Building on achievement
Photo by P.CunninghamFrom left, Ravi Bhatia, David Horne, Joseph Holden, Samuel Rahbar, Gerd Pfeifer, Arthur Riggs, John J. Rossi, Patricia Beckman, Yuan Chen, Steven Novak, Gerald Gallwas, Janice Huss, Rama Natarajan, Yanhong Shi, Richard Jove and John Zaia
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of that founding, more than 200 faculty and staff gathered in October 2008 to share the fruits of their work. They commemorated the scientific advances of the past quarter century and offered a look at what may be coming in the next 25 years.
Many of the research presentations reflected great change wrought by decades of scientific advancement — built on work City of Hope’s own scientists pioneered in the past.
Photo by P.CunninghamArthur Riggs demonstrates synthetic human insulin production.
In the early 1970s, Arthur D. Riggs, Ph.D., wrote a revolutionary paper on epigenetics, describing how cells control the activity of genes by changing the structure of DNA. Riggs, who now is chair of the Department of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases Research and director emeritus of Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, listened at the symposium as Gerd Pfeifer, Ph.D., the Lester M. and Irene C. Finkelstein Chair in Biology, described his current research delving into epigenetics and its role in lung cancer.
John J. Rossi, Ph.D., the Lidow Family Research Chair, and John Zaia, M.D., the Aaron D. and Edith Miller Chair in Gene Therapy, detailed their work using RNAbased therapies to combat HIV. RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is a genetic material closely related to DNA. Rossi, chair of the Department of Molecular Biology, and Zaia, chair of the Department of Virology, first teamed in the early 1990s to develop ribozymes, a form of RNA that can cut other types of RNA. Their ribozymes target HIV’s genetic material and block the virus from spreading. The work resulted in the first gene therapy for HIV.
Building on that foundation, the pair has since begun a new clinical trial that adds a different type of RNA, called siRNA, which interrupts HIV’s ability to grow. The study is the first such clinical trial in humans.
Yanhong Shi, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurosciences, and Ravi Bhatia, M.D., chief of the Division of Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Leukemia Research, described their own work with stem cells. In the early 1970s, City of Hope scientist Robert Seecoff, Ph.D., was the first to coax stem cells to differentiate into more mature cells found in different tissues. Today, Shi seeks to understand how a protein called TLX controls this ability, while Bhatia is working to understand the cancer stem cells that can lead to leukemia.
“It’s been fascinating to see the progress we’ve made over the years and how earlier discoveries set the stage for our current achievements,” said Richard Jove, Ph.D., director of Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope.
The close relationship with the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation flourishes to this day. The foundation provided a $20 million gift in 2006 to establish the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Cancer Immunotherapeutics and Tumor Immunology, noted Jove. “The foundation gave the institute its start, and its most recent gift is helping to propel us into the future,” he said.
Several speakers helped affirm the connection between past and present with historical perspectives on the founding of the institute. Patricia Beckman, director of the foundation and daughter of inventor Arnold O. Beckman, Ph.D., outlined the events leading to the founding of Beckman Research Institute. Gerald Gallwas, also a foundation director, enlightened attendees with an overview of Arnold Beckman’s life.
“Beckman Research Institute has made an extraordinary impact on biomedicine in its first 25 years,” said Jove. “In another 25 years, I’ll be very interested to see how our work today has set the stage for future achievements.”
SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS
Jove presented Rama Natarajan, Ph.D., professor in the divisions of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Metabolism and Gene Regulation and Drug Discovery, with the institute’s first Scientist of the Year Award. Natarajan was recognized for her groundbreaking research on diabetes-related complications.
Richard Jove, left, presents a gift to Theodore
Krontiris in gratitude for his service.
In addition, Jove presented Ruth and Eugene Roberts with the Beckman Research Institute Director’s Award for their combined 100 years of dedicated service to City of Hope. Eugene Roberts, Ph.D., joined City of Hope as chairman of biochemistry in 1954, and subsequently met his future wife, Ruth, who was serving as a volunteer at the medical center.
Theodore Krontiris, M.D., Ph.D., also was recognized for his outstanding achievements that led to the renewal of the National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center designation at City of Hope. Krontiris served as cancer center director until stepping down in 2008 to pursue his own laboratory research interests.