About Us
In March 2006, the Burnham Biomedical Research Institute (subsequently renamed the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute), the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Scripps Research and the UC San Diego formed San Diego Consortium for Regenerative Medicine and adopted the mission of expanding collaborative stem cell research and translating discoveries into clinical therapies and cures.
In September 2008, philanthropist T. Denny Sanford of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, announced an extraordinary donation of $30 million. In recognition of this donation, the collaboratory was renamed the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. Concurrently, in a separate act of philanthropic generosity, Mr. Sanford pledged $50 million to one of the member institutions that promptly renamed itself the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.
In October 2011, the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology became the fifth collaborating organization to join the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine.
Scientists affiliated with the five institutions have an internationally renowned record of scientific excellence, and include among their ranks National Academy of Sciences members and Nobel Prize winners. Entrepreneurial faculty at these institutions also have an impressive history of successfully translating basic, academic research into thriving private sector companies; all combined, more than 150 spin-off companies originated by faculty from these institutions operate in the San Diego region and have brought numerous products to commercial markets.
In December 2011, the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine brought together researchers from the collaborating organizations under a single roof in a new world-class facility, funded in large part through a $43 million major facilities grant award from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).
The facility, centrally located among the five member institutions, is enabling scientists to share intellectual capital so that research may progress in a faster, smarter and more effective manner. In addition to shaping advances in stem cell science, the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine is committed to nurturing the next generation of scientific leaders. Top researchers from around the world are working side-by-side with tomorrow’s leaders in a synergistic environment.