Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D.
President and Interim Chief Executive Officer
Professor, NCI-Designated Cancer Center
Professor and Pauline and Stanley Foster
Presidential Chair
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute is dedicated to finding new ways to fight cancer. Since our founding in 1976 as The La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation, our research has been guided by the belief that the most substantial breakthroughs come from studying the basic mechanisms of cells and the molecules that comprise them. The Institute is highly collaborative—merging the talents of biologists with those of chemists, biophysicists, engineers and other scientists—to tackle the great unmet medical challenges of today.
At Sanford-Burnham, we believe collaboration is the catalyst for success. Sanford-Burnham has successfully cross-pollinated ideas that have led to scientific advances by combining our cancer focus with our expertise in other areas, removing the walls between disciplines encourages innovation. Studying bacterial and viral toxins has revealed new strategies to engineer those same toxins to selectively kill cancer cells. Understanding how cancer cells become resistant to chemo and radiotherapies has provided new insights into protecting brain and heart cells from strokes and heart attacks. Deciphering the mechanisms that cause uncontrolled cell growth has informed our thinking about neurodegeneration and the propagation of stem cells.
The interactions between researchers happen daily and can be as significant as a joint grant application or as casual as a discussion following a seminar. The potential for creativity and innovation is expanded by the constant exchange of ideas. Sanford-Burnham’s cancer research is motivated by the quest to discover new cancer-fighting tools. We take great pride in the fact that ongoing research at the Cancer Center at Sanford-Burnham yields tangible medical benefits, including diagnostic procedures and novel therapeutic agents.
This report is intended to highlight the progress Sanford-Burnham cancer researchers have made on the path to cancer cures. Continue on to read about advances in: