Scripps Research is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

American

medical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as health research, refers to the process of using scientific methods with the aim to produce knowledge about human diseases, the prevention and treatment of illness, and the promotion of ...

facility that focuses on research and education in the

biomedical science Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbi ...

s. Headquartered in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California, the institute has over 170 laboratories employing 2,100 scientists,About The Scripps Research Institute
/ref> technicians, graduate students, and administrative and other staff. The institute holds over 1,100 patents, has produced 11

FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

-approved therapeutics, and has generated over 50 spin-off companies. The Scripps Research graduate program is ranked 9th nationally in the

biological sciences Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of ...

, 6th for

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...

, and 6th for

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

. In 2022, their

Jupiter, Florida Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 US Census, the town had a population of 61,047. It is 84 miles north of Miami and 15 miles north of West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach. ...

, campus became a part of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

. Jupiter-based graduate students remain part of the Scripps Research graduate program.

History

Scripps Research began with the Scripps Metabolic Clinic, founded near the current site in the

La Jolla La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

area of

in 1924 by

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

Ellen Browning Scripps Ellen Browning Scripps (October 18, 1836 – August 3, 1932) was an American journalist and philanthropist who was the founding donor of several major institutions in Southern California. She and her half-brother E. W. Scripps, E.W. Scripps creat ...

, who was inspired by the discovery of insulin. In 1946, the metabolic clinic separated from Scripps Memorial Hospital. In 1956, Scripps Research was renamed Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation to reflect its broader focus and management's renewed commitment to biomedical research. Harvard biochemist A. Baird Hastings joined the institute in 1959, followed by immunologist Frank J. Dixon and colleagues William Weigle, Joseph Feldman, Charles Cochrane, and Jacinto Vazquez in 1961, biochemist Frank Huennekens and microbiologist John Spizizen in 1962. Dixon was appointed director of research operations in 1974, and in 1977 these operations assumed the name of The Research Institute of Scripps Clinic. Upon Dixon's retirement in 1986,

Richard Lerner Richard Alan Lerner (August 26, 1938 – December 2, 2021) was an American research chemist. He was best known for his work on catalytic antibodies and combinatorial antibody libraries. Lerner served as President of The Scripps Research Inst ...

, who had been chair of the Scripps Department of Molecular Biology, was appointed the research institute's new director. In 1989, the institute launched a graduate program. In 1991, as the result of a merger of hospitals, the research branch became part of a larger organization, the Scripps Institutions of Medicine and Science. In 1993, the research division separated from the clinical side, becoming an independent nonprofit organization under the name of the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). An additional campus in Florida was instituted in 2004. Michael Marletta became president and CEO in 2012, assuming the position from Lerner. Marletta announced his resignation on July 21, 2014, and James C. Paulson was subsequently appointed acting president and CEO. In September 2015, Peter G. Schultz was appointed CEO, and Steve A. Kay, president. Kay announced he was returning to the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

in August 2016. In October 2016, TSRI announced a strategic affiliation with the non-profit California Institute for Biomedical Research (Calibr). The two organizations had already collaborated on several research programs in recent years, including the development of an antibody engineering platform aimed at improving treatments for chronic diseases such as diabetes and COPD, and immune therapies for the treatment of cancer. Calibr now represents the drug discovery and development division of Scripps Research. In February 2017, 5AM Ventures' John Diekman was named chairman of the board. In July 2018, TSRI was officially rebranded to Scripps Research. The

Scripps Institution of Oceanography Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is the center for oceanography and Earth science at the University of California, San Diego. Its main campus is located in La Jolla, with additional facilities in Point Loma. Founded in 1903 and incorpo ...

is often incorrectly associated with Scripps Research; it is in fact a nearby research facility that is part of

UCSD The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing ...

. Scripps Research is a private nonprofit institute not directly associated with UCSD. Confusingly, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography was once called the Scripps Institution for Biological Research. In 2022, Scripps Florida separated from Scripps Research and became a part of the

Features

Scripps Research's California campus is located on of land between

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is a coastal state park in San Diego, California. The reserve is one of the wildest stretches of land on the Southern California coast, covering . It is bordered immediately to the south by Torrey Pines Golf Co ...

and the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

in La Jolla.

Departments and centers

Scripps Research emphasizes interdisciplinary studies. Scripps Research scientists are organized into five interrelated departments: Chemistry, Immunology and Microbiology, Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, Molecular Medicine, and Neuroscience. The institute also incorporates the: * Center for Antiviral Medicines and Pandemic Preparedness * Center for Metabolomics * Center for Viral Systems Biology * Dorris Neuroscience Center * IAVI's Neutralizing Antibody Center at Scripps Research * Scripps Research Alcohol Research Center * The Scripps Research Translational Institute * Scripps Research Digital Trials Center * Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology * Skaggs Graduate School * West African Research Network for Infectious Diseases (WARN-ID) * Worm Institute for Research and Medicine

Notable people

Among the 173 members of faculty are Nobel laureates

Ardem Patapoutian Ardem Patapoutian (born 1 October 1967) is a Lebanese-American molecular biologist, neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize laureate of Armenian descent. He is known for his work in characterizing the PIEZO1, PIEZO2, and TRPM8 receptors that detect pres ...

, K. Barry Sharpless, and Kurt Wüthrich, as well as many other notable scientists, including Phil S. Baran, Donna Blackmond, Dale L. Boger,

Benjamin Cravatt III Benjamin Franklin Cravatt III is a professor in the Department of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Considered a co-inventor of activity-based proteomics and a substantial contributor to research on the endoca ...

, William R. Roush,

Paul Schimmel Paul Reinhard Schimmel (born August 4, 1940) is an American biophysical chemist and translational medicine pioneer. Career Paul Schimmel is a Professor of Molecular Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute. Prior to joining The Scripps Resea ...

, Peter G. Schultz,

Gary Siuzdak Gary Siuzdak is an American chemist best known for his work in the field of metabolomics, activity metabolomics (a termed coined in 2019), and mass spectrometry. His lab discovered indole-3-propionic acid as a gut bacteria derived metabolite in 20 ...

Eric Topol Eric Jeffrey Topol (born June 26, 1954) is an American cardiologist, scientist, and author. He is the founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, a professor of Molecular Medicine and Executive Vice-President at Scripp ...

Charles Weissmann Charles Weissmann (born 14 October 1931) is a Hungarian-Swiss molecular biologist. Weissmann is particularly known for the first cloning and expression of interferon and his contributions to the unraveling of the molecular genetics of neurogenera ...

, Ian Wilson, Peter Wright, Chi-Huey Wong and John R. Yates. In addition to the Nobel laureates, the Scripps Research faculty includes numerous members of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), known as the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineerin ...

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

and

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

, as well as winners of the

Wolf Prize in Chemistry The Wolf Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Agriculture, Mathematics, Medicine, Physics and Arts. The Wo ...

and

MacArthur Fellows Program The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and colloquially called the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to typically between 20 and ...

("genius grant"). The board of directors includes John D. Diekman (founder of 5AM Ventures), William R. Hearst III (chairman of the board, Hearst Corporation), Ge Li (founder of

WuXi AppTec WuXi AppTec (WuXi is pronounced as ''Wu-shee'') is a global pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and medical device company. History WuXi PharmaTech was founded in December 2000 in Shanghai by organic chemist Ge Li. The company opened chemistry ...

), and Joel S. Marcus (founder, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.).

Research rankings

According to the 2017

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

Innovation Index, Scripps Research is the #1 most influential research institution in the world (LENS score of 18.1), followed by

The Rockefeller University The Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. It is classifi ...

(LENS score of 15.4) and the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT) (LENS score of 9.4). Scripps Research was noted as a standout in the Science Watch survey of "high-impact" papers in chemistry (1997–2008), ranked number one worldwide by citations per paper. Another measure of productivity, the

Hirsch index The ''h''-index is an author-level metric that measures both the productivity and citation impact of the publications, initially used for an individual scientist or scholar. The ''h''-index correlates with success indicators such as winning the ...

(which has been published by Chemistry World), placed six Scripps Research scientists – Wüthrich, Sharpless, Lerner, Yates, Schultz, and Chi-Huey Wong – in the top 100 of 2,000 chemists rated. Science Watch placed Sharpless within the Top 10 list of its "Top 100 Chemists 2000–2010" based on citations impact; other faculty in the list were the late Carlos F. Barbas and John R. Yates. In addition, a Thomson-Reuters's list of researchers ranked in the top one percent by citations in their field (2002 to 2012) included TSRI researchers Phil S. Baran (chemistry); the late Carlos F. Barbas (chemistry); Dennis Burton (microbiology);

(biology and biochemistry); Pascal Poignard (microbiology); K. Barry Sharpless (chemistry);

(genomic and digital medicine); Ian Wilson (microbiology); Richard Wyatt (microbiology); and Jin-Quan Yu (chemistry).

Medical contributions

Medical therapies based on Scripps Research findings include: *

Adalimumab Adalimumab, sold under the brand name Humira and others, is a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug and monoclonal antibody used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn' ...

(Humira) for

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...

and other inflammatory conditions *

Belimumab Belimumab, sold under the brand name Benlysta, is a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits B-cell activating factor (BAFF), also known as B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS). It is approved in the United States and Canada, and the European Union to ...

(Benlysta) for

lupus Lupus, formally called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Common ...

Cladribine Cladribine, sold under the brand name Leustatin, among others, is a medication used to treat hairy cell leukemia (formally named leukemic reticuloendotheliosis) and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Cladribine, sold under the brand name Mav ...

(Leustatin) for

hairy cell leukemia Hairy cell leukemia is an uncommon hematological malignancy characterized by an accumulation of abnormal B lymphocytes. The incidence of hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is 0.28-0.30 cases per 100,000 people in Europe and the United States and the pre ...

* Purification of

Factor VIII Coagulation factor VIII (Factor VIII, FVIII, also known as anti-hemophilic factor (AHF)) is an essential blood clotting protein. In humans, it is encoded by ''F8'' gene. Defects in this gene result in hemophilia A, an X-linked bleeding disorder ...

for

hemophilia Haemophilia (British English), or hemophilia (American English) (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a long ...

Tafamidis Tafamidis, sold under the brand names Vyndaqel and Vyndamax, is a medication used to delay disease progression in adults with certain forms of transthyretin amyloidosis. It can be used to treat both hereditary forms, familial amyloid cardiomyo ...

(Vyndaqel) for

transthyretin Transthyretin (TTR or TBPA) is a transport protein in the plasma and cerebrospinal fluid that transports the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) and retinol to the liver. This is how transthyretin gained its name: ''transports thyroxine and retinol' ...

amyloidosis Amyloidosis is a group of diseases in which abnormal proteins, known as amyloid fibrils, build up in tissue. There are several non-specific and vague signs and symptoms associated with amyloidosis. These include fatigue, peripheral edema, weigh ...

(ATTR) * Lucinactant (Surfaxin) for

infant respiratory distress syndrome Infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS), also known as surfactant deficiency disorder (SDD), and previously called hyaline membrane disease (HMD), is a syndrome in premature infants caused by developmental insufficiency of pulmonary surfacta ...

* Ramucirumab (Cyramza) for gastric and non-small cell lung cancer * Dinutuximab (Unituxin) for the childhood cancer neuroblastoma * Ozanimod (Zeposia) for multiple sclerosis *COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for protection against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 * Pegvaliese (Palynziq) for phenylketonuria * Sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy) for urinary tract cancers

Education

Scripps Research's Graduate Program

The graduate program at Scripps Research started in 1989 as the Macromolecular and Cellular Structure and Chemistry (MCSC) Program. A program in Chemistry followed three years after the establishment of the MCSC Program. In 2003, the institute redefined the curriculum to allow and encourage students to build course loads in an interdisciplinary manner. In 2005, Scripps Research's graduate program expanded to encompass the Jupiter, Florida campus. Today, approximately 300 graduate students are enrolled in the program, which offers doctoral degrees in the chemical and biological sciences. In addition to its Ph.D. programs, Scripps Research offers a master's degree in the discipline of Clinical and Translational Investigation (MCTI) for physician-scientists. The institute also administers the Skaggs-Oxford Scholarship program, which enables students to pursue a joint Ph.D./D.Phil. with the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. The most recent graduate school rankings by ''U.S. News & World Report'' places Scripps Research's program as 6th in chemistry (2nd in

, 5th in

) and 10th in biological sciences. In 2018, the program was renamed the Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences following a gift from the Skaggs family.

Medical schools

Florida Atlantic University launched a new joint MD/PhD program association with Scripps Florida. The first students entered the new program in fall 2011. Previously, Scripps Research and the

Scripps Health Scripps Health is a nonprofit health care system based in San Diego, California. The system includes five hospital campuses and 30 outpatient centers and clinics, and treats more than 600,000 patients annually through 3,000 affiliated physicians. ...

hospital network explored the idea of starting a medical school in California, but this project did not come to fruition.

Outreach programs

The California and Florida campuses both offer educational outreach programs for high school students and undergraduates interested in learning more about science.

Scripps Florida

The Florida campus of Scripps Research operates a state-of-the-art biomedical research facility focusing on neuroscience, cancer biology, medicinal chemistry,

drug discovery In the fields of medicine, biotechnology, and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which new candidate medications are discovered. Historically, drugs were discovered by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or ...

, biotechnology, and alternative energy development. More than 500 faculty, staff and students occupy Scripps Research's Florida campus. The facility's grand opening took place on February 26, 2009, five years after Scripps Florida started operating. It was a public ceremony that drew many dignitaries, including then-Florida Gov.

Charlie Crist Charles Joseph Crist Jr. ( ; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. represen ...

. In 2022, Scripps Florida became a part of University of Florida Health. In October 2022, it received a $100 million donation from UF alumnus

Herbert Wertheim Herbert A. Wertheim (born May 23, 1939) is an American Optometry, optometrist, inventor, billionaire businessman, and philanthropist. He is the founder and president of Brain Power Incorporated (BPI). He has been chairman of the Dr. Herbert a ...

. It was renamed ''Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology'' after the donation.

Research

The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute received $64.8 million in annual research revenue in 2024.

Funding

Grants and contracts provide funding for a significant portion of the institute's research. This revenue is derived primarily from the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

and other federal agencies. In addition, grantors include, among others, the

American Cancer Society The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals ''Cancer'', '' CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians'' and '' Cancer Cytopathology''. History The society w ...

, the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...

, the

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the United States established to provide the means to cure cystic fibrosis (CF) and ensure that those living with CF live long and productive lives. The Foundation pro ...

, the

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1949, is a voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting blood cancer world-wide. LLS funds blood cancer research on cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin ...

, and the Juvenile Diabetes Association. Gifts from individuals and private foundations provide an important source of funding for Scripps Research. In 2008,

Audrey Geisel Audrey Grace Florine Stone (August 14, 1921 – December 19, 2018) was the second wife of American children's book author Dr. Seuss, Theodor Geisel ( Dr. Seuss), to whom she was married from 1968 until his death in 1991. She founded Dr. Seuss Ent ...

had a star named after her in recognition of her 50 years of support. Private foundations that have provided support include the ALSAM Foundation, Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust, W.M. Keck Foundation, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation,

Pew Charitable Trusts The Pew Charitable Trusts is an independent non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO), founded in 1948. Pew's stated mission is to serve the public interest by "improving public policy, informing the public, and invigorating civic life". ...

, the Ellison Medical Foundation,

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be the third largest charitable foundation in the world, holding $ ...

, and Harold L. Dorris Foundation. The establishment of the Scripps Florida campus was made possible by a one-time $310 million appropriation of federal economic development funds and by the Florida State Legislature and by an economic package provided by

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's third-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and Broward County and the 24th-most populous in the United States, wi ...

References

External links

* *
The Scripps Research Institute's Graduate Program

Scripps Research Timeline

MSS 72
Special Collections & Archives
UC San Diego Library. {{authority control Biomedical research foundations Independent research institutes Universities and colleges in San Diego Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges 1991 establishments in California Florida Atlantic University La Jolla, San Diego Scripps family Non-profit organizations based in San Diego Neuroscience research centers in the United States Research institutes in California