A quarter century of discovery and innovation
Beckman Research Institute Turns 25
photo: City of Hope ArchivesFrom left, Former City of Hope Administrator Charles Mittman, Arnold O. Beckman and Charles Todd.
The late Arnold O. Beckman made his fortune through inventions that boosted scientific research. That connection to science came full circle with the foundation he created with his wife: the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation.
“I accumulated my wealth by selling instruments to scientists,” he once said. “So I thought it would be appropriate to make contributions to science, and that’s been my number-one guideline for charity.”
His influential inventions meant Beckman was well-known among life scientists, including talented immunologist Charles Todd, Ph.D. Todd had joined City of Hope in the late 1960s and formed the Department of Immunology a few years later. During his tenure, he purchased a number of Beckman’s instruments. He often would deconstruct the machines to improve them, and this did not go unnoticed by Beckman. In time, Todd became a consultant to Beckman’s company.
Beckman visited City of Hope and Todd’s laboratory frequently, and it was Todd who first suggested to Beckman that his foundation support research at City of Hope.
Todd’s suggestion came at a fortuitous time. City of Hope’s research efforts were beginning to bear considerable fruit. Two prominent City of Hope scientists — Ernest Beutler, M.D., former chair of the Division of Medicine, and Susumu Ohno, Ph.D., D.V.M. — had recently been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, and another, Rachmiel Levine, M.D., was soon to be elected. Beutler had been instrumental in forming the bone marrow transplantation program at City of Hope; Ohno was a world-renowned geneticist; and Levine’s work led his peers to dub him the “father of modern diabetes research.”
photo: City of Hope ArchivesArnold O. Beckman (third from right) and City of Hope executives and board members at the Beckman Research Institute formal dedication on Jan. 30, 1984.
In addition, two young investigators, Arthur Riggs, Ph.D., and Keiichi Itakura, Ph.D., had just published their research on synthesizing and cloning human genes for the hormones somatostatin and insulin. The work, which effectively launched the biotechnology industry, impressed Beckman and his foundation advisers. They concurred that City of Hope would be an ideal recipient for a major gift.
Joseph Holden, Ph.D., was assistant director of research at City of Hope at the time. Following Todd’s initial introductions, he acted as a liaison to the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. He credits the foundation grant to groundwork laid by City of Hope scientists years earlier.
“You have to understand this place had a phenomenal run of luck assembling a group of extraordinary biological scientists,” even as early as the 1950s, said Holden. City of Hope investigators, including Ohno, Eugene Roberts, Ph.D., and Alfred Knudson, M.D., Ph.D., attracted other talented researchers and grew the institution’s reputation, he said.
Holden himself was responsible for seminal work in establishing how bacteria transport amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, into the cell.
photo: City of Hope ArchivesArnold O. Beckman (seated) with, from left to right, City of Hope leaders Tom Galinski and Ben Horowitz and scientist Charles Todd in 1983.
“These people were the spark that ignited City of Hope as a nationally recognized institution,” he said. “This attracted Beckman. He had grown something from nothing, so he understood the potential City of Hope held for future basic science research.”
Beckman’s remarks during the organization’s 1984 biannual convention, now preserved in the City of Hope archives, support Holden’s belief.
“What may not be appreciated …is the uncommon emphasis that has been placed on basic scientific research at City of Hope,” said Beckman. “I would remind everyone that all of the miraculous advances in medicine had their origins somewhere in basic research laboratories,” he added.
Holden also noted the importance of backing from non-scientists at City of Hope, led by Ben Horowitz, then president and chief executive officer. They understood the need to support researchers and allow them freedom to pursue their investigations regardless of outcome, he said. In this spirit, the institution earmarked the Beckman gift and subsequent related funding to support basic scientific research. The investment resulted in numerous landmark discoveries in the biomedical sciences (see page 20); some already impact patients’ lives, while others hold the potential to influence the future of science and medicine.
In the 25 years since City of Hope and the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation established Beckman Research Institute, the National Institutes of Health and other public funding sources have emphasized a need for translational research. City of Hope has adapted to this changing environment, but basic scientific research remains a priority.
“A significant — and I think appropriate — portion of the City of Hope budget still goes to purely basic research,” explained Riggs, who directed Beckman Research Institute from 2001 to 2007. “I think we have the right balance” to continue driving innovation.
Richard Jove, Ph.D., current director of Beckman Research Institute, supports this belief. Jove, together with collaborator Hua Yu, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Cancer Immunotherapeutics & Tumor Immunology, has pioneered the development of certain molecules called STAT proteins as promising targets for cancer therapy.
“Research in Beckman Research Institute is an inseparable part of the ‘hope’ in City of Hope,” Jove said. “It’s clear that the cures of today came from the research of yesterday. It stands to reason that the cures of tomorrow will come from research done now.”
In 2006, the foundation affirmed its support of the scientific culture at City of Hope with a new contribution: $20 million to establish the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Cancer Immunotherapeutics and Tumor Immunology. When completed, the 108,000-squarefoot center will allow researchers not only to perform basic scientific research, but also to turn those discoveries into novel therapies for patients.
“Dr. Beckman’s dedication to science matched ours perfectly. The original gift that established Beckman Research Institute demonstrated that, and this most recent award clearly affirms that continued shared commitment,” said Michael A. Friedman, M.D., current City of Hope president and chief executive officer.
As in 1983, this latest gift comes at a fruitful time for City of Hope: The faculty roster boasts a wealth of experienced veterans and talented new recruits; royalty revenues stemming from inventions are at an all-time high; and Riggs recently was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
The investment made more than 25 years ago has paid a wealth of dividends to the scientific and medical communities.
As Beckman noted at the 1984 convention: “We hope that Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope will play an important role in the continuing discovery of new knowledge in combating catastrophic diseases, not only for our generation, but for all that follow.”
(Editor’s note: Steve Novak and Susan Yates contributed to this article.)
Beckman Research Institute has been home to numerous highly accomplished researchers over the past 25 years. Some of their most notable contributions follow.
Susumu Ohno, Ph.D., D.V.M.
AT CITY OF HOPE:
1952 to 2000
THE SCIENCE:
Determined that the inert Barr body in female cells was, in fact, the inactivated copy of the X-chromosome. Delineated the critical role of gene duplication in evolution.
Eugene Roberts, Ph.D.
AT CITY OF HOPE:
1954 to present
THE SCIENCE:
Identified GABA (gamma amino butyric acid), a highly important neurotransmitter affecting one of the major systems in the brain.
Joseph Holden, Ph.D.
AT CITY OF HOPE:
1954 to present
THE SCIENCE:
Determined how bacteria transport amino acids, the building blocks of protein, into the cell.
Arthur Riggs, Ph.D.
AT CITY OF HOPE:
1969 to present
THE SCIENCE:
Helped found the critically important field of epigenetics, the study of non-genetic inherited traits. With Keiichi Itakura, Ph.D., synthesized the gene for human insulin, effectively launching the biotechnology industry. Created method of genetically engineering antibodies, leading to many cancer therapies.
Keiichi Itakura, Ph.D.
AT CITY OF HOPE:
1975 to present
THE SCIENCE:
With Riggs, synthesized the gene for human insulin, providing a new, economical source of the hormone to diabetics worldwide.
Samuel Rahbar, M.D., Ph.D.
AT CITY OF HOPE:
1979 to present
THE SCIENCE:
Discovered the biomolecule HbA1c and applied it as a diagnostic tool in diabetes now in wide use.
John J. Rossi, Ph.D.
Lidow Family Research Chair
1980 to present
THE SCIENCE:
Devised and produced the first gene therapy to combat HIV. Advanced the understanding of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), leading to the first clinical trials of siRNA for HIV-related blood cancers.
Gerd Pfeifer, Ph.D.
Lester M. and Irene C. Finkelstein
Chair in Biology
AT CITY OF HOPE:
1988 to present
THE SCIENCE:
Found the first molecular evidence linking a compound in cigarette smoke to genetic mutations that lead to lung cancer.