Beckman Research Institute

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Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope
Beckman Research Institute City of Hope.jpg
Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope
Established1984
Field of research
Cancer Biology, Cancer Immunotherapeutics & Tumor Immunology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases Research, Immunology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Molecular Medicine, Molecular Pharmacology, Neurosciences, Virology
Director Steven T. Rosen, M.D.
Location Duarte, California
Affiliations City of Hope National Medical Center

The Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope (BRI) is a not-for-profit medical research facility located at and partnering with the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, United States. [1] It is dedicated to studying normal and abnormal biological processes which may be related to cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. [2] Both basic and clinical research are carried out in cooperation with the City of Hope National Medical Center. [1] The institute itself is organized into more than 20 departments and divisions. [3] As of 2021, the director is Steven T. Rosen. [4] The Beckman Research Institute also hosts the Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences [5] whose founding dean was Arthur Riggs. [6]

Contents

History

City of Hope was founded by the Jewish Consumptive Relief Association as a tuberculosis sanatorium, the Los Angeles Sanatorium, in 1913. As tuberculosis was increasingly controlled by use of antibiotics, executive director Samuel H. Golter proposed that the institution expand to become a national medical center studying other diseases. City of Hope's Cancer Research Institute was dedicated in 1952. Since then, the research scope has continued to expand, with cancer and diabetes as major foci, as well as other life-threatening diseases. In 1983, a major challenge grant of $10 million from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation enabled the research division of the City of Hope to undergo significant expansion and officially create the Beckman Research Institute. Funds were available for buildings, equipment, and endowment, but had to support research and the advancement of knowledge related to the "causes, prevention, and cure of human disease". The Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope was the first of five Beckman research institutes to receive funding in the United States. [2] : 325–328 

Directors

Research contributions

Research and treatment are closely coordinated between the City of Hope National Medical Center and the Beckman Research Institute. As of 2019, over 300 clinical trials were being conducted at any one time, and at least one-third of eligible patients were enrolled in clinical trials. [1] A number of significant achievements have been reported by researchers affiliated with the Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope. These include:

Diabetes

Researchers associated with the Beckman Research Institute are credited with starting the biotechnology industry. [5] Keiichi Itakura and Arthur Riggs, with Genentech scientist Herbert Boyer, were the first to develop human recombinant gene products. Their techniques were used to successfully create synthetic somatostatin in E. coli , the first expression of a human protein in bacteria, in 1977. The techniques and tools of genetic synthesis were standardizable and applicable to many similar problems. The group successfully reported the expression of human insulin in bacteria by 1978. [13]

Barry Forman identified the first new steroid-like hormone in 30 years, androstanol, a hormone with a different mechanism of action from others, that may be useful in treatment of diabetes. [14] [15]

Fouad Kandeel leads clinical trials testing the use of islet transplantation to treat patients who are incapacitated by severe type 1 diabetes. [16]

Bart Roep leads immune intervention strategies (including gene therapy, stem cell therapy and bone marrow transportation[ clarification needed ]) with the ultimate goal to cure type 1 diabetes.

Cancer

Arthur Riggs went on to work with Shmuel Cabilly on "fundamental technology required for the artificial synthesis of antibody molecules", since used to create "smart" cancer drugs. [17] [18] Riggs has been associated with the institute in several ways, including as director of the Beckman Research Institute from 2000 to 2007, now director emeritus.

Gerd Pfeifer was able to prove a definitive link between smoking and lung cancer, by demonstrating genetic damage in lung cells, caused by a chemical in cigarette smoke. [19] [20]

The Beckman Research Institute has partnered with the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation in the Health of Women Study (HOW), a long-term cohort study tracking the health of women via online and mobile platforms. It will study both women who have and who do not have breast cancer. The Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation hopes to recruit one million women volunteers to become part of its participating "Army of Women". [21] [22] [23]

Hua Eleanor Yu and her group are studying the involvement of STAT3 with cancer cells and the immune system, and developing possible drug treatments to attack tumor cells. [24] [25]

HIV/AIDS

John Rossi has worked on treatments for AIDS-related lymphoma, pancreatic cancer and liver cancer. [26] He was the first researcher to use RNA to block the progress of the virus that causes HIV/AIDS by degrading the HIV virus within infected cells. [26] He is involved in ongoing work with David DiGiusto and others to develop disease-resistant immune systems by transplanting gene-modified HIV-1-resistant stem and progenitor cells. [27] With John Zaia and others, Rossi has worked on Lentiviral vectors for delivering RNA-based gene therapy. This approach combines stem cell and gene therapy to deliver RNA molecules that can block the genes that the HIV/AIDS virus uses to infect immune cells. [28] [29] [30] [31] John Zaia is also investigating the possibility that cancer chemotherapy can perturb reservoirs of HIV, which has relevance to therapeutic interventions to cure HIV. [32]

Recognition

As of December 2011, CharityWatch rated the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope as an "A−" grade charity. [33]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene therapy</span> Medical field

Gene therapy is a medical technology that aims to produce a therapeutic effect through the manipulation of gene expression or through altering the biological properties of living cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retrovirus</span> Family of viruses

A retrovirus is a type of virus that inserts a DNA copy of its RNA genome into the DNA of a host cell that it invades, thus changing the genome of that cell. After invading a host cell's cytoplasm, the virus uses its own reverse transcriptase enzyme to produce DNA from its RNA genome, the reverse of the usual pattern, thus retro (backwards). The new DNA is then incorporated into the host cell genome by an integrase enzyme, at which point the retroviral DNA is referred to as a provirus. The host cell then treats the viral DNA as part of its own genome, transcribing and translating the viral genes along with the cell's own genes, producing the proteins required to assemble new copies of the virus. Many retroviruses cause serious diseases in humans, other mammals, and birds.

The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of multiple drugs that act on different viral targets is known as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). HAART decreases the patient's total burden of HIV, maintains function of the immune system, and prevents opportunistic infections that often lead to death. HAART also prevents the transmission of HIV between serodiscordant same-sex and opposite-sex partners so long as the HIV-positive partner maintains an undetectable viral load.

Gene silencing is the regulation of gene expression in a cell to prevent the expression of a certain gene. Gene silencing can occur during either transcription or translation and is often used in research. In particular, methods used to silence genes are being increasingly used to produce therapeutics to combat cancer and other diseases, such as infectious diseases and neurodegenerative disorders.

This is a list of AIDS-related topics, many of which were originally taken from the public domain U.S. Department of Health Glossary of HIV/AIDS-Related Terms, 4th Edition.

Lentivirus is a genus of retroviruses that cause chronic and deadly diseases characterized by long incubation periods, in humans and other mammalian species. The genus includes the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS. Lentiviruses are distributed worldwide, and are known to be hosted in apes, cows, goats, horses, cats, and sheep as well as several other mammals.

Arthur Dale Riggs was an American geneticist who worked with Genentech to express the first artificial gene in bacteria. His work was critical to the modern biotechnology industry because it was the first use of molecular techniques in commercial production of drugs and enabled the large-scale manufacturing of protein drugs, including insulin. He was also a major factor in the origin of epigenetics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viral vector</span> Biotechnology to deliver genetic material into a cell

Viral vectors are tools commonly used by molecular biologists to deliver genetic material into cells. This process can be performed inside a living organism or in cell culture. Viruses have evolved specialized molecular mechanisms to efficiently transport their genomes inside the cells they infect. Delivery of genes or other genetic material by a vector is termed transduction and the infected cells are described as transduced. Molecular biologists first harnessed this machinery in the 1970s. Paul Berg used a modified SV40 virus containing DNA from the bacteriophage λ to infect monkey kidney cells maintained in culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Hope National Medical Center</span> U.S. clinical research center and hospital

City of Hope is a private, non-profit clinical research center, hospital and graduate school located in Duarte, California, United States. The center's main campus resides on 110 acres (45 ha) of land adjacent to the boundaries of Duarte and Irwindale, with a network of clinical practice locations throughout Southern California, satellite offices in Monrovia and Irwindale, and regional fundraising offices throughout the United States.

Gene therapy using lentiviral vectors was being explored in early stage trials as of 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ming-Ming Zhou</span>

Ming-Ming Zhou is an American scientist who focuses on structural and chemical biology, NMR spectroscopy, and drug design. He is the Dr. Harold and Golden Lamport Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pharmacological Sciences. He is also the co-director of the Drug Discovery Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, as well as Professor of Sciences. Zhou is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS research</span> Field of immunology research

HIV/AIDS research includes all medical research that attempts to prevent, treat, or cure HIV/AIDS, as well as fundamental research about the nature of HIV as an infectious agent and AIDS as the disease caused by HIV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lentiviral vector in gene therapy</span>

Lentiviral vectors in gene therapy is a method by which genes can be inserted, modified, or deleted in organisms using lentiviruses.

DNA-directed RNA interference (DRNAI) is a gene-silencing technique that utilizes DNA constructs to activate an animal cell's endogenous RNA interference (RNAI) pathways. DNA constructs are designed to express self-complementary double-stranded RNAs, typically short-hairpin RNAs, that bring about the silencing of a target gene or genes once processed. Any RNA, including endogenous messenger RNA (mRNAs) or viral RNAs, can be silenced by designing constructs to express double-stranded RNA complementary to the desired mRNA target.

Hua Eleanor Yu is the inaugural Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Professor in tumor immunotherapy at the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California. In addition, she co-leads the Cancer Immunotherapeutics Program at the City of Hope cancer center, with Peter P. Lee. Yu's laboratory was the first to identify STAT3, a protein that helps to protect tumor cells from the immune system. Her group is developing possible drug treatments using CpG-Stat3 siRNA to attack tumor cells in mice and humans.

Julianna Lisziewicz is a Hungarian immunologist. Lisziewicz headed many research teams that have discovered and produced immunotheraputic drugs to treat diseases like cancer and chronic infections like HIV/AIDS. Some of these drugs have been successfully used in clinical trials.

Akhil Chandra Banerjea is an Indian virologist and is currently the Director at Institute of Advanced Virology, Kerala. He was earlier an Emeritus Scientist at the National Institute of Immunology, India. Known for his studies on viral pathogenesis and gene therapy, Banerjea is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India and the Indian National Science Academy. The Department of Biotechnology of the Government of India awarded him the National Bioscience Award for Career Development, one of the highest Indian science awards, for his contributions to biosciences in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derrick Rossi</span> Canadian stem cell biologist

Derrick J. Rossi, is a Canadian stem cell biologist and entrepreneur. He is a co-founder of the biotechnology company Moderna.

Pierre Charneau is a French virologist, inventor, and head of the Molecular Virology and Vaccinology Unit (VMV) at the Pasteur Institute and an acknowledged specialist in HIV, lentiviral gene transfer vectors, and their medical applications. His discovery of the central DNA-flap structure in the HIV genome, and its role in viral entry into the nucleus of the infected cell, grounded the optimization of lentiviral vectors and allowed for more than 20 years of development in gene therapy and vaccines based on this gene delivery technology. Charneau has published more than 100 research articles and holds 25 patents in the field of HIV and lentiviral vectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcin Kortylewski</span> Polish American cancer researcher and immunologist

Marcin Kortylewski is a Polish American cancer researcher and immunologist. He is currently professor of immuno-oncology at the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California. His research has shown that the STAT3 protein plays a role in protecting cancers from immune responses and contributes to resistance to therapies. Later he developed a two-pronged strategy for cancer immunotherapy using simultaneous STAT3 inhibition and TLR9 immune stimulation. Kortylewski invented platform strategy for delivery of oligonucleotides, such as siRNA, miRNA, decoy DNA, antisense molecules and others to selected immune cells.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Winograd, Claudia (2007). "City of Hope". In Colditz, Graham A. (ed.). Encyclopedia of cancer and society. Los Angeles: Sage Publications. pp. 206–208. ISBN   978-1412949897 . Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  2. 1 2 Arnold Thackray; Minor Myers, Jr. (2000). Arnold O. Beckman : one hundred years of excellence. foreword by James D. Watson. Philadelphia, Pa.: Chemical Heritage Foundation. ISBN   978-0-941901-23-9.
  3. ↑ "Beckman Research Institute Departments and Divisions". City of Hope. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Steven T. Rosen, M.D." City of Hope. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  5. 1 2 Peterson's graduate programs in the biological sciences 2012 (46th ed.). Lawrenceville, NJ: Peterson's. 2012. ISBN   978-0768932829.
  6. ↑ "Arthur D. Riggs". Keck Graduate Institute. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Joseph Holden Obituary". Los Angeles Times. February 17, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Dr. John S. Kovach Named Founding Director Of Cancer Institute Of Long Island". Stony Brook News. Oct 23, 2000. Retrieved 13 May 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Long Island Cancer Center to Partner With Community Long Island Cancer Center to Partner With Community". Cancer Network. August 1, 2001. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "Arthur D. Riggs, Ph.D." City of Hope. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  11. 1 2 "Shop Talk". Oncology Times. 30 (4): 46. February 2008. doi: 10.1097/01.COT.0000313058.01959.01 . Richard Jove, PhD, has been named Director of the City of Hope Beckman Research Institute. In his new appointment, Dr. Jove, who is also Deputy Director of the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, will lead the research institute's efforts to bring together basic scientists and physicians in order to accelerate the development of new therapies for cancer, diabetes, and other life-threatening diseases. He succeeds Arthur Riggs, PhD, now Director Emeritus and Professor of Biology at the Beckman Research Institute.
  12. ↑ Vorwald, Catherine E. (July 1, 2013). "Dr. Richard Jove Joins VGTI Florida as the New Institute Director". Business Wire. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  13. ↑ Stern, Scott (1994). "Incentives and Focus in University and Industrial Research: The Case of Synthetic Insulin". In Gelijns, Annetine C.; Rosenberg, Nathan; Committee on Technological Innovation in Medicine, Institute of Medicine (eds.). The sources of innovation : universities and industry. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. pp.  157–187. ISBN   0309051894.
  14. ↑ "New Steroid Hormone has Allure Of Its Own". Salk Institute for Biological Studies. October 8, 1998.
  15. ↑ "Researchers Identify First New Steroid-Like Hormone in 30 Years". Los Angeles Times. October 8, 1998. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  16. ↑ Moran, Gwen (2012). "The California Cure Harvesting Hope: Dr. Fouad Kandeel". Los Angeles Times Magazine. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  17. ↑ Meland, Marius (April 24, 2004). "Judge Dismisses MedImmune's Patent Suit Vs. Genentech". Law360. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  18. ↑ Lewis, Wayne (June 10, 2013). "Art Riggs: Smart cancer drugs and how they came to be". City of Hope Breakthroughs. Archived from the original on 29 March 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  19. ↑ STOUT, DAVID (October 18, 1996). "Direct link found between smoking and lung cancer". New York Times. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  20. ↑ Hecht, Stephen S.; Carmella, Steven G.; Murphy, Sharon E.; Foiles, Peter G.; Chung, Fung-Lung (1993). "Carcinogen biomarkers related to smoking and upper aerodigestive tract cancer". Journal of Cellular Biochemistry. 53 (S17F): 27–35. doi:10.1002/jcb.240531005. PMID   8412204. S2CID   7492212.
  21. ↑ "The Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation And The Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope Launch The Groundbreaking Health of Women Study". PR Newswire. October 2, 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  22. ↑ "Army of Women working for a future without breast cancer". Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  23. ↑ Carrera, Krysten (2010-12-10). "Author Susan Love Visits NCI". NIH Record.
  24. ↑ Bronchud, Miguel H. (2008). Principles of molecular oncology (3rd ed.). Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. ISBN   978-1-59745-470-4 . Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  25. ↑ Dranoff, Glenn (2011). Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 47–48. ISBN   978-3-642-14136-2 . Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  26. 1 2 Raney, Rebecca Fairley (August 24, 2012). "John Rossi is fighting HIV with gene therapy". AAAS Member Science. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  27. ↑ DiGiusto, David; Stan, Rodica; Krishnan, Amrita; Li, Haitang; Rossi, John; Zaia, John (November 22, 2013). "Development of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Based Gene Therapy for HIV-1 Infection: Considerations for Proof of Concept Studies and Translation to Standard Medical Practice". Viruses. 2013 (5): 2898–2919. doi: 10.3390/v5112898 . PMC   3856421 . PMID   24284880.
  28. ↑ DiGiusto, D. L.; Krishnan, A.; Li, L.; Li, H.; Li, S.; Rao, A.; Mi, S.; Yam, P.; Stinson, S.; Kalos, M.; Alvarnas, J.; Lacey, S. F.; Yee, J.-K.; Li, M.; Couture, L.; Hsu, D.; Forman, S. J.; Rossi, J. J.; Zaia, J. A. (16 June 2010). "RNA-Based Gene Therapy for HIV with Lentiviral Vector-Modified CD34+ Cells in Patients Undergoing Transplantation for AIDS-Related Lymphoma". Science Translational Medicine. 2 (36): 36ra43. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.3000931. PMC   3130552 . PMID   20555022.
  29. ↑ White, Nicole. "City of Hope awarded $8 million to launch stem cell therapy clinic focused on fighting incurable disease". City of Hope Press Release. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  30. ↑ Chung, Janet; Scherer, Lisa J; Gu, Angel; Gardner, Agnes M; Torres-Coronado, Monica; Epps, Elizabeth W; DiGiusto, David L; Rossi, John J (28 February 2014). "Optimized Lentiviral Vectors for HIV Gene Therapy: Multiplexed Expression of Small RNAs and Inclusion of MGMTP140K Drug Resistance Gene". Molecular Therapy. 22 (5): 952–963. doi:10.1038/mt.2014.32. PMC   4015224 . PMID   24576853.
  31. ↑ McCormack, Kevin; Lytal, Cristy (December 2, 2014). "California stem cell agency celebrates 10 years of progress". USC News. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  32. ↑ "amfAR Consortium To Speed Search for HIV/AIDS Cure". amfAR Making Aids History. May 11, 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  33. ↑ Charity Rating Guide and Watchdog Report, Volume Number 59, December 2011

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