility as scheduled in its contract with the corporation.
The Scripps Florida business plan requires $10 million in equipment purchases within 18 months of occupancy of the permanent facility and Scripps occupied the permanent facility on March 31, 2009, so the effective date for the $10 million required equipment purchase is September 30, 2010. The amount of equipment purchased as of September 2010 was $10.7 million, thereby meeting the required amount. The Scripps Florida Revised Business Plan also requires that $6.158 million in equipment be purchased over the last five years of funding.
Approximately $4,152,398 of equipment – acquired with State grant funds – was purchased from October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013. In addition, $2,009,037 of equipment was purchased using non-state funds during this same time period.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 45 Annual Report 2013
Subsection (10)(e) No later than 18 months after occupying its permanent facility, the grantee shall establish a program for qualified graduate students from Florida universities permitting them access to the facility for doctoral, thesis-related research.
Scripps Florida has established a Ph.D. program in 2005 as part of Scripps’ Kellogg School of Science and Technology, well ahead of the September 2010 deadline, which was 18 months after the anticipated occupancy of the permanent facility.
Thirty (30) graduate students are currently enrolled in the Scripps Florida graduate program. A total of 14 students have now completed Ph.D. degrees at Scripps Florida since the establishment of the Ph.D. program in 2005 and 14 new graduate students entered the program on August 1, 2013. As the faculty ranks continue to expand at Scripps Florida over the next several years, additional efforts will be made to recruit highly qualified Florida students to the Scripps Florida Ph.D. program. Of the 14 new students, one has an undergraduate degree from Florida Atlantic University Honors College campus in Jupiter. Of the 41 graduate students who will be in the Scripps Florida graduate program as of September 2013, at least eight will have a Florida connection (undergraduate degrees from Florida colleges and universities, or is a native Floridian who took her/his undergraduate degree out of state).
Subsection (10) (f) No later than 18 months after occupancy of the permanent facility, the grantee shall establish a summer internship for high school students.
Since 2005, high school students, teachers, and university undergraduates have been provided an opportunity to work with world class scientists at Scripps Florida in a six-week summer research internship program. In the summer of 2013, 16 high school students participated in the summer internship program. Students were placed in the Departments of: Neuroscience, Infectious Diseases, Cancer Biology, Metabolism and Aging, Molecular Therapeutics, Chemistry and the Translational Research Institute. Support for the internship program has been provided by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, the Kellogg School of Science and Technology, and the BallenIsles Charities Foundation, Inc.
These students are placed at the research bench with the faculty, post-docs, and Ph.D. students working at the cutting edge of basic biomedical research. They are awarded a gross compensation of $8.00 per hour for the six-week summer program. The program culminated in a public presentation at the Scripps Florida campus where each student presented their research findings to an audience that contained Scripps research mentors, parents, teachers, and Palm Beach County students. During the course of the internship, the participants may attend faculty seminars, and a comprehensive list of those seminars may be found in Subsection (10)(k).
Scripps Florida Education Outreach Director, Ms. Deborah Leach-Scampavia, continues to work in collaboration with the Palm Beach County School District, to insure that all county high schools, principals, science teachers, science supervisors, and parents are aware of the annual high school program. Faculty presentations, undergraduate “ambassadors” from the high school program, and correspondence with department Chairs at targeted academic institutions provide information about the
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 46 Annual Report 2013 sponsored undergraduate program. Detailed descriptions and on-line applications can be found on the Scripps Florida Education Outreach web pages.
Special emphasis is placed on providing opportunities for students from underrepresented populations (i.e., female, minority). Since its inception in 2005 the eight year average for underrepresented participation in the Scripps Florida summer internship programs is ~ 68%.
The Kenan Fellows Facebook page continues to allows Scripps Florida to maintain contact and track alumni from the high school program. To date, 100% of the college age alumni are pursuing or have completed post-secondary degrees, 96% within STEM fields. The following is a list of some of the academic institutions Kenan Fellows now attend: UF, UCF, USF, University of Miami, FAU, MIT, Harvard, Princeton, University of Penn, Yale, Cal Tech., Columbia, Brown, Berkeley, Stanford, Rice, Emory, University of Rochester, Swarthmore, Duke, Washington University in St. Louis, and Dartmouth.
Additional Education Outreach Programs at Scripps Florida
The William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, The Quantum Foundation, The Robert and Mary Pew Public Education Fund, The Berlin Family Foundation, the BallenIsles Charitable Foundation and The Gardens Mall (Forbes Company) supply funding for the following K-12 education programs developed through the efforts of Scripps Florida education outreach staff, faculty and research staff.
Scripps Florida Neuroscience Saturday Program A program for freshmen and sophomores attending Palm Beach County’s Title I high schools was offered during the academic year. Neuroscience Saturday was designed to immerse students in cutting- edge brain research, while introducing them to modern science in a way that is accessible, fun, and inspirational. The program follows the success of Scripps Florida’s Title I “Science Saturday” high school lesson which was initiated in 2005. Expanding the theme to highlight basic neuroscience and neuroimaging, Scripps Florida invited colleagues from The Max Planck Florida Institute (MPFI) to join in this Saturday program that brought together world-class scientists and Palm Beach County high school students.
This all-day workshop explored brain function and dysfunction, pondering such questions as: How do we learn and form memories? How is the brain structured? What is a neuron and how does it work? The curriculum is designed for 9th and 10th grade students with and coupled with resource information for the classroom teacher. Neuroscience Saturday takes place at Scripps Florida’s and MPFI’s research facilities in Jupiter.
Scripps Florida Introduction to Science Program This interactive middle school lesson serves to tie together the basics of Math, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics for a student age group found to be at academic risk in math and science. Using inexpensive, everyday objects, Scripps Florida Education Outreach has leveraged its Introduction to Science program to community education partners allowing a significant expansion of the middle school lesson in Palm Beach County. A Spanish language version of the lesson has been completed and is now presented at Palm Beach County middle schools.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 47 Annual Report 2013 The Scripps Florida Biotechnology Tour An up-close view of the biomedical technologies used in the battle against human diseases at Scripps Florida continues to be presented to Neuroscience Saturday high school students. The “Biotechnology Tour” provides students an opportunity to see basic biology and chemistry research laboratories. As students move through the laboratories, they gain an understanding of how genomics based research and the processes of organic synthesis lead contemporary efforts in the therapeutic drug discovery process.
The Scripps Florida – Middle School Wow Chemistry The middle school Wow Chemistry is now a part of Scripps Florida’s annual science festival, “Cellebrate Science with Scripps Florida” where approximately 3,000 community members participate each year. This allows SF education outreach programs to reach not only middle school students, but their families as well, as their goal is to enlist parents and guardians in encouraging their children to study science in school. Student interaction is encouraged and the exciting demonstrations include: chemical clock reactions, vacuum experiments with eggs, freezing and shattering objects with liquid nitrogen, and exploding hydrogen balloons!
The Scripps Florida High School Career Panel In an after-school interactive panel with Scripps Florida Ph.D. graduate students and post-doc fellows, Scripps scientists share experiences about their undergraduate and graduate careers and the type of research they are conducting at Scripps. The intent is to demystify the higher education/science process, encourage relationships, and answer student questions. The panel concludes with a tour of the Scripps Florida research laboratories.
Scripps Florida Middle School Genomics with Kenan High School Fellows High school students from the summer intern program visit Palm Beach County middle schools, sharing their love of science, their experience as a summer researcher at Scripps and a lesson in genomics, geared for the middle school classroom. The high school students are enthusiastic role models for the younger students and are well received by the classroom teachers.
CELLebrate Science Day with Scripps Florida Since 2009, Scripps Florida researchers have hosted an annual public science day, sponsored by and held at the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. More than 100 Scripps Florida research faculty, post doctoral fellows, graduate students and staff interact with thousands of Palm Beach County students, parents, teachers and interested community members - all excited to learn about the science of Scripps and to have an opportunity to meet research scientists.
Six fun, interactive science booths dot the mall grand court, each themed around Scripps Florida’s research and technology. These booths include: “Chemistry”- with an interactive chemistry demonstrations, including an electronic periodic table, “Technology” – showing engineering and robotics, “Science of Safety” – trying on a lab coat, goggles and respirator to see how safe science is done in the lab, “Model Organisms” – questioning what zebra fish, fruit flies, worms and slugs tell us about human biology and disease,
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 48 Annual Report 2013 “Disease Biology” – demonstrating the difference between a viral and bacterial infection and how Scripps scientists study and use each to understand disease, and “Inner Life of a Cell” – crawling inside a human cell, an inflatable dome, with animation from Harvard University and narration by Scripps Florida PhD students and postdoctoral fellows.
Scripps Florida also uses their Cellebrate day to provide a public opportunity for Palm Beach County School District middle and high school Science Fair winners to display their winning posters before moving on to the Florida state competition.
Scripps Florida Undergraduate Internships
In addition to high school internships, Scripps Florida provides internship opportunities for a variety of undergraduate students. The ten-week undergraduate program continues to elevate the intensity and independence of the research experience. Working with faculty and post-doc mentors, students are provided the research and laboratory experience needed to successfully compete in graduate school admissions and gain valuable experience outside the context of basic undergraduate laboratory instruction. The program culminates in a Scripps-wide research poster competition.
Students return to their academic institutions possessing the knowledge and experience to participate in campus undergraduate poster sessions, to act as ambassadors for the research and graduate programs offered at Scripps Florida, and to enjoy an enhanced knowledge base as they continue their classroom instruction.
This past year, three of the undergraduate summer interns were accepted to present their research posters at national scientific conferences. One of the undergraduate posters received a “Best in Category” award at the National American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology conference. Two former undergraduate summer interns are now PhD graduate students in the TSRI Kellogg School of Science and Technology on the Florida campus. The Undergraduate Facebook page allows Scripps Florida to continue their mentorship with this talented group of students and promote an ongoing interest in the research and graduate efforts at Scripps Florida.
Sponsored Undergraduate Internships In the summer of 2013, 13 undergraduates participated in the sponsored internship program, two from Florida schools, nine from schools out of the State, and two from a US territory. Undergraduates are awarded gross compensation of $10.00 per hour for the ten-week summer program.
Summer Undergraduate Interns In addition to the sponsored summer undergraduate initiative on the Scripps Florida campus, Scripps Florida attempts to accommodate as many students as possible who contact them for research opportunities during the summer months. 17 undergraduate students from 14 universities sought opportunities/incentives to return to Florida to further their research experience in the summer of 2013.
FAU Wilkes Honors College Program In 2006, Scripps Florida established an intern program for FAU Honors College students to perform research in the laboratories of Scripps Florida faculty members. The students can receive FAU academic credit or a stipend (if research funds are available from the Scripps Florida faculty member)
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 49 Annual Report 2013 for research performed during the school term or summer months. During the fiscal year, 23 FAU undergraduate students participated in research internships at the Scripps Florida research facility.
Palm Beach State College (PBSC) PBSC offers two degree programs in biotechnology in response to the community need for research technicians and associates. Students enrolled in the PBSC program can receive academic credit for additional experience in the laboratory. To help students gain this experience, internships have been made available at the Scripps Florida facility as space has been available. Three PBSC biotechnology students participated in this program in the 2012 – 2013 reporting period.
Undergraduate Travel Award The undergraduate poster competition awards the top three students an opportunity to submit their winning research poster to a national conference of the intern and faculty mentor’s choice. Expenses are paid for registration, travel, and housing for the intern and their faculty advisor so that the undergraduate student intern may present their poster. As was presented earlier, this past year, three of the undergraduate summer interns were accepted to present their research posters at national scientific conferences and one of the undergraduate posters received a “Best in Category” award at the National American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology conference.
Subsection (10) (g) No later than 3 years after occupancy of the permanent facility, the grantee shall establish a research program for middle and high school teachers.
Scripps has established a professional development science workshop for secondary science teachers, as well as, a workshop for middle school teachers. In addition, Scripps Florida offers summer internships to secondary science teachers.
Scripps Florida High School Teacher Summer Internship Program Continued support from the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, has allowed Scripps Florida Education Outreach to continue to expose teachers to current laboratory techniques and procedures, provide information on a variety of contemporary issues in basic biomedical research, create ties and linkages to working scientists who can assist them in curriculum development, and create opportunities for teachers to share information and knowledge with their peers.
High school science teachers in the Palm Beach County School District conduct basic biomedical research in a laboratory under the supervision of a Scripps Florida scientist. The program emphasizes the scientific process, research planning, bench experience, experimental design, data analysis and interaction with laboratory personnel. As an adjunct to their day-to-day responsibilities, participants are required to attend specially designed seminars throughout the course of the summer. In addition to the intensive, hands-on six-week summer program, teachers are expected to use the laboratory experience as a springboard to create opportunities in discovery-based learning for their students, effect change in their classrooms and serve as a resource for other educators. Each participant gives a presentation and writes a scientific abstract on his/her project at the end of the summer.
To extend information about the summer program to all PBC eligible high school teachers, the Scripps Florida Education Outreach Director, Ms. Leach-Scampavia, supplied program information flyers to each of the PBC high schools Principals for display at the schools and gave an information presentation
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 50 Annual Report 2013 about the summer intern program to a meeting of the high school science supervisors. In addition, working through the PBC school district’s science coordinator, flyers were emailed to each of the science teachers in the district.
Research internships are awarded on a competitive basis to United States citizens or permanent residents teaching science at the secondary level in Palm Beach County. The application time period for the internship program is from January until March. Teachers are awarded gross compensation of $20.00 per hour for the six-week program (not to exceed 240 hours). After receipt of completed packages and due date expiration, the PBC science coordinator, the Scripps Florida education administrator and several scientists reviewed each application package. Scripps Florida faculty mentors then reviewed and selected from the pool of interns the “best candidates” for the summer teacher internship.
Scripps Florida Secondary and Middle School Teacher Workshops Scripps Florida is directing greater efforts to address the needs of the classroom science teacher by establishing Teacher Workshops in basic science, math and laboratory skills. The “InSPIRE” programs (Instructional Support Program for Innovative Research Education) programs offer direct interaction with the bioscience researchers at Scripps Florida and provide greater professional development opportunities for pre-service and in-service middle and high school science teachers in a supportive engaging environment. Institutes are designed around curriculum units that integrate lessons, activities and laboratory-based biological and chemical experiments designed by research scientists at Scripps Florida. Portability of the lessons allows teachers to leverage the institute curriculum to their own classrooms during the course of the school year.
The programs provide opportunities for teachers from all of the secondary and middle schools within the Palm Beach County school district to attend the Teacher Workshops. Through its partnership with the school district, Scripps Florida emphasizes teacher recruitment from schools with limited resources in rural and urban Palm Beach County, particularly in areas with large underrepresented and disadvantaged student populations.
Subsection (10) (h) No later than 18 months after occupancy of the permanent facility, the grantee shall establish a program for adjunct professors.
Many current Scripps Florida faculty have received adjunct faculty appointments with the University of Florida, University of Miami and/or Florida Atlantic University. Such adjunct appointments are intended to provide a mechanism for graduate students enrolled in Florida research universities to collaborate with, to be co-mentored by, and to perform research in the laboratories of a Scripps Florida faculty member.
A mechanism has been established for faculty members at Florida institutions who have established collaborative research programs with Scripps Florida faculty to be appointed to an Adjunct Professor position. The process is initiated by a Scripps Florida faculty member who submits a nomination to his/her department chair. If the chair concurs, the chair submits the nomination to the Office of the President for review and approval. Current adjunct faculty are: Dr. Chris Liang of Xcovery in West Palm Beach, FL – Adjunct Associate Professor, Molecular Therapeutics
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 51 Annual Report 2013 Dr. Andrew Hodge of BioMotion Institute in Jupiter, FL – Adjunct Professor, Metabolism and Aging Dr. Samuel Young of Max Planck Florida Institute in Jupiter, FL – Adjunct Assistant Professor, Neuroscience Dr. Jason Christie of Max Planck Florida Institute in Jupiter, FL – Adjunct Assistant Professor, Neuroscience Dr. James Schummers of Max Planck Florida Institute in Jupiter, FL – Adjunct Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
Subsection (10) (i) No later than 6 months after commissioning its high throughput technology, the grantee shall establish a program to allow open access for qualified science projects.
Scripps Florida initiated the “Access to Technologies” program in January of 2006 to invite scientists from Florida universities and other academic research institutions to use state-of-the-art screening technologies at Scripps Florida’s facilities in Jupiter for qualifying projects. A seventh “Core” platform is now available at the Scripps Florida facility that combines basic research with advanced technology.
Access to Technologies Scripps Florida was created to interface cutting-edge high throughput technologies with pioneering research programs relevant to current medical needs in human diseases. One of its key goals is to develop dynamic relationships with Florida institutions to foster a knowledge-based economy that will transcend traditional barriers to moving scientific discoveries into the clinic. Florida scientists who may not have these technologies available at their respective institutions are encouraged to open the links to learn more about these core technologies and opportunities to access them (http://www.scripps.edu/florida/technologies/). A list of collaborative Florida researchers can be found in Section (9)(f) - Collaboration with Florida Colleges and Universities.
Macromolecular X-ray Crystallography Facility The macromolecular x-ray crystallography core facility of Scripps Florida offers state-of-the-art equipment and resources to scientists inside and outside of the Scripps Florida campus by providing crystallographic analysis of chosen biological macromolecules.
The core facility offers and operates as a full service core by performing protein crystallization, x-ray diffraction data collection (both in-house and at various synchrotron sources) and processing, phasing, crystallographic refinement, model building, and visualization. The structural data obtained by the core provide scientists with a wealth of information including but not limited to biological functions, 3D- folding, ligand binding (small molecule or protein), or mutational effect of target macromolecules of their interest.
This past year, the core facility researchers produced six publications in major research journals and acquired data for an additional two manuscripts. The core facility researchers supported six intramural and two external laboratories for their on-going grant researches. The researchers were also actively involved in preliminary studies for grant applications of these laboratories. During this period, the core facility researchers produced and deposited multiple macromolecular structures.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 52 Annual Report 2013 Genomics Core The Scripps Florida Genomics Core was established to enable access by Scripps Florida and external investigators to the latest technologies for gene expression analysis and high-throughput genotyping. These technologies allow for interrogation and subsequent comparison of the role genetics play in disease state at the global level, or at specified locations in the genome. Gene expression analysis provides a profile of active and inactive genes in a given tissue sample or cell type. The technologies used in the Genomics Core allow for a wide range of cost effective options for discovery on multiple platforms.
The Cell Based Screening Core Researchers in the Cell-Based Screening Core leverage high-throughput technologies towards a systematic description of the function of genes encoded by the human genome, and a more comprehensive understanding of the genetic basis for human disease. The CBS group provides Scripps investigators, as well as select outside collaborators, with access to genome-wide collections of cDNAs and siRNAs that can be used to interrogate cellular models of signal transduction pathways and phenotypes.
The Proteomics Core The Proteomics Core researchers at Scripps Florida examine the expression and action of proteins and other gene products. Its faculty and staff focus on such questions as how proteins are modified by cells in certain diseases. In particular, the scientists concentrate on developing and applying the techniques of mass spectrometry for discovery and quantitative proteomic experiments. The core also supports the small molecule mass spectrometry needs of the institute and collaborators.
The Flow Cytometry Core Flow cytometry measures and analyzes the characteristics of single particles, normally cells, as they move in a stream and are passed through a laser. Thousands of cells can be analyzed by a flow cytometer in a single second. Among the measurements derived from flow cytometry are the size, relative fluorescence and complexity of the particle. Flow cytometry can be used for a variety of applications including complex cell analysis and cell sorting.
The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Core Nuclear magnetic resonance, known as NMR, uses the magnetic properties of certain nuclei to study molecular structure. A wide variety of information can be gathered using NMR including protein and nuclei acid structure and function. In early 2011, Scripps Florida added a new state-of-the-art 700 MHz instrument to the NMR core, complementing the two 400 MHz instruments already on site. While the two 400 MHz instruments are used primarily for small molecule (chemistry) studies, the new 700 MHz instrument will be used primarily by biologists for studying structure and interactions among biomolecular components (proteins, RNA, etc.). The three machines run 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. By connecting these highly sensitive instruments to the Internet via a proprietary Scripps Florida server, scientists can access the data produced from their office or the laboratory.
High Throughput Screening Core Description Background High Throughput Screening (HTS) is a drug-discovery process widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. It leverages automation to quickly assay the biological or biochemical activity of a large number of drug-like compounds. It is a useful for discovering ligands for receptors, enzymes, ion-
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 53 Annual Report 2013 channels or other pharmacological targets, or pharmacologically profiling a cellular or biochemical pathway of interest. Typically, HTS assays are performed in “automation-friendly” microtiter plates with a 96, 384 or 1536 well format.
Capabilities: The Lead Identification group at Scripps Florida has set-up a state-of-the art HTS operation to support Scripps’ intramural HTS efforts. This Core has both HTS and compound management automation, and expertise in adapting biological and biochemical bench-top assays into high-throughput screens.
HTS users: Leissring, M., Ph.D. Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL Minond, M., Ph.D. TPIMS Weissbach, H., Ph.D. FAU Zervos, A., Ph.D. UCF Ayad, N., Ph.D. U Miami Westerheide, Sandy University of South Florida Choe, Keith University of Florida Kima, Peter University of Florida Reisman, David University of Florida
Behavior Core The Behavior Core at Scripps Florida provides state-of-the-art equipment and software for measuring rodent behavior. All behavioral rooms are fully equipped and supplied. Many of the behavioral tasks are completely automated, with software providing control over hardware and trial protocols. Standard protocols for the behavioral tasks have been developed by the Director; expertise for the development of custom protocols is available. The behavioral experiments can be fully conducted by Behavior Core staff, or individual labs can utilize the rooms and equipment for their own experiments. Training and consultation are provided free of charge. Behavior Core resources are also available to non-Scripps Florida scientists through collaboration with the Director.
The Behavior Core officially opened for business in June 2011. In the past year, the Behavior Core resources and/or personnel have been included on multiple Scripps Florida Faculty grant applications (many of which have been awarded funding), and data collected in the Behavior Core has been included in multiple publications.
An Advisory Committee comprised of faculty members was formed in March 2013 to advise the Core Director regarding research progress and future directions for the Core. As a result of this committee’s input, equipment was updated to better meet the needs of the faculty, including the addition of some new equipment.
Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases The Center for Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases is a multidisciplinary center designed to enhance the research capabilities of faculty at TSRI whose research focus is in the area of diabetes and metabolic diseases. The Center is designed to enhance interactions between faculty and other researchers in this area so as to provide greater opportunities for fruitful collaborations that may yield new and improved therapies for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity as well as other metabolic diseases.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 54 Annual Report 2013
History: The Scripps Research Institute has a long history of critical discoveries in the area of diabetes and metabolic diseases. As TRSI was expanded to Scripps Florida, several new faculty were recruited whose research is focused on development of new and improved therapies for metabolic diseases. The Center was established by Dr. Burris in late 2011 to coordinate and enhance the metabolic research capabilities of TRSI. After its approval by the President of TRSI, Dr. Marletta, the Center first focused on consolidating key equipment that was already in place at Scripps Florida. In the second phase, the Center focused on expansion of metabolic research capabilities by acquisition of addition critical equipment and hired Dr. Kanzantzis as a staff scientist to oversee the core laboratories. Future phases will focus on further expansion of research capabilities as well as establishing key services that will be available to all metabolic disease researchers at TRSI to help enhance their productivity. The Center currently operates two key laboratories at Scripps Florida.
Researchers can apply for access to Scripps expertise through the “Access to Technologies” program.
Subsection (10) (j) Beginning June 2004, the grantee shall commence collaborative efforts with Florida public and private colleges and universities, and shall continue cooperative collaboration through the term of the agreement.
See the reply to Subsection (9) (f).
Subsection (10) (k) Beginning 18 months after the grantee occupies the permanent facility, the grantee shall establish an annual seminar series featuring a review of the science work done by the grantee and its collaborators at the Florida facility.
External Seminars External seminars are part of the institute series, inviting prominent researchers from national and international institutions to speak. The seminars serve as a major foundation for creating knowledge- and technology-sharing opportunities, team building, and collaborations among biomedical researchers between Scripps Florida, Florida, and other research and academic institutions and companies. The sessions are open to interested professionals within the Scripps Florida and Florida scientific communities. October 4, 2012 Speaker: Sheng Ding, Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco Lecture: “A Chemical Approach to Controlling Cell Fate” October 11, 2012 Speaker: Osamu Nureki, Ph.D. The University of Tokyo Lecture: “Structural basis for Molecular Mechanism of Membrane Channels and transporters” October 25, 2012 Speaker: Eric M. Ferreira, Ph.D. Colorado State University Lecture: “Accessing and Harnessing Metalated Intermediates Toward Synthetic Utility” November 1, 2012 Speaker: Adrian T. Keatinge-Clay, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin Lecture: “Visualizing and harnessing polyketide assembly lines”
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 55 Annual Report 2013 November 8, 2012 Speaker: R. Luke Wiseman, Ph.D. The Scripps Research Institute – La Jolla Lecture: “Developing and Implementing Small Molecule Regulated Transcription Factors to Understand Stress-Responsive Signaling” November 15, 2012 Speaker: Roger J. Davis, Ph.D. University of Massachusetts Medical School Lecture: “Signal Transduction by the JNK Signaling Pathway” November 29, 2012 Speaker: Stephen J. Haggarty, Ph.D. Harvard Medical School Lecture: “Chemical Neurobiology: Targeting Neuroplasticity in Neuropsychiatric Disorders” November 30, 2012 Speaker: Mark von Zastrow, M.D., Ph.D. University of California, San Francisco Lecture: “Regulation of signaling receptors by endocytosis and vice versa” December 6, 2012 Speaker: Pankaj Kapahi, Ph.D. Buck Institute for Research on Aging Lecture: “Fat Metabolism, physical activity and aging – insights from Drosophila” December 13, 2012 Speaker: John R. Yates, Ph.D. The Scripps Research Institute Lecture: “Protein Quantitation Using Stable Isotope Labeling in Mammals (SILAM) to Understand Human Disease and Injury” January 10, 2013 Speaker: Dewey McCafferty, Ph.D. Duke University Lecture: “Evaluating the Role of the Lysine-Specific Histone Demethylase (LSD1) Complex in Breast Cancer SIgnaling Using Chemical Biology Approaches” January 17, 2013 Speaker: Garry Nolan, Ph.D. Stanford University Lecture: “A Systems Structure for Immunity and Cancer at the Single Cell Level” January 24, 2013 Speaker: Robert Kennedy, Ph.D. University of Michigan Lecture: “The Nanoliter Lab: Using Droplets for Screening and In Vivo Neurochemical Sensing” January 31, 2013 Speaker: Ulrike Heberlein, Ph.D. University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Lecture: “Flies and Alcohol: How Social Experience Affects Behavior.” February 7, 2013 Speaker: Mark Mayford, Ph.D. The Scripps Research Institute-La Jolla Lecture: “Genetic Control of Memory Circuits.” February 14, 2013 Speaker: Kathlynn Brown, Ph.D. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center-University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Lecture: “Mining for Tumor Targeting Peptides-New Ligands for Molecular Imaging & Personalized Therapies” February 28, 2013 Speaker: Robert C. Malenka, Ph.D. Stanford University Lecture: “Pain and pleasure: synaptic plasticity in mesolimbic reward circuitry.”
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 56 Annual Report 2013 March 7, 2013 Speaker: Ronald Raines, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison Lecture: “Ribonuclease A: From kcat/KM to the Clinic” March 14, 2013 Speaker: Dr. Bruno Conti TSRI – La Jolla Lecture: “Central Temperature Regulation and Aging” March 21, 2013 In memory of Dr. A. Donny Strosberg “Biotechnology from Bench to Company: Strategy from Academia to Industry” April 4, 2013 Lecture: Dr. Laura Ranum University of Florida Lecture: “Repeat associated non-ATG translation in SCA8 and C9ORF72 ALS/FTD” April 11, 2013 Speaker: Dr. Tracy Johnson University of California San Diego Lecture: “A histone tail: Pre-messenger RNA splicing and the coordinated control of gene expression” April 18, 2013 Speaker: Philip Dawson TSRI – La Jolla Lecture: “Chemoselective approaches for protein synthesis and bioconjugation” April 25, 2013 Speaker: Charles S. Craik, Ph.D. University of California San Francisco Lecture: “Inhibiting the uninhabitable: proteases in cancer and infectious disease” May 2, 2013 Speaker: Dr. Kim Orth University of Texas, Southwestern Lecture: “Black Spot, Black Death, Black Pearl: The Tales of Bacterial Effectors” May 9, 2013 Speaker: Joyce Slingerland, M.D., Ph.D. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Lecture: “SCFSKP2 acts as dual ER coactivator & ubiquitin ligase to induce late target genes that drive G1 – to – S progression” May 16, 2013 Speaker: Dr. Joel Gottesfeld TSRI – La Jolla Lecture: “Development of therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases” May 23, 2013 Speaker: Kevin Weeks, Ph.D. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lecture: “The Chemical Biology of RNA Structure Analysis”
Collaborative Seminars Collaborative seminars feature prominent Florida-based speakers from the academic, biotechnology or pharmaceutical communities and focus on topics within the broad fields of biomedical science, advanced technologies applied to biomedical research, drug discovery, and energy. They serve as a major foundation for creating knowledge- and technology-sharing opportunities, team building, and collaborations among biomedical researchers between Scripps Florida, Florida, and other research and academic institutions and companies. The sessions are open to interested professionals within the Scripps Florida and Florida scientific communities. April 4, 2013 Dr. Laura Ranum Professor, Dept. of Molecular Genetics, University of Florida Lecture: “Repeat associated non-ATG translation in SCA8 and C9ORF72 ALS/FTD” May 9, 2013 Speaker: Dr. Joyce Slingerland, M.D., Ph.D. Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 57 Annual Report 2013 Lecture: “SCFSKP2 acts as dual ER coactivator & ubiquitin ligase to induce late target genes that drive G1 – to – S progression”
Summer Intern Seminars The weekly summer intern series, an adjunct to summer intern day-to-day responsibilities, features faculty members from Scripps Florida. High school and college undergraduate interns attend specially- designed seminars throughout the course of the summer. Each seminar highlights basic science principles and the research focus/application efforts of the Scripps Florida biology, chemistry, and core laboratories. June 11, 2013 Sietsa Jonkman, Ph.D. Research Associate, Dept. of Molecular Therapeutics Lecture – “Drug addiction: definition, animal models and underlying biology” June 12, 2013 William Roush, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Chemistry Associate Dean, Kellogg School of Science and Technology Lecture – “Ethics in Science” June 18, 2013 Kristen Scott, Ph.D. Research Associate, Dept. of Cancer Biology Lecture – “What is cancer and why does it have a sweet tooth?” June 19, 2013 Mark Sundrud, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Dept. of Cancer Biology Lecture – “Identifying and regulating pathogenic T cell subsets in autoimmunity” June 25, 2013 Cullen Schmidt, Ph.D. Research associate, Department of Molecular Therapeutics High School Lecture – “Designer morphine: the development of pain relievers without adverse side effects” June 26, 2013 Laura Neidernhofer, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Dept. of Metabolism and Aging Lecture – “Approaches to studying aging”
Subsection (10) (l) Beginning June 2004, the grantee shall commence collaboration efforts with the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development (OTTED) by complying with reasonable requests for cooperation in economic development efforts in the biomed/biotech industry. No later than July 2004, the grantee shall designate a person who shall be charged with assisting in these collaborative efforts.
Scripps Florida has designated Ms. Dawn Johnson as its designee to assist the Department of Economic Opportunity (“DEO”), nee OTTED, regarding collaborative economic development efforts between Scripps and DEO.
See Appendix 4, “Scripps Florida Outreach Activities,” for a detailed listing of Scripps Florida outreach activities, including education, community and business outreach.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 58 Annual Report 2013 APPENDIX 1
Subsection (14) (e)
Information on the amount and nature of economic activity generated through the activities of the grantee.
Please see separate attachment “SFFC annual report IMPLAN analysis 2013.”
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 59 Annual Report 2013 APPENDIX 2
Subsection (14) (f)
An assessment of factors affecting the progress toward achieving the projected biotech industry cluster associated with the grantee’s operations, as projected by economists on behalf of the Executive Office of the Governor
This subsection was completed with information provided by a variety of local, regional and state life science and life science support organizations.
BioFlorida 525 Okeechobee Blvd, Ste. 1500 (561) 653-3839 West Palm Beach, FL 33401 www.bioflorida.com
BioFlorida is Florida’s bioscience industry association, operating as a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit organization. Their mission is to represent and advocate for the state’s biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Founded in 1997 as a means to unite and support a small group of entrepreneurs, today the organization represents a broad range of companies and institutions in various sectors of the bioscience industry. Membership within the organization also includes dozens of partner organizations, service providers and suppliers committed to supporting the industry.
Please see BioFlorida’s website for information. www.bioflorida.com
Business Development Board of Palm Beach County 310 Evernia Street (561)835-1008 West Palm Beach, FL 33401 www.bdb.org
The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, Inc. (“BDB”) is a public-private partnership established in 1982 to be the official economic development organization for Palm Beach County. It is a non- profit organization that is funded in part by the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners and in part by private corporate members. BDB is the official partner of Enterprise Florida, Inc. in Palm Beach County.
During the 2012-2013 fiscal year, the Business Development Board (BDB) maintained its strong links to the life science industry through its Life Sciences Strategic Steering Group (LSSSG), participation in associations and events such as BIO 2013, BioFlorida, Life Sciences South Florida, Palm Beach State College Biosciences Programs Industry Advisory Council, and the Life Science Technology HUB (LST HUB). By striving to increase its outreach to the life science industry, the BDB is able to ensure that emerging issues that could adversely affect Palm Beach County’s attractiveness to the life sciences industry would be addressed.
The BDB’s LSSSG was restructured during the 2010 - 2011 fiscal year to include a new chair and a new set of goals that would assist the BDB in its efforts to develop and grow the life sciences industry cluster in Palm Beach County. Early in 2011, the LSSSG was given seven new, primary goals: (1) assist in the outreach to life sciences companies at trade shows, specifically BIO; (2) the creation and expansion of a
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 60 Annual Report 2013 life sciences recruitment prospect pipeline database; (3) the development of a Life Sciences Industry Report; (4) development of a new Life Sciences marketing collateral piece; (5) developing and maintaining a Life Sciences Assets Map (map of existing life sciences companies in PBC); (6) providing assistance to the Banner Center for Life Sciences; and (7) the development of a Life Sciences Industry Focus Lunch Event to take place within the first quarter of the new fiscal year.
During the 2012-2013 fiscal year the BDB’s LSSSG continued to build on all of the tasks that were accomplished during the previous fiscal years. The LSSSG met several times throughout the fiscal year to monitor the development of the industry in Palm Beach County. By the end of the 2012 – 2013 fiscal year the LSSSG had done all that it could to assist the BDB in its economic development mission based on its scope and participants. Therefore, it was decided that the LSSSG would have its membership expanded in the 2013-2014 fiscal year to include representatives from the major hospitals in Palm Beach County, as well as representatives from medical and healthcare research. The LSSSG will then have its name changed to the Life Sciences and Healthcare Industry Cluster Task Force.
The Life Sciences and Healthcare Industry Task Force (Task Force) will have all of the same tasks as the LSSSG had, with the exception of supporting the Employ Florida Banner Center for Life Sciences, since that is no longer present at Palm Beach State College, and the Task Force will not be producing an Industry Report. The Task Force will be updating the BDB’s Life Sciences marketing collateral, website, and provide asset mapping for use by the BDB in its efforts in recruitment, retention, and expansion of life sciences companies to Palm Beach County.
BDB staff attended BIO 2013 in Chicago, Il. The continuing trend of this trade show/convention has been toward more economic development officials and business development staff being represented on the floor of the convention as opposed to scientists and corporate leaders, which are tending more towards the partnering sessions off of the trade show exhibit floor. Thus, the BDB again chose not to have an exhibit on the floor, but instead partnered with Enterprise Florida to be one of the sponsors of the Governor’s Breakfast, as well as arranging meetings with companies in advance and during networking events at the conference from many different countries and regions of the US to discuss the possibility of relocation or expansion into Palm Beach County. The BDB continues to seek more effective ways of reaching its target audience for 2014 and beyond.
In the fiscal year 2012 – 2013, the BDB continued its participation in three industry and educational associations and initiatives in the life sciences industry. First, BDB staff serves on the Industry Advisory Council (IAC) for the Biosciences Programs at Palm Beach State College. Palm Beach State College uses its IAC to assist with its curriculum development and advises PBSC of the skills and workforce needs of the industry in Palm Beach County.
Another initiative that the BDB staff has participated on in the fiscal year is the Life Sciences South Florida (formerly Life Tech Florida) regional initiative. The Life Sciences South Florida (LSSF) initiative is a consortium of all public and private universities along the Interstate 95 corridor from Miami to Port St. Lucie, and it involves academia, research institutes, and the biotechnology industry in southeast Florida. This consortium provides an overarching umbrella for the entire Southeast region. The intent of this initiative is to increase cooperation and collaboration in life sciences research in the region and includes Florida Atlantic University, Palm Beach State College, Florida International University, the Scripps Research Institute, Max Planck Florida Institute, The Research Park at Florida
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 61 Annual Report 2013 Atlantic University, and other economic development organizations, universities, and colleges in the South Florida region. BDB Staff participated in the Annual BioFlorida Conference in Tampa in September 2013 as one of the economic development organizational sponsors of LSSF and assisted with staffing its exhibit.
BDB staff also regularly attends the LST HUB monthly networking events in Palm Beach Gardens. The LST HUB continues to grow organically in support of the life sciences and technology industries in Palm Beach County. BioFlorida partnered with the group soon after its formation in order to extend its reach across the state. LST HUB now has regularly scheduled events in Boca Raton and Miami, in addition to its Palm Beach Gardens meetings. LST HUB was created by two professionals who moved to Florida from San Diego with the intent to grow the cluster specifically in Palm Beach County. LST HUB is modeled on a San Diego organization credited with the growth of the high-tech and life science cluster there. In Palm Beach County, LST HUB is gathering resources such as investors, business and marketing professionals, and integrating them with life science and technology professionals, students, and educators with the goal of creating an ecosystem for the growth of new companies and jobs. Attendance at these monthly meetings provides another opportunity for the BDB to gain more contacts and insight in the life sciences industry in Palm Beach County and the surrounding areas.
The BDB continues to witness an interest from life sciences companies that are considering relocating, starting, or expanding in Palm Beach County. During the 2012 – 2013 fiscal year, the BDB worked with at least fifteen life sciences and healthcare companies that were considering relocating or expanding in Palm Beach County. The BDB continues to work with many of those companies while two of them have established their corporate offices or expanded their facilities in Palm Beach County by the end of the 2012 – 2013 fiscal year: Palm Beach Orthopedic Institute Palm Beach Gardens 27 jobs Navinta Boca Raton 25 jobs
Throughout Palm Beach County the county and municipal governments have maintained their interest in developing a sustainable life science cluster and the BDB has engaged with many partners to ensure that infrastructure and programs are developed to create an attractive environment for entrepreneurs to establish their life science (and other) companies while creating high paying jobs and creating new inventions to better the human condition. In particular, Palm Beach County, the Town of Jupiter, the City of Palm Beach Gardens, the City of Boca Raton, and other municipalities maintain or have created their incentives programs and expedited permitting ordinances for companies in this industry that are relocating or expanding.
Enterprise Florida, Inc. 800 N. Magnolia Ave., Suite 1100 (407)956-5600 Orlando, FL 32803 www.eflorida.com
Enterprise Florida, Inc. (“EFI”) is a public-private partnership serving as Florida's primary organization devoted to statewide economic development. The organization’s mission it to facilitate job growth for Florida's businesses and citizens leading to a vibrant statewide economy. EFI accomplishes this mission by focusing on a wide range of industry sectors, including clean energy, life sciences, information technology, aviation/aerospace, homeland security/defense, financial/professional services, manufacturing and beyond. In collaboration with a statewide network of regional and local economic
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 62 Annual Report 2013 development organizations, EFI helps to improve Florida's business climate, ensuring the state's global competitiveness. Please see EFI’s website for information. Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research 3651 FAU Blvd., Suite 400, Boca Raton, FL 33431 (561)368-8889 747 SW 2nd Ave, Suite 258, Gainesville, FL 32601 www.florida-institute.com
Institute for Commercialization of Public Research (“Institute”) was founded in 2007 as a non-profit organization. The Institute is Florida’s One-Stop-Shop for investors and entrepreneurs who seek to identify new opportunities based on technologies developed through publicly-funded research, and is focused on new company and job creation based on research conducted at Florida’s universities and research institutions. The Institute collaborates with its research partners, working with promising technologies, and providing company formation and support services as well as seed capital to qualified companies. During this reporting period, the Institute identified over 90 new company projects that are being supported towards commercialization and growth. The Institute also received a $10M appropriation and developed and launched the Seed Capital Accelerator Program (SCAP) which is now well underway. Through this program the Institute provides “repayable upon liquidity” loans ranging between $50,000 - $300,000 to Florida companies that must match the state funding with private investment capital. The SCAP program helps bridge funding gaps faced by early-stage companies, enabling them to reach critical development milestones and raise additional equity or debt financing when needed. Fourteen companies were approved for funding, with six actually receiving their funds during this reporting period. The Institute continues to administer the Florida Research Commercialization Matching Grant Program, which during fiscal year 2009/10 awarded $2.7M to 13 companies across the state. Although all available funds have been granted, the Institute continues to collect progress reports from the 13 grantees to monitor and report on their progress.
During the October 2012 through September 2013 reporting period, the Institute continued to deliver both Company Building and Company Funding programs, with nearly 100 new applications received from companies seeking commercialization, business development and funding support. The Institute continued to manage the Seed Capital Accelerator Program (SCAP), deploying loan funding to fifteen additional companies (six companies were funded during the inaugural program year), for a total of twenty-one companies funded. Through this program the Institute provides “repayable upon liquidity” loans ranging between $50,000 - $300,000 to Florida companies that must match the state funding with private investment capital, and companies funded through the Seed Capital Accelerator Program have leveraged state funding to raise as much as three to four times that amount in private investment capital and are created jobs at an average annual salary of $74,000. The SCAP program helps bridge funding gaps faced by early-stage companies, enabling them to reach critical development milestones and raise additional equity or debt financing when needed. With nearly all SCAP funding committed, this past legislative session the Florida Legislature appropriated $4.5MM to create the Florida Technology Seed Capital Fund, to be administered by the Institute. The Institute continues to administer the Florida Research Commercialization Matching Grant Program, which during fiscal year 2009/10 awarded $2.7M to 13 companies across the state, and although all available funds have been dispersed to thirteen grantees, the Institute continues to collect progress.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 63 Annual Report 2013 Palm Beach State College Eissey Location - 3160 PGA Boulevard (561)207-5059 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 www.palmbeachstate.edu
Palm Beach State College (“PBSC”) is Florida's first public community college. Established in 1933, PBSC has been recognized as a premier two-year institution, lauded for achievement at the local, state and national level. PBSC has over 48,000 students enrolled in over 100 programs of study. Currently, PBSC offers an Associate in Science degree, Associate in Arts degree and a College Credit Certificate in Biotechnology. PBSC has four campuses in Palm Beach County: Belle Glade, Boca Raton, Lake Worth and Palm Beach Gardens. Plans for a fifth PBSC campus to be built in Loxahatchee Groves were recently announced.
Biotechnology Program The Biotechnology Program is embarking on its seventh year with over 140 students. The program continues to work closely with industry and institutional partners to deliver an innovative work-force specific curriculum. The faculty is comprised of experienced scientists involved in academic research or local bioscience companies. Scripps Florida scientists serve as Adjunct Professors in the Biotechnology Program and provide valuable input regarding curriculum development and internships. PBSC continues its paid internship program where students complete a research project at one of many regional research or industrial laboratories. The program currently offers over 30 different internship opportunities for its graduates and has successfully placed graduates in full-time employment. The program was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to implement outreach programs to increase student enrollment and retention in biotechnology programs and careers.
Connecting to the Community The Biotechnology Program at Palm Beach State College (PBSC) has expanded its outreach efforts deeper into the education sector of Palm Beach County. Program staff connects with local elementary and high schools, giving young aspiring scientists an opportunity to conduct hands-on science experiments such as isolation of DNA from strawberries, mammalian cell culture, and RNA isolation. Program staff brought equipment and reagents to Palm Beach Lakes High School and outreached to Suncoast High School, and gave the students the opportunity to learn about the scientific method and record-keeping. Several high schools visited the lab facilities this year including Olympic Heights High School, Seminole Ridge High School, John I Leonard High School, Forest Hill High School, and Boynton Beach High School, iGeneration Empowerment Academy, Greenacres Elementary School, and Prime Time. The program recently implemented a high school internship program, where local high school students can work on real scientific projects and gain lab management experience in the Biotechnology facilities.
The award-winning, no-cost, and highly competitive 8-week Math & Science Institute (MSI) was held on campus this summer, bringing in dozens of students to gain hands-on training in Biotechnology, Anatomy & Physiology, Mathematics (Calculus and Statistics), Environmental Sciences, and Physics. But it wasn’t just students working in the labs during their summer break. The College also hosted over 30 high school science teachers for the Science Path Institute sponsored by a grant from the Quantum Foundation. The teachers developed curricula and worked in the laboratory on chemistry modules they could take back to their classrooms.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 64 Annual Report 2013 This year the College also hosted the induction ceremony for the Palm Beach Gardens High School chapter of the Science National Honor Society (SNHS). Chapter advisor Mr. Eric Edwards started off the ceremony by introducing student officers, followed by short motivational talks by PBSC Associate Dean Dr. Robert J. Van der Velde, Biotechnology Director Dr. Becky Mercer, and Palm Beach Gardens Community School Director Mr. Arty Falk. Following the ceremony students and their parents enjoyed cake and a tour of the biotechnology labs.
The College also held several scientific events including the bi-annual Student Poster Symposium, Biotechnology Awareness Week, a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) workshop with Nutrition students, a Food Fraud webinar, and a Biotechnology Oktoberfest which included live demonstrations of beer, wine, cheese, and bread production-- food items whose production requires fermentation involving biotechnology. The program is working with the art department on the Art of Science exhibit on campus next Spring, which will showcase student art focusing on the themes of DNA & Genetics, The Cell, and Scientific Containers. The goal is to increase awareness of the beauty, power, and human applications of science.
Student Employment Growth The Biotechnology program has seen significant gains in student employment following graduation. In 2013, students and recent and graduates received full-time employment offers from numerous county biotechnology companies including Somahlution (Jupiter), Sancilio & Company (Riviera Beach), Akron Biotech (Boca Raton), Biotest Pharmaceuticals (Boca Raton), Boca Biolistics (Boca Raton), Dyadic International (Jupiter), as well as the non-profit Scripps Research Institute, Florida (Jupiter). We are thrilled that our students’ efforts are paying off in exciting careers in the biotechnology field. These successes validate the rigor and quality of our faculty, facilities, and curriculum, and confirm the ability of Palm Beach County to provide a trained life sciences workforce.
Strengthening Chemistry Education Academically, the Biotechnology program is modifying the curricula to increase student success and completion. Chemistry is a central foundation science for fields such as biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, and professional programs such as nursing, pharmacy, medical and graduate schools. The Biotechnology AA and AS degrees require two years of chemistry, starting with General Chemistry 1 and ending with Organic Chemistry 2. Unfortunately, many students delay enrolling in chemistry, which delays graduation and creates knowledge gaps. As a result, the program is modifying the pre- and co-requisite courses to require early Chemistry coursework, starting in the student’s first year. This will help students graduate on time and improve preparedness for higher level courses.
Research Park at Florida Atlantic University 3651 FAU Boulevard, Suite 400 (561)416-6092 Boca Raton, FL 33431 www.research-park.org
The Research Park at Florida Atlantic University is the only state university affiliated research park in South Florida, and is home to 22 high tech, high wage companies and five support organizations. In addition, the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University operates the premier Technology Business Incubator (TBI) in the region which is managed by a very successful regional economic development engine, Enterprise Development Corporation of South Florida (EDC). Also housed in the TBI, New World Angels, a structured angel investor group and the Institute for the Commercialization of Public
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 65 Annual Report 2013 Research, a clearing house for Florida’s technology transfer offices and other publicly funded research institutes.
The Research Park at Florida Atlantic University (Research Park) has continued to collaborate with FAU to bring discoveries to market in order to foster economic development of South Florida. The Technology Business Incubator® works with both INTERACT II and Eco Neurologics. These companies are products of FAU’s faculty. The former is a software that helps hospital and long-term care facilities coordinate better patient care, minimizing unneeded re-hospitalizations, which are penalized under the Affordable Care Act. Eco Neurologics develops novel drugs that are medically relevant for febrile epilepsy, migraine and brain injury during stroke.
The critical mass of companies in the Research Park itself has developed around healthcare IT and health sciences. Mobile Help has a device that allows those with disabilities to remain independent in their own homes. Modernizing Medicine uses the iPad to generate accurate and efficient electronic health records, and is ranked by Forbes as one of the most promising companies in the United States. Modernizing Medicine recently secured a new round of investment totaling $14M. FAU’s simulation center is housed in the Research Park and allows first responders and healthcare professionals simulate various scenarios in order to be better prepared to treat patients under stress.
The Research Park is actively pursuing an expansion of its footprint to northern Palm Beach County in order to be better positioned to help the state maximize the return on its investments in Scripps Florida and Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. It aims to create an incubator focused on the life sciences, to bring discoveries to the market place in close proximity to their founders. In addition it hopes create a research park campus where the life sciences private sector can interact with education and research institutes.
Workforce Alliance, Inc. 315 South Dixie Hwy., Suite 102 (561)340-1061 West Palm Beach, FL 33401 www.pbcalliance.com
Workforce Alliance, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation chartered by the State of Florida. The organization operates a workforce development system in Palm Beach County that is responsive to the needs of both business customers and job seekers. Together with leaders from business, government, education and community agencies, Workforce Alliance links businesses in need of qualified employees with individuals seeking employment opportunities. Workforce Alliance operates three Career Centers (South, Central and West) and two Professional Placement Network locations in Palm Beach County. The organization administers an annual budget of approximately $20 million.
During the period October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013, Workforce Alliance worked with life science companies, industry organizations and other stakeholders to promote both the awareness of this targeted cluster and the growth of the talent pool needed to help these businesses grow in a highly competitive marketplace. We accomplished this by building a talent pipeline, providing training grants and placing qualified talent into available positions.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 66 Annual Report 2013 Specifically, Workforce Alliance has:
1. Provided just over $101,370 in training grants to life science and healthcare companies to facilitate job placement and avoid layoffs. 2. Conducted a BioFlorida Emerging Leaders Network event at Scripps Florida in January, attended by all but one university in the Palm Beach/Treasure Coast region. A change in leadership in BioFlorida led to a delay in further activity as additional direction is needed. 3. Served as co-chair for the Palm Beach/Treasure Coast chapter of BioFlorida. Assisted with the chapter’s refocused efforts and with the development of two events, with a third coming up in November 2013. 4. Posted job orders for companies seeking talent. Recruited, screened and assessed applicants for life science companies. 5. Collaborated with BioFlorida, LST Hub and BAS Florida, with promoting local life science events, such as the Neurons and Networking event held at Max Planck on July 24th. 6. Used regional events to introduce local talent to businesses. These introductions help inform and educate businesses as to the talent available locally and are critical to making talent aware of local companies and career opportunities 7. Member of the Palm Beach State College Biotechnology Program’s Business Partnership Council. The Council seeks industry and partner input to insure the program’s alignment with industry needs.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 67 Annual Report 2013
APPENDIX 3
Subsection (14) (e)
A compliance and financial audit of the accounts and records of the corporation at the end of the preceding fiscal year conducted by an independent certified public accountant in accordance with rules of the Auditor General.
Please see “SFFC 2013 Audit.”
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 68 Annual Report 2013 APPENDIX 4
Detailed Listing of Scripps Florida Outreach Activities, including Education, Community and Business Outreach.
Education Outreach Scientists at Scripps Florida have offered education outreach programs to Palm Beach County’s middle and high school science teachers and students since 2004. The programs described in Subsections (10)(f) and (10)(g) define the goals of Scripps Florida’s K-12 education programs: to work directly with students and teachers, to help develop instructional materials, and to contribute to science literacy in Palm Beach County and the State of Florida. Since initiating its outreach program, Scripps Florida has been invited to speak about its efforts in science education with Florida State Department of Education, Florida Council of 100, State University System of Florida Board of Governors, and STEM Florida. To date, more than eight thousand students, teachers, and community members of Palm Beach County have participated in the Scripps Florida Education Outreach programs.
Following is a list of Scripps Florida Education Outreach activities from the past fiscal year: 3-Oct-12 Laura Niedernhofer Thesis committee meeting Kaitlin Farrell Tufts University 10-Oct-12 Dawn Johnson Florida Atlantic University LCME Prep 14-Oct-12 Brian Paegel TSRI Kellogg School of Science and Technology Retreat, Lake Arrowhead, CA 15-Oct-12 William R. Roush TSRI Kellogg School of Science and Technology Retreat, Lake Arrowhead, CA 16-Oct-12 Leach-Scampavia, Pyle Showcase of Schools, P.B. Co. Fairgrounds 17-Oct-12 Dawn Johnson Florida Atlantic University LCME Site Visit 17-Oct-12 William R. Roush LCME Site Visit - Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL Leach-Scampavia, Pyle, Stowe, 17-Oct-12 Career panel at Palm Beach Gardens High School Pedzisz, Weiser, MacConnell 22-Oct-12 Gavin Rumbaugh Thesis Defense with graduate student Cristin Gavin Leach-Scamapvia, Stowe, 24-Oct-12 Career Panel A.W. Dreyfoos High School Voren, Weiser, MacConnell 25-Oct-12 Paul Kenny Judge - poster presentations - Research Fest, TSRI 30-Oct-12 Leach-Scampavia DIL high school P.B.County School District 1-Nov-12 Leach-Scampavia DIL middle school P.B.County School District Leach-Scampavia, Pyle, Albarran-Zeckler, Walsh, 3-Nov-12 Science Saturday Title I High Schools P.B. Co. Feretti, Scampavia, Peterson, Sitaula 5-Nov-12 Dawn Johnson Florida Atlantic University Honors College Board Meeting Leach-Scampavia, Weiser, 7-Nov-12 Career Panel at Jupiter High School Ferretti, MacConnell, Marciano 13-Nov-12 Katrin Karbstein Invited Speaker - TSRI Retreat, La Jolla, CA Leach-Scampavia, Stowe, 14-Nov-12 Career Panel Hardy, Voren, Pedzisa 6-Dec-12 Paul Robbins Lillian Laemmie - Thesis committee meeting, University of Pittsburgh 8-Dec-12 Leach-Scampavia, Pyle Public Education Day - MFPI/Scripps FL 10-Dec-12 Johnson, Leach-Scampavia Meeting with Drs. Mark Goldstein and Julie Servoss, Florida Atlantic University Leach-Scampavia, Pyle, Stowe, 12-Dec-12 Career Panel Spanish River HS MacConnell, Lizote, Weiser 13-Dec-12 Jeremy Pyle, Brian Paegel Science Fair Awards P.B. Co.
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 69 Annual Report 2013 Leach-Scampavia, Albarran- 17-Dec-12 Okeeheelee Middle School Zeckler 20-Dec-12 Brock Grill Ph.D. Committee for Erik Tulgren 20-Dec-12 Brock Grill Ph.D. candidacy exam for Scott Baker 28-Dec-12 Leach-Scampavia, Pyle Palm Beach County Education Commission Leach -Scampavia, Albarran- 10-Jan-13 Spanish DNA lesson - Santaluces HS Zeckler Leach-Scampavia, Pyle, 11-Jan-13 Career Fair Suncoast HS Albarran-Zeckler, Leach -Scampavia, Albarran- 18-Jan-13 InSPIRE Middle School Teacher Workshop Zeckler, Trivigno, Walsh 28-Jan-13 Deborah Leach-Scampavia Palm Beach County School District Accreditation 8-Feb-13 Deborah Leach-Scampavia Roosevelt Middle School Advisory Board Leach-Scampavia, Albarran- 14-Feb-13 International Teacher/Scientist Conference Zeckler Leach-Scampavia, Albarran- 16-Feb-13 AAAS Nat'l Conference Zeckler, Pyle, Stowe 21-Feb-13 Deborah Leach-Scampavia Palm Beach County School Board 28-Feb-13 Paul Robbins Lolita Nidadavolu - Thesis committee meeting, University of Pittsburgh Leach-Scampavia, Albarran- 14-Mar-13 Girl Scout science lesson Zeckler 16-Mar-13 William R. Roush plenary speaker, 1st South Florida Academic Leadership Symposium 4-Apr-13 Leach-Scampavia Magnet Board Meeting - PB Gardens HS 4-Apr-13 Johnson, Noble Youth Leadership Presentation for Leadership Palm Beach County Leach-Scampavia, Albarran- 6-Apr-13 Zeckler, Pyle, Johnson, Stahl, Neuroscience Saturday Title I High Schools in PB County Rios, Kondur 11-Apr-13 Rosie Albarran-Zeckler NSTA Nat'l Conference 7-May-13 Spicer, Baillargeon Marshe Point Elementary School visit 15-May-13 Deborah Leach-Scampavia PB Gardens Advisory Board 28-May-13 Laura Niedernhofer Thesis committee meeting for Lolita Nidadavolu, University of Pittsburgh 3-Jun-13 William R. Roush Ph.D. Examination Committee - Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 6-Jun-13 Corinne Lasmezas Summer Undergraduate Intern - Gautam Satishchandran - University of MA Leach-Scampavia, Albarran- 10-Jun-13 Teacher professional development for PB County School District Zeckler 17-Jun-13 Paul Robbins Mentor Ashley McMichaels 16-Jul-13 Roy Smith, Andrew Butler Meeting - Diana Williams, Assistant Professor of Psychology, FSU 12-Aug-13 Andrew Butler Advisory Committee Member Meeting for Sadichha Sitaula Thesis Defense 29-Aug-13 Kate Carroll Rockefeller University, New York, NY - Dr. Howard Hang The Benjamin School - presentation for 2nd graders: "The awesome power of 20-Sep-13 Katrin Karbstein yeast" 25-Jul-13 Damon Page Florida Theme Committee Meeting (Graduate Program), TSRI, Jupiter, FL 17-Sep-13 Srinivasa Subramaniam FAU Boca Raton campus speaker: Mechanisms for selective neurodegeration. 2-Jul-13 Smith, Zheng Collaborative meeting at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 3-Jul-13 Smith, Dolores Lamb Collaborative meeting at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 3-Jul-13 Smith, Garcia, MD, Ph.D. Collaborative meeting at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 15-Jul-13 Roy Smith Thesis Committee/Ph.D. Defense - Sid Borregowda 16-Jul-13 Smith, Andrew Butler Meeting - Diana Williams, Assistant Professor of Psychology, FSU 25-Sep-13 Dawn Johnson Palm Beach County State College Meeting
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 70 Annual Report 2013 Community Outreach Scripps Florida community outreach has offered opportunities for the public to gain insight into cutting edge biomedical research while providing opportunities for Scripps Florida faculty and staff to respond to the interest in Scripps Florida biomedical research from the residents of Palm Beach County.
This Fiscal Year’s Community Outreach included the following events: 18-Sep-12 Barbara Noble Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce Community Event Presentation 20-Sep-12 Briana Weiser Connecting Emerging Leaders in the Life Sciences (CELLS) Large-scale networking event Scripps Florida 26-Sep-12 Kirill Martemyanov Heart Talk Future of Medicine Summit, Palm Beach Medical Society 2-Oct-12 Barbara Noble Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Meeting 9-Oct-12 Laura Niedernhofer CBS Channel 12 evening news television interview on telomere-lengthening drug 12-Oct-12 John Cleveland Frenchmen's Creek for Cancer Research (FCWCR) and PGA Women's Cancer Awareness Day (WCAD) Meetings 13-Oct-12 John Cleveland Key Speaker C.U.R.E. Cutting-Edge Understanding of Research & Education 15-Oct-12 Paul Kenny Society for Neuroscience Press Conference 18-Oct-12 Alex Bruner, Ben Starling, Scripps Florida Council Executive Committee Meeting Barbara Noble, Susan Rode 23-Oct-12 Barbara Noble North Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce Women's Awards Luncheon 23-Oct-12 Deborah Leach-Scampavia, CCIM presentations Alex Bruner 24-Oct-12 John Cleveland American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay For Life/Tequesta 3-Nov-12 Alex Bruner Jewish Community Center of the Greater Palm Beaches Groundbreaking 11-Nov-12 Alex Bruner, Ben Starling, TSRI Trustee Dinner - O'Keeffe Founders Room Dedication Barbara Noble 11-Nov-12 Roy Smith Ester O'Keefe Foundation Dinner 13-Nov-12 Christoph Rader Invited Speaker - Scripps Florida Counsel 13-Nov-12 Bruner, Starling, Noble, Rode Scripps Florida Council Meeting 13-Nov-12 Peter Hodder Global A-T Neuroscience and Drug Discovery Forum panelist, Herndon, VA 14-Nov-12 Tim Tellinghuisen TARAS Foundation - Jupiter Seminar 15-Nov-12 Bruner, Starling, Noble Association of Fundraising Professionals - National Philanthropy Day Luncheon 20-Nov-12 Christoph Rader Invited Speaker - Immunochemistry Symposium at Scripps Florida 3-Dec-12 Noble, Rode WFCR Community Outreach Event 4-Dec-12 Barbara Noble PNC Community Outreach Event South Florida Science Museum 5-Dec-12 Alex Bruner The Alpert Jewish Family and Children's Services Honoree luncheon 5-Dec-12 Krishnappa, Boregowda Interview in Phinney Lab provided to Alex Sanz, WPTV News 5-Dec-12 Roy Smith Prader Willi Foundation Golf Classic Kickoff Party - Palm Beach Gardens, FL 13-Dec-12 Roy Smith Seaview Radio Interview to promote Prader Willi Classic 17-Dec-12 John Cleveland Cancer and Aging working group 20-Dec-12 Barbara Noble BB&T Community Outreach Event, Scripps Florida 27-Dec-12 Bruner, Noble WFCR Community Outreach Event, Scripps Florida 28-Dec-12 John Cleveland ACSRelay for Life kick off 9-Jan-13 Ben Starling Association of Fundraising Professionals Board Meeting 9-Jan-13 Roy Smith Palm Beach Post Interview re: Prader Willi Classic and research project 15-Jan-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble, Rode Scripps Florida Council Meeting 15-Jan-13 Paul Robbins Scripps FL Council presentation. 15-Jan-13 Laura Niedernhofer Scripps FL Council presentation 17-Jan-13 Ben Starling Association of Fundraising Professionals Meeting 17-Jan-13 Damon Page Mental Health Association of Palm Beach County, FL 17-Jan-13 Christoph Rader Invited Speaker - Merrill Lynch visit at Scripps Florida
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 71 Annual Report 2013 18-Jan-13 Barbara Noble, Smith Prader Willi Dinner & Auction to Benefit Prader Willi Research at SF 19-Jan-13 Barbara Noble LPGA Pro Am Prader Willi golf tournament 19-Jan-13 Roy Smith Prader Willi Foundation Golf Tournament, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 20-Jan-13 Barbara Noble Fraternal Order of Eagles Community Outreach Presentation 23-Jan-13 Noble, Rode PGA WCAD Shop and Share Day for Cancer Research 31-Jan-13 Noble, Bruner, Starling, Rode Kick-Off Cocktail Reception: Scripps Education Day, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 2-Feb-13 Scripps-wide Cellebrate Science Community Outreach Event, Palm Beach Gardens Mall 4-Feb-13 Alex Bruner Scripps Discovers Virtual Exploration Community Outreach Event 5-Feb-13 Grill, Subramaniam, Tomchik Courageous Science - Colony Hotel - Palm Beach 5-Feb-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble, Rode, Courageous Science Community Outreach Event Davis, Rumbaugh, Martemyanov, Puthanveettil, Davis, Page 5-Feb-13 Srinivasa Subramaniam "How the Brain Works" - Colony Hotel 9-Feb-13 Noble, Rode PGA WCAD Community Events for Scripps Florida Cancer Research 18-Feb-13 Laura Niedernhofer Forum Club at Palm Beach Convention Center 20-Feb-13 Ben Starling PBA: Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony 20-Feb-13 Laura Niedernhofer Press conference with Congressmen Patrick Murphy, Ted Deutsch and Lois Frankel on sequestration 20-Feb-13 Ron Davis VIP tour and presentations, TSRI Scripps Florida 25-Feb-13 Laura Niedernhofer CBS evening news television interview on Sequestration 26-Feb-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble, Rode, Courageous Science Community Outreach Event Cleveland 27-Feb-13 Ben Starling BallenIsles Charitable Foundation Meeting 6-Mar-13 Alex Bruner BallenIsles Golf Tournament for Prostate Cancer Research at Scripps Florida 6-Mar-13 John Cleveland Tour of Miami Children’s Hospital, Round table 7-Mar-13 Tim Tellinghuisen Science Fair Judge at the Western Academy Charter School 9-Mar-13 Bruner, Nettles W. B. Ingalls Memorial Prostate Seminar Community Outreach Event 11-Mar-13 John Cleveland PGA WCAD Meeting 19-Mar-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble, Rode, Scripps Florida Council Meeting Blinder 19-Mar-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble, Rode, Courageous Science Community Outreach Event Smith, Blinder, Robbins, Niedernhofer, Smith, Miller, Rumbuugh 23-Mar-13 Srinivasa Subramaniam Radio interview with Anita Finley: Brain and disorders 25-Mar-13 Laura Niedernhofer Interviewed by Palm Beach Post on Sequestration 27-Mar-13 John Cleveland FCWCR meeting and Madeline Albright, Palm Beach County Convention Center 7-Apr-13 Bruner, Duckett Florida Brain Cancer 5k 11-Apr-13 Noble, Page PNC Wealth Management Community Outreach Presentation, Vero Beach, FL 17-Apr-13 Gavin Rumbaugh Richard and Carolyn Sloane Event 17-Apr-13 Ron Davis, Damon Page Ocean Via Realty, Palm Beach, FL 20-Apr-13 John Cleveland American Cancer Society Relay For Life 22-Apr-13 Derek Duckett Rendina Family Foundation/Speaker on Brain Cancer, Jupiter, FL 2-May-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble, Courageous Science Community Outreach Event LoGrasso, Johnson, Rode, Johnson, Leach-Scampavia 9-May-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble, Rode, Donor Recognition Community Outreach Event Blinder 10-May-13 John Cleveland Think Pink Kids Dance, Wellington High School 14-Jun-13 Noble, Page FOE Conference, Daytona, Florida 20-Jun-13 Ben Starling Association of Fundraising Professionals Meeting
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 72 Annual Report 2013 18-Jul-13 Alex Bruner La Posada Community Outreach Event - Jupiter, FL 24-Jul-13 Courtney Miller Palm Beach Post lab tour 26-Jul-13 Dawn Johnson Tour for Senator Latvala and University of Miami 29-Jul-13 Courtney Miller Palm Beach Post Interview 5-Aug-13 Paul Kenny Interview with Jamie Talan, Neurology Today 7-Aug-13 Roy Smith Ira Levine - Prader Willi Research Donor 13-Aug-13 Paul Kenny Interview with Ruth Williams, The Scientist 13-Aug-13 Paul Kenny Interview with Cristy Gelling, Science News 14-Aug-13 Paul Kenny Interview with Brenda Goodman, Healthday News 19-Aug-13 Dawn Johnson Forum Event with Senator Bill Nelson 22-Aug-13 Alex Bruner Parkland Community Outreach Event - Scripps Florida 27-Aug-13 Paul Kenny Interview with Brigitta Gundersen, Nature Neuroscience 27-Aug-13 Dawn Johnson Workshop in Palm Beach County Commission Chambers 30-Aug-13 Paul Kenny Interview with Daniel Weiner, Yale Daily News 3-Sep-13 Dawn Johnson Tour for Greg Langowski, Regional Director Senator Marco Rubio and Michelle McGovern, Regional Director Senator Bill Nelson 6-Sep-13 Dawn Johnson Tour for Senator Negron 17-Sep-13 Ben Starling Jay Ministries Community Outreach Event - Lake Park, FL
Business Outreach Business outreach efforts include participation in meetings facilitated by local business and government agencies such as the Palm Beach County Business Development Board. Additionally, Scripps Florida is active with the Florida Research Consortium, BioFlorida and the South Florida Science Museum. Local efforts involve presentations to community groups, various cultural organizations, and specialty groups.
The following list contains those efforts on behalf of SF in terms of business outreach: 7-Oct-12 Dawn Johnson BioFlorida Annual Meeting 9-Oct-12 Dawn Johnson North Palm Beach County Chamber Event-Bill Nelson 10-Oct-12 Thomas Burris Debiopharm Group 11-Oct-12 Dawn Johnson Meeting with Jack Sullivan, Florida Research Consortium 14-Oct-12 Paul Kenny Pariticpant - Pfizer Corporation SfN Scientific Exchange 15-Oct-12 Thomas Burris Osage Ventures 16-Oct-12 John Cleveland CyVek meeting, Per Hellsund, Rajiv Pande 18-Oct-12 Laura Niedernhofer Meeting with Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. in Jupiter 22-Oct-12 Thomas Burris Merck & Co., Inc. 24-Oct-12 Thomas Burris Osage Ventures 26-Oct-12 Bruner, Noble Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 30-Oct-12 Davis, Page Renaissance Learning Center Board Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 7-Nov-12 Ben Starling YMCA Breakfast Meeting 7-Nov-12 Laura Niedernhofer Conference call with Cell Research Laboratories LLC 9-Nov-12 Bruner, Starling, Noble Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 12-Nov-12 John Cleveland Marcia Pounds, Sun Sentinel 17-Nov-12 Ben Starling PBA Alumni Board Meeting 19-Nov-12 Laura Niedernhofer Conference call with Ken Beer - West Palm Beach Dermatologist 20-Nov-12 Ron Davis St. Mary's Board of Governor's Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 26-Nov-12 Davis, Page Renaissance Learning Center Board Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 27-Nov-12 Thomas Burris Novartis 1-Dec-12 Ben Starling Palm Beach County Medical Society 1-Dec-12 Thomas Burris Index Ventures
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 73 Annual Report 2013 5-Dec-12 Laura Niedernhofer Conference call with Cell Research Laboratories LLC 12-Dec-12 Dawn Johnson Hal Valeche, Campus tour 12-Dec-12 John Cleveland Hal Valeche, PBC Commissioner 19-Dec-12 Paul Kenny Pfizer, Cambridge, MA 3-Jan-13 Thomas Burris Astra Zeneca 7-Jan-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 8-Jan-13 Alex Bruner Planned Giving Council Meeting 10-Jan-13 Dawn Johnson BIOFL Call: proposed 2013 BioFlorida Legislative Priorities 15-Jan-13 Peter Hodder Takeda California, San Diego, CA, USA 17-Jan-13 Dawn Johnson Slovak Ambassador, Mr. Peter Kmec 18-Jan-13 John Cleveland Korman meeting 21-Jan-13 Christoph Rader Meeting with industry collaborators - MacroGenics, Inc., Rockville, MD 22-Jan-13 Ron Davis St. Mary's Board of Governor's Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 23-Jan-13 Ben Starling Palm Beach Round Table 25-Jan-13 Dawn Johnson BioFlorida January Board Meeting 25-Jan-13 Johnson, Bruner, Noble Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 25-Jan-13 Peter Hodder Ember Therapeutics, Boston, MA, USA 25-Jan-13 Ron Davis, Damon Page Leadership Palm Beach County FOCUS Class, TSRI, Jupiter, FL 28-Jan-13 Thomas Burris Phenex Pharmaceuticals 29-Jan-13 Susana Valente GSK, Raleigh meeting 29-Jan-13 Peter Hodder Virscidian, Raleigh, NC, USA 29-Jan-13 Davis, Page Renaissance Learning Center Board Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 4-Feb-13 Alex Bruner Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 5-Feb-13 Dawn Johnson BioFlorida Legislative Day 6-Feb-13 Peter Hodder BioMotiv, Cleveland, OH, USA 8-Feb-13 Michael Farzan meet with P01 collaborators and sub-contractors, Boston, MA 11-Feb-13 Bruner, Noble Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 12-Feb-13 Alex Bruner Planned Giving Council Meeting 14-Feb-13 John Cleveland Fundraiser, PGA WCAD luncheon at PGA Resort 18-Feb-13 Ben Starling Pundits - US Chamber of Commerce 19-Feb-13 Ron Davis St. Mary's Board of Governor's Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 21-Feb-13 Thomas Burris Phenex Pharmaceuticals 22-Feb-13 Ben Starling Palm Beach County Medical Society 25-Feb-13 Thomas Burris Osage Ventures 26-Feb-13 Ron Davis, Damon Page Renaissance Learning Center Board Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 27-Feb-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 6-Mar-13 Ron Davis Miami Children's Hospital, Miami, FL 7-Mar-13 Seth Tomchik NIH Special Emphasis Panel ZRG1 BBBP-T (52) Meeting 7-Mar-13 Dawn Johnson Speak to BDB/Site Consultants plus local politicians at Max Planck Florida Institute 9-Mar-13 Ben Starling Palm Beach County Medical Society Committee Meeting 9-Mar-13 Ben Starling PBA Alumni Board Meeting 11-Mar-13 Laura Niedernhofer DNA Repair Advisory Board: Biomarkers in Homologous Recombination 12-Mar-13 Alex Bruner Planned Giving Council Meeting 12-Mar-13 Thomas Burris Phenex Pharmaceuticals 13-Mar-13 John Cleveland Korman meeting 13-Mar-13 Thomas Burris Index Ventures 14-Mar-13 Thomas Burris Merck & Co., Inc. 15-Mar-13 Dawn Johnson 4th annual Women’s Leadership Forum, Florida Atlantic University 15-Mar-13 Thomas Burris Index Ventures
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 74 Annual Report 2013 19-Mar-13 Ron Davis, Damon Page Renaissance Learning Center Board Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 19-Mar-13 Ron Davis St. Mary's Board of Governor's Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 19-Mar-13 Thomas Burris Osage Ventures 20-Mar-13 Michael Farzan Meeting with P01 collaborators and sub-contractors, Boston, MA 21-Mar-13 Christoph Rader Meeting with industry collaborators (NBE-Therapeutices, Inc., Basel, Switzerland 21-Mar-13 Ben Starling Palm Beach County Medical Society Committee Meeting 21-Mar-13 Susana Valente In Memory of Dr. A. Donny Strosberg: FROM BENCH TO BOARDROOM: Strategies for Building a Thriving Biotechnology Sector 26-Mar-13 Barbara Noble Women & Wealth Luncheon & Presentation by Wilmington Trust 28-Mar-13 Gavin Rumbaugh Washington DC for NIH grant review 29-Mar-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 29-Mar-13 Thomas Burris Eli Lilly and Company 3-Apr-13 Seth Tomchik 54th Annual Drosophila Research Conference 4-Apr-13 Alex Bruner Fellowship of Christians and Jews Meeting 9-Apr-13 Roy Periana First Green Partners meeting at Scripps Florida 9-Apr-13 Alex Bruner Planned Giving Council Meeting 10-Apr-13 Sathya Puthanveettil Washington DC to be on panel review for NSF 17-Apr-13 Dawn Johnson Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce 17-Apr-13 Paul Robbins TissueGene SAB meeting 18-Apr-13 Michael Farzan meet with P01 collaborators and sub-contractors, Boston, MA 22-Apr-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 23-Apr-13 Periana, Hashiguchi FPL Experiment Demo at Scripps Florida 24-Apr-13 Roy Periana First Green Partners meeting at Scripps Florida 24-Apr-13 Paul Kenny Conference with Karen Dodge of The Hanley Center, West Palm Beach, FL 26-Apr-13 Peter Hodder Cenexys, San Francisco, CA, USA 29-Apr-13 Paul Kenny Invited speaker - Pfizer, Cambridge, MA 30-Apr-13 Ron Davis Renaissance Learning Center Board Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 1-May-13 Barbara Noble Palm Beach County School District Meeting 2-May-13 Barbara Noble Executive Women of the Palm Beaches Women in Leadership Awards luncheon 6-May-13 Periana, Policastro Braemar Energy Ventures Meeting at Scripps Florida 7-May-13 Roy Periana First Green Partners meeting at Scripps Florida 8-May-13 Peter Hodder Roche, Nutley, NJ, USA 9-May-13 Starling, Noble Palm Beach County Medical Society Heroes in Medicine Awards Luncheon 9-May-13 Dawn Johnson BioFlorida Board Meeting 9-May-13 Dawn Johnson Florida Research Consortium Board Meeting 10-May-13 Peter Hodder DavosPharma, Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA 16-May-13 Roy Smith Claudio Pietra and Robert Northrup, Helsinn 24-May-13 Bruner, Starling, Noble Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 28-May-13 Davis, Page Renaissance Learning Center Board Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 31-May-13 Thomas Burris Pharma Partnering in Research & Strategy 7-Jun-13 John Cleveland Press Conference with Congressman Deutsch, RE: NIH sequestration, FAU, Boca 8-Jun-13 Laura Niedernhofer Conference call with Cell Research Laboratories LLC 8-Jun-13 Laura Niedernhofer Conference call with Cell Research Laboratories LLC 11-Jun-13 Ben Starling PBA Breakfast Meeting 12-Jun-13 Michael Farzan Meeting with P01 collaborators and sub-contractors, Boston, MA 13-Jun-13 Barbara Noble North Palm Chamber Leadership Awards Dinner 13-Jun-13 Dawn Johnson North Palm Beach County Chamber Leadership Awards Dinner 18-Jun-13 Peter Hodder Ardelyx, Fremont, CA, USA 19-Jun-13 Baoji Xu NSD-C study section
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 75 Annual Report 2013 21-Jun-13 Alex Bruner Planned Giving Council Board Meeting 22-Jun-13 Ben Starling Palm Beach Atlantic Alumni Board Meeting 25-Jun-13 Ben Starling PBC Medical Society - Strategy Meeting 25-Jun-13 Ron Davis, Damon Page Renaissance Learning Center Board Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 27-Jun-13 Alex Bruner Palm Beach Investment Research Group Meeting 3-Jul-13 Ron Davis, Damon Page Meeting with Renaissance Learning Center Principals, Scripps Florida 19-Jul-13 Kate Carroll Invited Speaker, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA 21-Jul-13 Kate Carroll Invited Speaker, The Protein Society, Boston, MA 7/22-23/13 Roy Smith Scientific Advisory Board Meeting - Ammonett Pharm - Reson, VA 24-Jul-13 Ron Davis. Dawn Johnson Meeting and Tour with CEO of Economic Council on Scripps Florida campus 24-Jul-13 Dawn Johnson Danny Martell, new CEO of the Economic Council 24-Jul-13 Dawn Johnson Life Science Technology (LST Hub) Networking Event 25-Jul-13 Dawn Johnson Northern Palm Beach Chamber Board of Directors Meeting 30-Jul-13 Damon Page Renaissance Learning Center Board Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 31-Jul-13 Ron Davis St. Mary's Board Orientation, West Palm Beach, FL 7-Aug-13 Alex Bruner Harvard Club of the Palm Beaches Luncheon 19-Aug-13 Alex Bruner, Ben Starling Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 20-Aug-13 Roy Smith Teleconference: Ammonett Pharma and Novartis Venture Funds 23-Aug-13 Dawn Johnson Florida Research Consortium Committee Conference Call 27-Aug-13 Damon Page Renaissance Learning Center Board Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 8-Sep-13 Kate Carroll Invited Speaker, American Chemical Society, Indianapolis, IN 9/16-17/13 Dawn Johnson BioFlorida Annual Meeting and Board Meeting 18-Sep-13 Ben Starling HOW Advisory Board Meeting - West Palm Beach, FL 19-Sep-13 Alex Bruner, Ben Starling Forum Club of the Palm Beaches 19-Sep-13 Ben Starling Palm Beach Medical Society Meeting 20-Sep-13 Dawn Johnson Northern Palm Beach Chamber / Government Affairs Meeting re: Life Sciences Funding 23-Sep-13 Ben Starling Bear Lakes Country Club w/ Gov. Rick Scott 24-Sep-13 Ron Davis, Damon Page Renaissance Learning Center Board Meeting, West Palm Beach, FL 25-Sep-13 Dawn Johnson Palm Beach County Business Development Board Meeting
This concludes the SFFC Annual Report.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at (561)655-9669 or [email protected].
Scripps Florida Funding Corporation 76 Annual Report 2013