Visit the Official Website for San Diego Scripps Institute
HISTORY
While its roots go back to the founding of the Scripps Metabolic Clinic in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, The Scripps Research Institute's modern beginnings date to the 1955 establishment of Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation, when a major portion of the Clinic's limited reserves were committed to the construction of a new research facility and to the recruitment of top biomedical scientists.
In 1961, the institution recruited pioneering immunologist Frank Dixon and four of his colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh, researchers who were then contributing insightful observations on the causes and progression of autoimmune disease, to establish a Department of Experimental Pathology in La Jolla.
Their work attracted others and the research program flourished and diversified into biochemistry and microbiology, virology, studies of blood coagulation, and cancer research. From the outset, the guiding philosophy was clinical and basic investigations of the pathogenesis of human disease.
In 1977 the multiple research programs that had developed were formally drawn together into the Research Institute of Scripps Clinic, as it had come to be named, and by the mid-1980s laboratory space had grown to some 300,000 square feet. Major programs in cell and molecular biology and synthetic and bioorganic chemistry had developed, in addition to efforts in immunology and clinically oriented investigations. The Department of Neurobiology was established at the Institute in the 1992.
As the faculty roster has grown, so naturally has the focus and number of areas of research. Today, TSRI scientists are actively investigating biological and chemical aspects of more than 40 diseases, including AIDS, alcoholism, allergy, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, dementia, depression, diabetes, genetic diseases, hepatitis, infectious diseases, multiple sclerosis, renal disease, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, sleep disorders, and diseases involving neural and muscular degeneration.
Among other areas of research that cross specific disease lines are those that involve numerous investigations into the structure and function of proteins; biocatalysis and protein design; the factors, processes and regulation of inflammation; and the form and working of animal and plant cells. All in all, the quality, scope and depth of the science conducted at the Institute enable it to be ranked among the finest scientific research organizations in the world.
In 1991, when Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation and Scripps Memorial Hospitals reaffiliated, the Research Institute became a separate corporation under the parent organization, Scripps Institutions of Medicine and Science. With that change its name became The Scripps Research Institute, a name that will likely be associated with some of the greatest biomedical advances of the decades ahead.
In late 2003, The Scripps Research Institute took a dramatic step in announcing the establishment of a major science center in Palm Beach County, Florida, focusing on biomedical research, technology development and drug design. Funding for the new campus and initial staffing is being supported by the State of Florida via economic development funds as well as local government. Months of intensive discussions with Florida Governor Jeb Bush and state and local officials culminated in the large scale agreement between Scripps Research and the State of Florida. The synergy between the faculties and research conducted at both facilities is expected to lead to significant new developments to improve human health.
About TSRI
The Scripps Research Institute, one of the country's largest, private, non-profit research organizations, has always stood at the forefront of basic biomedical science, a vital segment of medical research that seeks to comprehend the most fundamental processes of life. In just three decades the Institute has established a lengthy track record of major contributions to the betterment of health and the human condition.
The Institute has become internationally recognized for its basic research into immunology, molecular and cellular biology, chemistry, neurosciences, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, virology and synthetic vaccine development. Particularly significant is the Institute's study of the basic structure and design of biological molecules; in this arena TSRI is among a handful of the world's leading centers.
The philosophy of The Scripps Research Institute emphasizes the creation of basic knowledge in the biosciences for the application of medical and material discoveries; the pursuit of fundamental scientific advances through interdisciplinary programs and collaborations, and the education and training of researchers preparing to meet the scientific challenges of the next century.
The bulk of the Institute's funding is derived from the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies. In today's environment of increasing competition for shrinking federal dollars, however, collaborative industrial partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies provide additional funding in several areas key to the organization's research objectives.
Currently housed in fourteen laboratory buildings with more than 1,000,000 square feet of space overlooking the Pacific, the Institute's staff includes more than 270 professors, 800 postdoctoral fellows, 1500 laboratory technicians, administrative and support personnel, and 126 Ph.D. students. The design of each facility, with a central galleria area ringed by laboratories and offices around its perimeter, is a tangible reflection of the value placed on multidisciplinary collaboration in traditional and emerging areas of science.
The Institute enjoys one of the world's leading private computational capabilities with an array of computers, including a Cray supercomputer. Research is further supported by X-ray crystallography laboratories, high performance NMR spectrometry including a state-of-the-art 900 MHz instrument, electron microscopy, optical spectroscopy, a centralized DNA sequencing laboratory and a fluorescence activated cell sorting facility.
Rather than isolating faculty members and laboratories into separate and distinct disciplines, as is generally the prescribed university model, the cooperative, collaborative spirit is encouraged and embraced. While the level of scientific investigation is intense, the atmosphere is collegial, relaxed and informal. Technicians, postdoctoral fellows and administrative support staff all are considered part of the team and are given the latitude and responsibility to accomplish their tasks so as to serve the best interests of science. The pursuit of scientific excellence is paramount and all efforts are directed toward that end.
TSRI's adherence to the highest scientific standards, emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach to problem solving, philosophy toward the perpetuation of knowledge through education and reputation for research excellence provide an unparalleled scientific environment.
Source: http://www.scripps.edu/e_index.html
.gif)
