Scripps Research Center to Open in Palm Beach County

A major biomedical research, technology development and drug design institute is headed to Palm Beach County.

The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is in the process of expanding to Florida after lengthy discussions with Governor Jeb Bush and various state and local leaders led to unanimous support of the new facility.

February 27 groundbreaking ceremony for Scripps Florida temporary facilities on the Jupiter campus of Florida Atlantic University scheduled to open in late 2004. (Left to Right) Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty; TSRI professor Steve Kay; Florida Atlantic University President Frank Brogan; TSRI Executive Vice President, General Counsel Douglas Bingham; Florida Governor Jeb Bush; Board of Palm Beach County Commissioners Chair Karen Marcus; and Vice President of Florida Atlantic University Jupiter Campus Kristen Murtaugh.

“Scripps is the brand name in biomedical research and we are honored they have chosen Florida to expand their current research facilities,” said Governor Bush. “They have a proven track record of working closely with local industry, businesses and university systems in San Diego and we eagerly anticipate the same kind of partnership.”

The Scripps Research Institute campus occupies 14 buildings with a million square feet of lab space, nestled among biotech and pharmaceutical companies on La Jolla’s Torrey Pines Mesa.

TSRI, one of the world’s largest private, non-profit biomedical research organizations, will continue to operate and expand activities and programs at its main campus in La Jolla, California, according to TSRI President Richard A. Lerner, MD.

Workmen prepare foundation for FAU Jupiter lab building to be used by Scripps Florida until its new state-of-the-art, 364,000-square foot permanent facilities are completed in northwest Palm Beach County in late 2006.

“Based on our history and experience in La Jolla, the extension of Scripps activities will increase the scope and depth of significant research in biomedical science,” said Lerner. “The synergy between Scripps biomedical research in California and Florida is expected to lead to major new developments to improve human health.”

Beginning later this year, TSRI expects to occupy temporary laboratory space while it constructs a state-of-the-art, 364,000 square foot facility on 100 acres to be occupied in 2006 and ultimately staffed by approximately 545 scientists, technicians and support personnel. State legislators have appropriated $310 million to Scripps which will be spread out over seven years to cover start-up costs.

Renowned for breakthroughs for cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, this new bicoastal presence will bring even greater opportunity for life-saving and life-enhancing research, and will provide the area with a high-tech image that has obviously thrilled the local community.

This East Coast expansion will greatly aid Scripps in the recruitment of top-level European scientists, according to Keith McKeown, TSRI’s vice president of communications, and will also benefit area residents.

“The expansion will open up eight-week internship opportunities for high school students in Florida beginning in the summer of 2005, where 30-40 students can work literally elbow-to-elbow with some of the brightest scientists in the world,” said McKeown. “The idea is to encourage students to consider the sciences as a profession through on-the-job involvement.”

McKeown said the Florida office also hopes to replicate the Kellogg School of Science and Technology in California, Scripps’ own educational system that offers PhD degree in biology and chemistry.

TSRI stands at the forefront of basic biomedical science that seeks to comprehend the most fundamental processes of life. It was founded in 1924 as the Scripps Metabolic Clinic through a gift by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps. Its staff of 3000 includes three Nobel Laureates among its 288 principal investigators. Scripps is internationally recognized for its research into immunology, molecular and cellular biology, chemistry, neurosciences, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases and synthetic vaccine development. Scripps research has had significant implications for a host of medical conditions including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, AIDS, blindness, addiction, and neurogenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s. Primary funding sources include the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies, collaborative partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, and philanthropic support from foundations, health-related associations and individuals world-wide.