Big Buck

the time has come2012 annual report

age-related disease is arguably the single greatest challenge for biomedicine in the 21st century.

and for governments around the world, the greatest challenge may be the tidal wave of health and economic impacts caused by rapidly aging populations.

through a remarkable convergence of events, the Buck Institute for research on aging is now positioned to take a central role in addressing this global health crisis.

the time has come for the Buck Institute to fulfill its founding promise to increase healthspan—the healthy years of human life.

4 Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

The Buck Index 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Letter from the President . . . . . . . . 8

Letter from the Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Going Global . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Year in Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Postdoc Collaborations . . . . . . . . . 26

Geroscience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Faculty Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Board of Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Scientific Advisory Board . . . . . . . 43

Buck Advisory Council . . . . . . . . . . 44

Financial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Honor Roll of Donors . . . . . . . . . . . 48

the time has come2012 annual report

Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report 5

Number of people worldwide who will be age 65 and older by 2030: 1 in 81

Growth rate of older populations in developed countries between 2010 and 2050: 71%

growth rate in less developed countries: 250%2

Percentage of older Americans living with one chronic condition: 80%

percentage living with at least two: 50%3

Portion of United States’ health care costs used to treat chronic diseases: two-thirds4

Percentage of older Americans’ health care costs spent to treat chronic diseases: 95%5

Percentage that the lifespan of healthy nematode worms is extended when exposed to Thioflavin T,

a common laboratory dye: 50% 6

Rank of the United States of per capita health expenditures in the world: 17

Chance that an American age 65 or older has Alzheimer’s: 1 in 88

Expected increase in Alzheimer’s disease costs in the United States between 2011 and 2050:

$183 billion to $1 .1 trillion9

Percentage that weekly moderate exercise reduces the risk of developing breast and colon cancers: 21–25%10

Chance that a woman in a high-income country is sufficiently active: 1 in 211

Percentage of Americans age 65 and older who did not exercise in the past month: nearly 32%12

Percentage of all American cancer cases diagnosed in people age 55 and older: 77%13

1 National Institute on Aging. “Overview: Our Aging World.” Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective.

2 National Institute on Aging. “Humanity’s Aging.” Global Health and Aging.

3, 19 National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adult and Community Health. “At a Glance 2011” Healthy Aging: Helping People to Live Long and Productive Lives and Enjoy a Good Quality of Life.

4, 5, 12 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Merck Family Foundation. The State of Aging and Health in America 2007.

6 Alavez, Silvestre, et al., “Amyloid-binding Compounds Maintain Protein Homeostasis During Ageing and Extend Lifespan.” Nature 472 (2011): 226–229.

7 World Health Organization. World Health Statistics 2012. (Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2012).

8, 9 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC Healthy Brain Initiative: Progress 2006–2011. (Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011).

10, 11, 16, 21, 22, 24 World Health Organization. Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseases 2010. (Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2011).

the buck index 2012


Lifetime risk of developing cancer for an American man: 1 in 214

Lifetime risk of developing cancer for an American woman: 1 in 315

Percentage of cancers that can be prevented by improving diet, physical activity, and body composition:

27–39% 16

Percentage that Buck CEO Brian Kennedy believes laboratory research will extend the human healthspan: 15% 17

Expected percentage of Americans living with cardiovascular disease in 2030: 41% 18

Percentage of deaths caused by heart disease in Americans age 65 and older: 28% 19

Frequency that an American dies from a coronary event: one every minute 20

Number of deaths that could be prevented each year worldwide if salt consumption were reduced to recommended level:

2,500,00021

Percentage of the world’s adults who are overweight: 35% 22

Percentage of Americans age 65 and older living with diabetes: 27% 23

Percentage that engaging in weekly moderate physical activity reduces the risk of developing diabetes: 27% 24

Percentage of the world’s blind people who are age 50 and older: 82% 25

Percentage of visually impaired people who live in developing countries: more than 90% 26

Percentage increase in the lifespan of nematode worms when treated with lithium: 46% 27 Percentage that rapamycin extends lifespan in mice: 12% 28

the buck index 2012

13, 14, 15 American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures, 2012. (Atlanta, GA: American Cancer Society, 2012).

17 Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Buck Institute Helps Launch National “Healthspan Campaign.”

18 Heidenreich, Paul A., et al., “Forecasting the Future of Cardiovascular Disease in the United States.” Circulation. E-pub January 24, 2011.

20 Lloyd-Jones, Donald, et al., “Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2010 Update: A Report from the American Heart Association.” Circulation 121 (2010): e46–e215.

23 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Fact Sheet: National Esti-mates and General Information on Diabetes and Prediabetes in the United States, 2011. (Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, 2011).

25, 26 World Health Organization. Vision 2020: The Right to Sight. Global Initiative for the Elimination of Avoidable Blindness, Action Plan 2006–2011. (Geneva, Switzerland. World Health Organization, 2007).

27 McColl, Gawain, et al., “Pharmacogenetic Analysis of Lithium-induced Delayed Aging in Caenor-habditis Elegans.” Journal of Biological Chemistry 283 (2008): 350–357.

28 Harrison, David, et al., “Rapamycin Fed Late in Life Extends Lifespan in Genetically Hetero-geneous Mice.” Nature 460 (2009): 392–395.


A stunning percentage of the world’s population will be over the age of 60 by 2025. By 2050, the percentage will be 41.5% in Japan, 33.9% in China, and 26.6% in the United

States. No surprise, then, that there is a growing global health crisis as a result of these rapidly aging populations, the chronic diseases associated with aging, the inadequate support services in nearly every country, and the lack of agreement about how aging and disease are linked.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services expect national health expenditures to reach $54.2 billion by 2020 for Americans age 65 years and older. A study from the Milken Institute determined that chronic diseases will cost Americans $4.2 trillion in treatment costs and lost economic output by 2023. But unless there are changes in what we know about aging and how we treat the aging and increasingly sick populations among us, that money will be spent inefficiently on treating individual diseases or building new hospitals rather than on disease prevention and researching the mechanisms of aging that are the cause of so many agerelated disorders.

The Buck Institute for Research on Aging is creating new global alliances that advance innovation, accelerate research, bring new treatments to market, increase understanding and education, and most importantly, extend the healthy years of life—our healthspan. These goals are urgent and universally important. The effect of even a 5year extension of healthspan will ripple dramatically throughout global health care networks, economies, political systems, and societies.

The Buck has never been in a better position to effect change in the way people around the world confront the challenges of aging and chronic disease. And now we are an even stronger voice advocating prevention and personal choice as it relates to individual health.

Through numerous new global initiatives and collaborations, the Buck is more visible than ever before. Playing on the global stage for the first time, the Buck is pursuing major opportunities to advance the science and understanding of aging. Now more than ever, we need your financial support to keep this momentum going.

As we have demonstrated during the past year and, indeed, the past decade, the Buck Institute is taking a unique approach to the problems of aging and age related disease by cultivating collaborative thinking and experimentation. We’re attracting and retaining the best scientists with an organizational structure that places research before all else, eliminating bureaucracy and the need for scientists to teach. Our stateoftheart research facility is expanding to accommodate a critical mass of leaders and innovative thinkers in every field of aging research—all working together to address the problems of aging. This environment and approach are fostering critical links between research, translational medicine, and health care policy. And we’re growing a global network that informs our perspective and the urgency with which we work.

We are moved to action by the scale of the problems facing us, and we are firmly committed to this direction in the years ahead. Please join us by supporting our many initiatives, research, and programs.

Brian K. Kennedy, PhD President and Chief Executive Officer

Letter from the President


It is my great fortune to represent the Board of Trustees of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging during a period of such remarkable development, growth, and accomplishment. The

momentum that has developed since the arrival of Brian Kennedy as President and CEO is evident in the hiring of exceptional new faculty and staff, the building of facilities that foster scientific collaboration, the creation of the Buck Advisory Council, and the expansion of the Board of Trustees.

Today, more than 12 years after the Buck was founded, the scientific and medical community has come to recognize what we have always known: that an understanding of aging processes leads directly to an understanding of the causes of an enormous range of neurodegenerative diseases and other disorders, such as Parkinson’s, macular degeneration, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

The goal of the Buck Institute is to find ways of preventing and treating these diseases and disorders to increase “healthspan”—the years of healthy, active living. Our vision is for the Buck Institute to become a global center for research and information on aging that is as important in its field as the Mayo Clinic is in diagnosis and clinical treatment. Most gratifying in this regard is the increasing number of outstanding scientists who want to come to our Institute.

The success of our scientists in obtaining competitive research grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other sources has been remarkable, especially during this period of restricted governmental funding. Many of their accomplishments and expanding international collaborations are described in this Annual Report.

Much has been achieved since our last Annual Report under the leadership of my predecessors, Lew Reid and Catherine Munson. That progress has continued this

year with the addition of 10 new trustees to our Board, broadening our capabilities and perspectives and strengthening our committees.

Of course, much remains to be done if we are to achieve our vision. We receive between $5 and $6 million annually from the original Buck Trust, based on a fixed percentage of the Trust’s income. This Buck Trust support launched the Institute and enabled it to get where it is today. To reach the next level, however, we must increase our philanthropic support, both locally and internationally.

We have many philanthropic opportunities that can be tailored to the specific interests of a donor. For example, you could help underwrite research on the cause and prevention of a specific disease, such as Parkinson’s, thereby enabling our scientists to pursue a promising line of research not otherwise funded. Alternatively, you could help fund doctoral candidates in a PhD program that we are hoping to launch with the University of Southern California—the first program of its kind in aging—or you could help us broaden the scope of our science by supporting the recruitment of a talented researcher in a field of interest.

We are also exploring opportunities for venture philanthropy—something that seems a natural for us since our entrepreneurial spirit and independence give us considerable flexibility in structuring arrangements.

Naturally, we would welcome the chance to explore these ideas and more with you.

James Edgar Chair, Board of Trustees

Letter from the chair


In 2011–2012 business development became a top priority in the Buck Institute’s business plan. The new emphasis arose from a combination of factors—the increasing number of discoveries

about the biology of aging by the Buck’s 20 principal investigators and more than 200 scientists, the decline in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the conclusion of a major Geroscience grant, and the growing need for partners with complementary clinical, regulatory, and manufacturing capabilities.

By the end of the fiscal year, the Business Development and Technology Advancement department included three remarkable individuals with impressive résumés in biology, organic chemistry, drug development, patent application, licensing agreements, and new business entity creation and management. Capitalizing on their expertise, the Buck Institute adopted a vigorous and farreaching approach to the creation of new opportunities, collaborations, and partnerships with academic institutions, corporations, and nonprofits across the globe.

Meetings this past year with potential partners in Brazil, Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Chile, Madagascar, China, Turkey, and many countries throughout the Middle East confirmed an urgent, global need for the Buck’s research on aging and for the therapies poised to emerge from its laboratories. Productive discussions ensued on earlystage investments in promising research on the chronic diseases of aging,

geographically restricted licensing arrangements, new patent applications, joint research ventures, and the creation of a forprofit entity to produce and distribute new products developed with the Buck’s scientific expertise.

Dedicated to understanding and deepening the world’s knowledge of the aging process in all its complexity, the Buck Institute is now on the threshold of fulfilling its mission to increase healthspan—the healthy, productive years of life. The priority of partnering underscores our determination to push the boundaries of aging science and to accelerate the pace of bringing new therapeutic treatments to aging populations around the world.

the time has come for new business networks and partnering

GoinG GLobaL

“Chronic diseases are a correlate of aging and responsible for more than 63% of global deaths. as a global leader in science, the Buck is taking initiative in health policy-making and promoting innovation in the fields of chronic disease prevention and healthy aging.”

—Professor Joseph Antoun, MD, MS, MPP Adjunct Professor of Health and Public Policy


First Foray into Global Public Policy

In the fall of 2011 the Buck Institute welcomed Joseph Antoun as Adjunct Professor of Health and Public Policy. A

crossnational/comparative health policy expert, Professor Antoun is helping the Buck explore the possibility of developing a PhD program in aging research and guiding the Buck’s entry into the global debate on health care policy.

“Professor Antoun’s medical and business expertise is allowing us to move into this new sphere of health care policy and join the debate about how this country develops and distributes new drugs,” says President and CEO Brian K. Kennedy. “With the work in our labs and the expansion of our educational programs, we aim to have a major impact on global health. At the same time, we want to make sure that public policy includes an ‘aging’ perspective.”

Prior to his appointment, Professor Antoun was the public policy and strategic development leader for emerging and developing markets at Eli Lilly and Company. He is President and CEO of Health Sys

tem Reform S.A.L., a consultancy aimed at improving public health through health policy. Professor Antoun is the codirector of the Center for Health Policy at the University of Chicago where he teaches Health Systems, Pharmaceutical Policy, and Leadership in Healthcare. He is also a visiting fellow in the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Professor Antoun received his master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University and his medical doctorate and master’s degree in medical and biological sciences from Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon. He serves on the scientific advisory board of the Akbaraly Foundation’s 4AWOMAN project, the first national oncology project in SubSaharan Africa, and on the Dean’s International Council of the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

beLoW: Brian Kennedy and Joseph Antoun speaking at a community seminar focused on global health care and chronic disease .

buck advisory counciLFounded in 2011, the Buck Advi-sory Council (BAC) is a diverse group of women and men from around the world who are com-mitted to supporting the mission of the Buck Institute and serving as its informal global ambassa-dors . Council members include leaders in venture capital, busi-ness, finance, consultancy, law, technology, and other fields of endeavor . Many have served as pillars of their communities and are among the most respected in their professions .

Each year, the BAC convenes a domestic meeting and an inter-national meeting for the purpose of engaging its members with the most recent developments in the fields of aging, disease, and health care . In addition, the BAC presents scientific and humani-tarian awards to individuals who demonstrate exceptional accom-plishment and dedication in their area of expertise .

above: Cinzia Akbaraly, the president of Madagascar’s Akbaraly Foundation, receives the BAC Humanitarian Award; Nobel Prize–winning economist Myron Scholes is the recipient of the BAC Award for Scientific Achievement .


Global Leader in revolutionary stem cell technology

One of the most tantalizing prospects in biomedical research is the possibility of using stem cells to

replace cells in our brains and other organs that have been damaged by the diseases of aging. From her lab at the Buck Institute, Xianmin Zeng, PhD, is leading a global charge to get a stem cell treatment for Parkinson’s disease ready for clinical trials.

Parkinson’s slowly destroys the dopamineproducing neurons in the brain that control movement. Zeng says the initial challenge in the search for a stem cell treatment for Parkinson’s was getting the right stem cells to use to replace the

destroyed cells. Zeng had already generated dopamineproducing neurons from human embryonic stem cells when she came to the Buck from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2005. When technology was developed in 2006 to reverseengineer adult stem cells to become embryonicstemcelllike cells, she jumped on the opportunity.

But it’s one thing to generate dopamineproducing neurons in a lab dish. It’s another matter entirely to generate a sufficient quantity of clinicalgrade neurons for human trials. In the past 2 years, Zeng developed a method to reproduce the required neurons. Also, she

proved that the method could be scaled up and the cells produced in a good manufacturing practice (GMP) manufacturing facility, which is a core requirement for clinical trials.

Zeng’s manufacturing partner is the City of Hope’s GMP manufacturing facility near Los Angeles, California. They have already produced some of the cells, which the Zeng Lab is currently testing to validate that they have the same function as those the lab has produced. In parallel with longterm safety studies, including a 9month test in mice to ensure that the cells do not produce tumors, the design of the clinical trial is under way.

GoinG GLobaL

above: Fluorescent images of neural precursor cells and dopaminergic neurons generated from human embryonic stem cells .


Two years ago, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded a grant to Zeng and her longtime collaborator Dr. Mahendra Rao, the director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at the NIH, to prepare the trial and to work on the basic biology of the disease. With clinician and manufacturing partners at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), the City of Hope, Johns Hopkins University, and the NIH, the two are engaged in defining the criteria that will be used to determine the type of patients most likely to benefit from the new stem cell therapy.

Zeng’s work is receiving international attention. She has been globe

trotting this past year to coordinate stem cell manufacturing procedures so that clinical trials can be run in different countries, including Japan, China, Argentina, and Sweden. Argentina’s stem cell consortium, which has an agreement with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, has asked Zeng to serve on its scientific advisory board to advise them on the stem cell protocol she developed.

“My collaborators want to be able to work with their own manufacturing facilities, and to decide which protocol to use. My goal this past year has been to show everyone that we

are one of the first to have verified our data and our protocol in a GMP manufacturing facility.”

At the end of the day, Zeng hopes that the new source of cells will lead to more rapid development of cell replacement therapies for Parkinson’s disease, to better understanding of the mechanism of the disease, and to testing new drugs that may help Parkinson’s patients in the future. “The global collaboration we are doing will get others the tools they need so that they don’t have to start from the beginning. This should speed up the search for new therapies.”

“We are planning and hoping to file an investigational new drug application in the near future. I cannot really tell when we can expect such a therapy, but my hope is for a phase I trial within the next 5 years.”

—Xianmin Zeng, PhD Associate Professor


GoinG GLobaL

Partnering with Madagascar’s akbaraly Foundation

In 2011 Cinzia Akbaraly, founder and president of Madagascar’s Akbaraly Foundation, invited Chris

Benz, MD, to present an overview of the global status of breast cancer at a TEDx Antananarivo event she had organized. Her goal was to call attention to the plight of Madagascar’s women, who were dying of breast and cervical cancers at a high rate.

Having been successfully treated for breast cancer in her native Italy, Akbaraly was passionate to do something about the dire situation of cancer patients in her adopted country, particularly that of the women, the social and economic heart of this island nation. “Madagascar is losing ground very fast,” says Dr. Benz, a practicing oncologist as well as a leading expert on the genetic and structural variations among different breast cancers. “Even though Madagascar has one of the lowest worldwide incidence rates, it has a very high

death rate from breast cancer. And cervical cancer, which we’re essentially eradicating in the United States, is the numberone cancer killer. In SubSaharan Africa, by the time a woman gets diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer, 70% of the time it’s in an incurable stage, so she’s essentially going to die.”

The Akbaraly Foundation’s 4AWOMAN project targets these two killers and is working to raise awareness, expand screening, and establish basic infrastructure in Madagascar. “These are first steps, but we really want to partner with them and form a research alliance,” says Dr. Benz.

Apart from the humanitarian reason, there’s a strong scientific reason for collaborating: the need for data on the special type of breast cancer afflicting the women of Madagascar. One of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer is commonly found in AfricanAmerican women. It lacks biomarkers

that allow for the use of targeted chemical and hormonal therapies, and the pathways driving it are unknown. “Fewer than two dozen indigenous African breast cancers have actually been analyzed in depth,” says Dr. Benz. “We suspect that breast cancers in Madagascar are going to represent an even more aggressive subset of AfricanAmerican breast cancers, but nobody has any data yet.”

Cinzia Akbaraly became a founding member of the Buck Advisory Council, and that’s how she met Dr. Benz. In 2012 she received the BAC’s Humanitarian Award. The problem she is tackling is huge—late diagnoses, lack of drugs and access to clinics, few treatment options, no tumor registries, cultural stigmas, and economic and political instability—and the needs are great. “It’s probably going to take longer than my lifetime, but Cinzia’s an impatient person,” says Dr. Benz. “If this can be done at all, it will be done by Cinzia.”

“If I had not had breast cancer, I would never have had the idea to start 4aWoMan to fight cancer in Madagascar. It was a chance to do something that would relieve pain and serve the women of this country that I love—women who deserve the same level of respect and dignity that I received.”

—Cinzia Akbaraly President, Akbaraly Foundation


Board profile

shahab FatheazaMAs a managing director of Lincoln International and head of the firm’s Healthcare group, Shahab Fatheazam spends 60% of his time on global transactions . That gives this Buck Institute Board

member a unique van-tage point for appreci-ating the role the Insti-tute is poised to play in a world increasingly impacted by aging demographics . “The Buck Institute is at the absolute center of a growing debate that is happening in gov-

ernment, pharmaceuticals, academia, and banking,” he says . “The possibilities are wide open and very exciting . I couldn’t say no when asked to be on the Board last year .”

Fatheazam was educated at Cambridge University in England and earned his MBA at Columbia University . He began his career in the international investment banking department of Kidder, Peabody & Company, where as a “newly minted” vice presi-dent, he witnessed the IPO of biotech pioneer Amgen . He got hooked on health care . “I saw all the tools and services that were needed to make a health care company a success—it really fasci-nated me .”

Fatheazam, who makes his home in Chicago, is eager to bring that same fascination and a wealth of experience to the Buck Institute . “The Buck is doing high-caliber science with exemplary faculty and staff,” he says . “I look forward to being part of its future .”

beLoW: Cinzia Akbaraly and Buck faculty Dr . Chris Benz . Akbaraly received the Humanitarian Award at the 2012 meeting of the Buck Advisory Council .

“For women, aging is the single greatest risk factor for developing breast cancer. By understanding the different molecular and genetic subtypes of breast cancer, new prevention strategies can be designed that will eliminate this deadly disease.”

—Christopher Benz, MD Professor and Program Director


year in revieW

the time has come for realizing the promise of regenerative medicine

new era in stem cell research

In April 2012, the Buck Institute celebrated the opening of its Regenerative Medicine Research Center, bolstering its unique efforts to exploit the promise of stem cell technology to advance

aging research. The goal is to move more rapidly in developing new therapies to prevent and treat the diseases of aging.

The new research center is a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Center of Excellence—one of just 12 stem cell facilities approved for funding throughout the state. The citizens of California, through CIRM, are making this urgently needed research possible. In nine laboratories of this stateoftheart building, stellar scientists, including two new faculty, are currently collaborating on research and using stem cell technology to detect, delay, prevent, and treat the scourges of aging—Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration, and stroke.

The new building, which incorporates many “green” technologies, symbolizes for the Buck the hope and promise of stem cell research. This fitting stage for the Buck’s expanded focus on regenerative medicine would not have been possible without CIRM, which provided half of the funding for the $41 million building. CIRM is also funding some of the stem cell research underway in the Center’s research labs and supporting the crucial training of new stem cell scientists. These investments will benefit Californians and people around the world for years to come.


“We are so proud to have had the opportunity and privilege to fund part of the construction of this new building. We are looking forward to hearing about all of the wonderful research that will come out of this facility.”

—Jonathan Thomas, Chair CIRM Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee

LeFt to riGht: Jonathan Thomas, Chair, CIRM; Brian Kennedy, PhD, Buck Institute President and CEO; Alan Trounson, PhD, President, CIRM; James Edgar, Chair, Buck Board of Trustees .

above: Model of completed Buck campus . Future funding will enable construction of two additional research buildings approved in the Buck master plan .


boosting the regenerative Power of adult stem cells to enhance Longevity

The Buck’s newest faculty member, Henri Jasper, PhD, brings an international reputation as a stem cell biology star to the Institute. Jasper is renowned for making fundamental

discoveries about the role of stress signaling and aging on stem cell behavior.

The Germanborn scientist spent the summer of 2012 relocating his lab—1,500 genetically unique strains of fruit flies (approximately 20,000 individual flies) and six lab members—from the University of Rochester to the Institute’s Regenerative Medicine Research Center.

Jasper, who received his PhD from the University of Heidelberg in Germany and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is focused on enhancing the function of adult stem cells. As we age, adult stem cells—which live in pockets throughout our bodies and go to work when important tissues are damaged—become less effective. He wants to understand how adult stem cells regenerate damaged tissue and why their regenerative potential declines with age.

Jasper was one of the first aging researchers to use stem cells in the intestines of fruit flies to test how aging affects stem cell function. Jasper is also using the retinas of fruit flies to determine how insulin and stresssignaling pathways control tissue regeneration, metabolic homeostasis, and cell death.

“We think the shortlived fruit fly, with tissues and genetics that can be easily manipulated, offers a perfect scientific palette for this inquiry,” Jasper says. While the fruit fly is an ideal model system for his work, he plans to expand his research to mammals, specifically to the respiratory systems of mice, which regenerate from a stem cell population that closely resembles the intestinal stem cells of fruit flies.

Jasper recently received a highly competitive grant of $1 million from the National Eye Institute to continue research on developing the fruit fly as a model to study degenerative eye diseases. He is focusing on the retina, the lightsensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye. His aim is to understand the complex cellular processes that kick in when the retina needs to eliminate cellular debris, including the wreckage associated with aging. The funding will enable the Jasper Lab

to study the underlying mechanisms causing retinal diseases such as macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults. The Jasper Lab will collaborate with the Lamba Lab, which is developing stem cell replacement therapies to treat macular degeneration.

The Buck Institute was on Jasper’s radar screen as a potential place to work for many years. A visit in 2011 finally convinced him to make the move. “I was struck by the collaborative spirit at the Buck—it really is a unique environment,” says Jasper. “The opportunity to do interdisciplinary work with so many outstanding scientists focused on aging and disease is very exciting.”

Jasper has already begun collaborating with the Kennedy and Kapahi labs. The three groups intersect in their interest in the effects of diet and stress on aging, and they plan to explore the effects of metabolic signaling on stem cell maintenance and regeneration.

year in revieW: neW FacuLty


“It’s the science that counts, and that’s why I’ve come to the Buck. the Institute is poised to make major contributions to the field of regenerative medicine, and I am very excited to be a part of that.”

—Henri Jasper, PhD Professor


year in revieW: neW FacuLty

innovating with stem cells to treat vision disorders

For people suffering from agerelated macular degeneration—a disease that progressively destroys central vision—Deepak Lamba, MBBS, PhD, is offering new hope with his stem cell

research, which is under way in the Buck’s new Regenerative Medicine Research Center.

Vision problems often spark a downward spiral in the health of older people. An estimated 11 million people in the United States alone have some form of macular degeneration, making it the leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 years of age and older. Dr. Lamba, who joined the Buck Institute in October 2011, is using stem cell technology to identify new methods to combat macular degeneration as well as glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa.

Photoreceptors, Dr. Lamba says, are the key cells needed to treat macular degeneration. As a graduate student, he pioneered the development of efficient methods of making these retinal cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Taking advantage of new technology, he also derives retinal cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). An iPSC is a cell taken from any tissue that has been reverseengineered to behave like an embryonic stem cell. Utilizing both hESCs and iPSCs, he has generated differentiated photoreceptors—the cells in the eye that respond to light—and has successfully transplanted these cells into

the eyes of mice. When Dr. Lamba tested the stemcelltransplanted eyes for vision, they responded to light. “Now I need to determine if there will be any issues with tumor development in the new cells,” says Dr. Lamba. “I also need to ascertain how long the transplanted cells survive.”

Dr. Lamba’s work goes beyond developing stem cell replacement therapies. He is using iPSC technology to generate eye cells from skin cells to better understand and prevent, or develop treatments for, diseases like glaucoma. Eye diseases in the glaucoma group often share traits such as high eye pressure, damage to the optic nerve, and gradual sight loss. “Glaucoma is a complicated disorder since it affects the ganglion cells, which project from the eye to the brain,” says Dr. Lamba. “Transplantation would be much more difficult, so I’m using iPS cell technology to create cells that can be used to screen existing drugs in order to identify those that might be useful as a treatment.”

Dr. Lamba came to the Buck because he wanted to be part of the Institute’s larger focus on delaying the aging process itself. He is studying retinitis pigmentosa, a group of hereditary eye diseases that lead to blindness. “In many people, the symptoms of the disease don’t show up until age 50 or 60. Delaying the aging process would make a huge difference for these patients.”


above: Lamba Lab members are (clockwise from left): Mark Gutierrez, Deepak Lamba, Joe Reynolds, Ilan Riess, and Thelma Garcia .

“Impaired eyesight often heralds a sharp decline in quality of life for seniors. losing the ability to read, drive, and safely navigate one’s surroundings can be devastating.”

—Deepak Lamba, MBBS, PhD Assistant Professr


reversing the aging Process

What is going wrong with our biological clock as we age? Victoria Lunyak, PhD, and her lab team began searching for answers by hypothesizing that DNA

damage in the genome of adult stem cells would look quite different from the agerelated damage occurring in regular body cells.

Human adult stem cells regenerate their tissues of origin, always keeping the body in a state of flux. For example, muscle tissue is fully regenerated every 15 years, skin cells become “new” every 4 weeks, and the cells in our skeleton turn over every 10 years. Adult stem cells also kick into action when tissues are damaged and in need of repair. Unfortunately adult stem cells lose their regenerative powers with age. When this happens, the body no longer replaces the damaged tissue as well as it once could, which leads to a host of diseases.

Much of the damage caused by aging is thought to be a result of cells losing telomeres, the caps found at the ends of chromosomes. But since adult stem cells are known to keep their telomeres, Lunyak suspected that different mechanisms were at play that would explain aging in adult stem cells.

In a landmark study undertaken with scientists from the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Howard Hughes Medical

Institute, Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Center, International Computer Science Institute, Applied Biosystems, and Tel Aviv University, Lunyak’s team at the Buck Institute showed that they can reverse the aging process in human adult stem cells. They accomplished this by suppressing the accumulation of toxic transcripts from retrotransposons, the genetic elements that make up about 42% of the human genome.

“By rewinding the cellular clock in this way,” explains Lunyak, “we were not only able to rejuvenate ‘aged’ human stem cells, but to our surprise we were able to reset them to an earlier developmental stage by upregulating the pluripotency factors—the proteins that are critically involved in the selfrenewal of undifferentiated embryonic stem cells.”

The study’s findings were published in the September 1, 2011, issue of Cell Cycle. If Lunyak’s team can now find a way to keep adult stem cells young, the cells could be used to repair damaged heart tissue after a heart attack, heal wounds, correct metabolic syndromes, produce insulin for patients with type 1 diabetes, cure arthritis and osteoporosis, and regenerate bones.

In its most recent discovery, the Lunyak Lab has found that noncoding RNAs (ribonucleic acids), which make up a large portion of the human genome, provide vital scaffolding for cellular processes in adult stem

cells. This finding implies that the chronic diseases of aging arise from the deterioration of this scaffolding rather than from genetic mutations, giving researchers additional targets for therapeutic interventions.

year in revieW: neW discovery

beLoW: Victoria Lunyak, PhD, Associate Professor .


training a new Generation of scientists

More than a decade ago, Richard Klausner, former Chairman of the National Committee on Science Education, said, “All of us have a stake, as individuals and as a

society, in scientific literacy.” Since then, the need for science education has become critical, especially as the role of the United States as a global leader in technology is called into question. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the challenging economic climate facing public educational institutions has made the situation even

more difficult. Some schools have been forced to reduce or eliminate courses, extracurricular activities, and teacher training in the sciences. Providing assistance in this crucial area was at the core of the Buck Institute’s educational outreach in 2011–2012.

The Buck’s mission is to extend healthspan—the healthy, productive years of life—through research and education. In 2011–2012 the Buck Institute responded to regional needs by expanding its educational

programming, which in the previous 3 years had reached 3,000 children. Following the directives of the Presidential Science, Technology, Engineering and Math campaign (STEM), the Buck tailored its educational programming to enhance the participation and performance of the region’s youth in science and math.

The Buck hired its first fulltime education coordinator for K–12 as well as a director of postdoctoral education. The Institute took the lead in coordinating local activities for the Bay Area Science Festival, a weeklong

celebration of science that drew 4,000 people to its North Bay Discovery Day main event. The Institute also broke ground on a new, stateoftheart, 1,500squarefoot demonstration laboratory and classroom, which will dramatically enhance its ability to provide unique training in science for children and adults.

Throughout 2011–2012, the Buck offered free community education seminars for adults. Buck scientists and executive staff visited community and professional groups to speak about the Institute’s research advances and discoveries in aging and agerelated diseases. The Institute hosted a program called Science in the City—a series of intimate lunches held at the Olympic Club in San Francisco that introduced Buck scientists and their research to members of the business community.

All of these initiatives reflect the Buck Institute’s dedication to developing the next generation of scientists. They also underscore the Buck’s commitment to serve as a regional leader in educating young scientists and the general public, and to sharing the results of our research as broadly as possible—research that offers hope for a healthier lifespan for aging populations everywhere.

AttractInvite children to learn

Pathways to priming the education pipeline

The Buck’s Education Program

RetainChoose to keep learning

PersistLead students to graduate

AttachContinue to STEM careers

Primary to High School

Undergraduate Education

Graduate Education

Professorate/Industry

Algebra Academy

Bay Area Science Festival

High School Summer Scholars

Undergraduate Interns: 2- and 4-year

Graduate Students: MS and PhD

Postdoc Trainees

year in revieW: education


accomplishments

year in revieW

JuLy 2011

The Providence

Journal runs an op-ed

co-authored by

Buck faculty Julie

Andersen, “Are We

Giving U.S. Infants

Too Much Iron?”

Proteome Sciences

and the Benz Lab to

develop biomarker

tests to improve

breast cancer treat-

ment.

auGust 2011

Buck CEO Brian

Kennedy is quoted

in The New York

Times: “Longer lives

for obese mice with

hope for humans of

all sizes.” The article

focuses on a study

involving the exper-

imental drug SRT-

1720.

On August 9, 2011,

the Buck Institute was

awarded a patent

titled “Small Mole-

cules that Replace

or Agonize p53

Function” (US Patent

# US7,994,184 B2).

P53 has been shown

to have the ability to

promote or retard

aging, depending on

the context of its reg-

ulation and activity.

The inventor is Dale

E. Bredesen, MD.

sePteMber 2011

Buck Institute and

Biotica collaboration

will evaluate rapa-

mycin analogs and

other polyketides

in a broad range of

age-related disease

models to identify

novel therapeutics.

Lunyak study in Cell

Cycle, “Scientists

Turn Back Clock

on Adult Stem Cell

Aging.”

Buck Board adds

four new members:

Ned Powell, Shahab

Fatheazam, Barbara

Morrison, and Larry

Rosenberger.

Buck CEO Brian

Kennedy is quoted

extensively in The

Scientist regarding

the controversies over

the role of sirtuins in

lifespan extension

and age research.

october 2011

The appointment of

Joseph Antoun, MD,

as Adjunct Faculty

marks the Buck Insti-

tute’s first foray into

public policy.

New faculty Deepak

Lamba, MBBS, PhD,

arrives at the Buck

Institute. Macular

degeneration is

added to the roster of

age-related diseases

studied at the Buck.

Buck CEO Brian

Kennedy visits the

Middle East where he

explores partnerships

with pharmaceutical

companies, govern-

ments, and research

institutes.

The Arab Times and

Kuwait Times publish

op-eds by Buck CEO

Brian Kennedy on the

epidemic of type 2

diabetes now impact-

ing the Middle East.

noveMber 2011

Buck Institute coor-

dinates North Bay

Discovery Day at

Infineon Raceway on

November 5. More

than 4,000 people

attend the signature

event during the Bay

Area Science Festival.

Buck faculty Judith

Campisi is quoted in

a New York Times

article focusing on

senescent cells and

aging.

deceMber 2011

The Kleiman Multime-

dia Studio opens at

the Buck Institute.

Buck faculty Judith

Campisi and Simon

Melov are quoted in

a National Journal

article, “Longevity: A

Manual.”

James Edgar elected

as Chair of the Buck

Board of Trustees.

January 2012

The San Francisco

ABC affiliate runs a

story on the Buck’s

geothermal project.

Buck CEO Brian

Kennedy goes to

Tokyo and Singapore

to forge connections

between the Institute

and biotech and

pharmaceutical com-

panies.

February 2012

Research from the

Melov Lab: A study in

Science Translational

Medicine shows mas-

sage reduces inflam-

mation and promotes

growth of new mito-

chondria following

strenuous exercise.

The story gets picked

up by several national

media—NPR,

Bloomberg, and USA

Today.

Buck CEO Brian

Kennedy goes to

Central America to

set stage for scientific

collaborations that

would bring postdoc

fellows to Buck Insti-

tute labs.

The Costa Rica News

publishes an op-ed

by Brian K. Kennedy,

“A Wake-Up Call for

Costa Rica.”

March 2012

Buck Institute holds

Scientific Sympo-

sium: Stem Cells and

Aging.

Ambassador Fay

Hartog Levin and Lew

Reid join the Board of

Trustees.

Buck Institute

appears on Capitol

Hill; Buck CEO Brian

Kennedy helps launch

national “healthspan”

campaign.

aPriL 2012

Henri Jasper, PhD,

hired as new faculty

member. Arrives in

the summer from

Rochester, NY, and

continues research

aimed at promoting

longevity by enhanc-

ing the activity of

adult stem cells.

USA Today runs a

story about the 100th

birthday of Buck

CEO Brian Kennedy’s

grandmother in

Louisville, KY. The

piece features an

interview with Kennedy

about aging research.

The Buck Institute’s

new Regenerative

Medicine Research

Center opens on April

14; the Institute’s

first public open

house draws 1,000

attendees.

May 2012

The Greenberg Lab

publishes a study

in The Proceedings of

the National Aca demy

of Sciences focusing

on modifying scar

tissue following

chronic stroke.

The Buck Advisory

Council meets and

bestows awards for

scientific and human-

itarian achievement.

June 2012

The Glenn Foundation

awards $1 million to

establish training

fellowships in aging

research.

Steve Burrill and Jim

Gerber join the Buck

Board of Trustees.

The Ellerby Lab pub-

lishes a study in Cell

Stem Cell—scientists

correct genetic muta-

tion responsible for

Huntington’s disease

in human induced

pluripotent stem

cells.


Buck Institute publications by Year Board profile

catherine h. MunsonMotivation comes in all forms . Most people know Catherine Munson as a Bay Area real estate pro-fessional associated with the modern residential

housing developer Joseph Eichler . But an opportunity to return to her scientific roots prompted the over-scheduled com-munity activist to join the Board of Trustees of the Buck Institute in 2004 . Munson grad-uated with an MA in

microbiology and biochemistry from the University of Nebraska in 1950 . She worked in basic research before beginning her career in real estate . “I knew the Buck was involved in revolutionary medical research, and I wanted to be a part of it,” she says . “As I got to know the faculty members, I just caught fire .”

Munson, who is the very active CEO of Lucas Valley Properties, served as Board Chair in 2010–2011 . “Supporting the Buck Institute is now my numberone passion and commitment,” she says . “The Insti-tute is the most significant organization in Marin County . Everyone ages—the Buck has a humani-tarian mission that is impacting global health .”

Increasing the Institute’s visibility is always on her radar screen . “Those of us who live in the Bay Area are incredibly blessed to have access to these world-class scientists who are working to find real solutions to the demographic challenges that face our society,” says Munson . “I am extremely proud and fiercely enthusiastic to spread the word about their efforts .”

totaL 1,100

10

1999

41

2000

63

2001

78

2002

94

2003

85

2004

79

2005

102

2006

82

2007

75

2008

87

2009

98

2010

103

2011

103

2012


the time has come for bold science, creative collaboration, and new therapies

Postdoc collaborations—heart and soul of science at the buck

A t the Buck Institute, there are few walls, little bureaucracy, no turf wars. It’s an environment designed to encourage collaboration across disciplines—one where eager young sci

entists can bounce ideas off each other and try novel approaches to solving some of the fundamental problems in aging science.

In most research organizations it’s the young scientists—the postdoctoral fellows who have completed their PhDs—who do the yeoman’s work in the laboratories. The Buck Institute is no exception. But at the Buck, postdocs have a unique advantage. They are not only mentored by outstanding faculty members, but they also have daily opportunities to reach beyond their labs to form synergistic partnerships—collaborations both within and beyond the Buck that will advance knowledge and understanding of the biological processes of aging. Their dedication and discoveries may eventually lead to new therapies for some of aging’s worst maladies—cancer, heart disease, and Parkinson’s.

This section highlights postdoc research collaborations at the Buck. Featured are stories of six young scientists who work in the Andersen, Kapahi, Kennedy, Melov, and Campisi labs. Their laser focus and “big picture” attitude exemplify what drives science and research here at the Buck.

While these six postdocs have expertise in different disciplines and technologies, all are working on projects involving rapamycin—a drug already tested and approved by the FDA for suppressing the immune system of transplant patients. In 2009, a trio of labs reported that rapamycin—a compound discovered on Easter Island in 1964—extended the lifespan of mice by 12%. Rapamycin’s remarkable ability to delay the aging process in mice and other species, along with its FDAapproved status, makes the drug a source of hope and great excitement in aging research.

Postdoc coLLaborations





collaborating on a Parkinson’s discovery

In the Andersen Lab, Almas Siddiqui has been working on Parkinson’s disease research since 2008. She’s trying to determine what oxidative stress does to the neural cells of patients with the

disease. Oxidative stress, which produces free radicals and is a normal byproduct of cellular metabolism, increases with age. “And increased production of free radicals can create a state of imbalance,” says Siddiqui, “that may contribute to the cell death associated with Parkinson’s disease.”

Three years ago when she first began working with rapamycin, an immunesuppressing drug currently approved for use following organ transplants, Siddiqui found that there was an improvement in the functions of the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cells, when she applied rapamycin to a cell culture model of Parkinson’s disease. But what really surprised her was the drug’s effect on parkin, a protective protein whose loss of function is reported in Parkinson’s patients.

“We never expected that, when we gave rapamycin to cells in a dish, we would see an increase in the parkin protein levels because generally rapamycin decreases production of new protein,” says Siddiqui. Why was rapamycin having this positive effect on parkin? To confirm her suspicion that the increase was happening at a different level of gene expression than she had expected, Siddiqui turned to Aric Rogers, a postdoctoral fellow in the Kapahi Lab, which has an overall focus on aging and nutrition.

Rogers is an expert in the biology of mRNA translation—especially as it relates to aging. Translation is the final step of gene expression, when our genetic code prompts the production of proteins. It occurs after individual genes encoded in the DNA have been transcribed into RNA, an intermediate that may or may not be translated into functional proteins. Siddiqui knew that the transcripts of the gene encoding parkin had not increased, which suggested that the increased levels of the protein might be due to an increase in translation. This could be the case if there were increased

association of parkin transcripts with the machinery that synthesizes new proteins. To address this possibility, Siddiqui sought Rogers’s technical expertise.

Finding the answer was important because, as Rogers explains, “Rapamycin, the drug used in Almas’s experiment, targets a protein complex called TOR. This complex controls a number of cellular processes, including the synthesis of new protein. The technique that I adapted from translation state array analysis can be used to determine changes in the synthesis of specific proteins like parkin.”

Siddiqui’s finding is important, Rogers says, because “if you can understand where the desired effects of a drug are coming from, you can develop a new drug or combinations of drugs that avoid unwanted side effects. Rapamycin targets TOR, which in turn modulates protein synthesis, but TOR also controls a number of

other cellular processes. Drugs can be used to target just those factors affecting protein production, or other drugs may be added to lessen undesired side effects.”

Their collaborative work on understanding rapamycin’s impact on the protein produced in the cell culture model of Parkinson’s disease points to a potential use of the drug—or analogs of it called rapalogs—as a therapeutic for Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. “There’s a huge emphasis now on drugs that target translation,” says Rogers, “and because rapamycin is already approved by the FDA, it will be much easier to get these rapalogs to clinical trials.” “Parkinson’s is still a big black box,” adds Siddiqui, who is moving her research into mice, “but the future is now much more promising.”

LeFt: In a conversation-fostering space, postdocs Almas Siddiqui and Aric Rogers discuss their joint research project .

above: The central dogma of molecular biology .


exploring rapamycin’s effect on heart and bone health

Postdoctoral fellows Monique O’Leary and James Flynn are engaged in a collaboration between the Kennedy and Melov labs that aims to evaluate the health benefits of treating

mice with the drug rapamycin. Some of the Kennedy Lab’s many projects focus on cardiovascular health and the mTOR pathway—the pathway that rapamycin inhibits and that modulates aging across many different organisms. The Melov Lab is providing genomic expertise and technology to this project, and to the entire Institute.

Four years ago Brian Kennedy hired O’Leary as a postdoc in his laboratory at the University of Washington to study genes involved in aging and agerelated diseases in mice. In 2010 Kennedy, now the Buck Institute’s president and CEO, asked O’Leary to relocate his lab from the University of Washington and to manage it on a daytoday basis in addition to working on her own research projects. “I study the process of translation, when proteins are being made within a cell,” says O’Leary. “The TOR signaling pathway plays a crucial role in translation and the aging process.” Flynn is an expert in gene expression, and both scientists work with mice to understand how they age and to explore potential therapeutics for agerelated diseases.

Determining a potential use for rapamycin to treat agerelated disorders such as osteoporosis and heart disease is a large part of their work at the Buck. In this study, the two postdocs wanted to see what happens on a genomic level to a normal mouse as it ages—what genes are turned on, what genes are turned off, and why the expression of these genes changes over time. “We want to look at the signaling molecules downstream of the actual molecule that’s called mTOR and to understand how the mTOR signaling pathway relays

its signal throughout a cell or within an organism,” says O’Leary. “From previous studies, we knew that rapamycin extended lifespan, but nobody had done any studies to see if it extends healthspan.”

To add a unique approach to their rapamycin study, Flynn was sent to Belgium for extensive training in micro CT imaging—a technique that enables him to get 3D images inside the femurs of mice. The live imaging allowed Flynn and O’Leary to observe the mice and evaluate their health as they aged. So far, the postdocs have followed a group of middleaged (12 months of age) mice for a year, examining various functions in them and analyzing bone structure, heart function, and muscle mass every 3 months. They have also put a group of “oldaged” mice (24 months of age) on a diet that includes rapamycin and conducted a similar examination of cardiovascular health, bone density, and muscle mass.

Based on their experiments, O’Leary and Flynn have coauthored a paper and submitted it for publication. “The initial results have been extremely encouraging, especially because these older animals are considered senior citizens in their mouse population,” says Flynn. “We think we’ve identified a large number of genes that are turned on or off in the mice as a result of having had rapamycin added to their diet. We’re also looking at inflammation as one of the factors that is impacted by rapamycin.”

Flynn learned the technique he used to measure inflammation from a postdoc in the Campisi Lab, RemiMartin Laberge, whose desk is just a shouting distance away from his own. “The ability to go and talk to someone who’s an expert in this aspect of aging is unique at the Buck because there are few places where there are so many diverse experts on the biology of aging,” says Flynn. “It’s really great to be able to go to someone like Remi and get feedback on a part of your project. You can’t be an expert in everything, so being able to collaborate with experts helps move the science forward and accelerate the research.”

Initially skeptical that their timeconsuming project would have any unique beneficial results, O’Leary is looking forward to getting their paper published. “Many labs around the country are studying rapamycin, with an eye toward its potential use in humans. We are hoping that our paper makes a significant contribution to that body of work.”

above: Using microCT imaging and 3D analysis software, it is possible to “digitally” slice through bones revealing their inner structure . Shown here are the middle sections of mouse femurs from young mice (left) compared to older mice (center and right, respectively) . This imaging can reveal the effectiveness of a drug in maintaining bone mass . 3D model by Michael Presley .



beLoW: Postdocs Monique O’Leary and James Flynn review data from mouse studies involving the drug rapamycin .


RemiMartin Laberge and Su Liu, postdoctoral fellows in the Campisi and Kapahi labs, study senescence—the process that occurs when cells lose their ability to divide. The two scientists are now working on a joint

project between their respective labs to identify the effects of rapamycin on senescent cells.

Laberge, who earned a PhD at Canada’s McGill University on cancer drug resistance, has been with the Campisi Lab since 2008. He is immersed in studying the inflammatory processes that are associated with senescence and their impact on the development of cancer. Liu, who is originally from China, joined the Kapahi


beLoW: Su Liu and Remi-Martin Laberge look at senescent cells that have been treated with rapamycin . The postdocs often work in one of the cell culture rooms near the Campisi Lab .

reducing the inflammation that can contribute to cancer


Lab in 2010 after receiving a PhD in pathology from the University of Rochester where she studied premature aging in a mouse model.

Pankaj Kapahi and his lab had been studying the role of the target of rapamycin (TOR) on flies and worms in aging, but were considering extending their work to human cells and mice. So when Kapahi suggested to Laberge that he test rapamycin’s effects on mice and human senescent cells, Laberge took up the challenge.

In the Campisi Lab, Laberge began by applying rapamycin to cells that he had forced to senesce by exposing them to ionizing radiation. Laberge saw lower inflammation in those senescent cells. Next Laberge began studying senescent cells that actually stimulate the growth of cancer cells. “When cells senesce, they spew proinflammatory cytokines, and when senescent cells accumulate, their signals lead to chronic inflammation, which drives cancer. The majority of agerelated diseases are boosted by chronic inflammation.”

When Liu joined the Kapahi Lab, she began growing human senescent cells in culture along with cancer cells to see what would happen. She found, as predicted by earlier Campisi Lab experiments, that the senescent cells stimulated the growth of the cancer cells, which became more aggressive and invasive. That’s why, Liu says, it’s important in humans to reduce the number of senescent cells and the inflammation they cause. “The cancer might grow anyway, but it grows faster when the senescent cells are around,” explains Laberge. “They’re stimulating cells that are not very invasive to become more invasive, breaking the barriers that prevent those cells from migrating into other tissues.” Liu and Laberge found that rapamycin could block this stimulating effect.

Laberge also found that many cytokines—those inflammatory molecules in the blood that slowly increase as people age—are secreted at much lower levels in the presence of rapamycin. The cytokines are secreted by senescent cells and are potentially in the vicinity of cancer cells. Since the level of cytokines in blood is associated with cardiovascular disease and neurodegeneration, he is now interested in “getting rid of senescent cells or tuning down the chronic, lowlevel inflammation that is specifically induced by senescent cells.”

This past year, Liu and Laberge tested over 200 different cytokines and found that rapamycin did not inhibit all of them, just a group of them. “This is very important because each cytokine has its distinct

function, which might explain the differential role of senescent cells in different contexts,” says Liu. “For example, senescent cells in the cancer context are a bad thing, but in the context of wound healing they play a beneficial role. We need to find a way to target different groups of cytokines.”

Chemotherapy drugs induce DNA damage—that’s how they kill cancer cells, says Laberge. “Often when you treat patients with chemotherapy drugs, they don’t just work on the cancer cells. They also affect the surrounding normal cells, and that will induce senescence in those cells. This is a big problem because the cancer cells that aren’t killed by chemotherapy will now be fueled by the surrounding senescent cells that were just created.”

Laberge says rapamycin is so far the best tool to come along for identifying pathways associated with healthspan extension. But the compound can cause diabetes and suppress muscle function. To uncouple the positive and negative effects, he and Liu are trying to dissect the molecular pathways that are impacted by rapamycin. “Hopefully we’ll find something that will be much better than rapamycin—something that will specifically enhance rapamycin’s beneficial effects but not enhance its negative effects.”

For Laberge and Liu, their joint project is a perfect example of the benefits of Buck collaboration. Other scientists at the Buck and elsewhere contributed to their work. Working alone, it would have taken the postdocs years to advance their research to where it is today. “Discoveries go faster here because we’re all under the same umbrella of aging,” says Laberge. “We all have the same goals, but we study different aspects of aging. And as we learn more about molecular mechanisms in different organisms, we can then apply them to the various disease systems that others are researching at the Buck.”


The Buck Institute is the birthplace of geroscience, a new discipline focused at the intersection of normal aging and chronic disease. The term “geroscience” entered the scientific

lexicon in 2007 when the Buck Institute received one of nine Roadmap for Medical Research grants from the National Institutes of Health.

With this grant, the NIH aimed to support research teams that are “addressing health challenges that have been resistant to traditional research approaches.” The $25 million award validated our mission to extend healthspan and our collaborative interdisciplinary research model. It recognized the value of the Buck’s founding objective—to bring together top scientists with highly disparate backgrounds who share a passion for solving the tough, profoundly complex biomedical problems of aging.

In 2012, the formation of a TransNIH Geroscience Interest Group (GSIG) underscored the success of our approach. The GSIG includes scientists from some of the 27 research institutes and centers that compose the NIH who are keen to apply the discoveries in aging research to their own research agendas, which often are focused on a particular disease. One of the GSIG’s goals is to promote the application of aging research by developing public/private partnerships with scientific societies, industry groups, and other research institutes.

At the Buck, we see this growing interest in aging research as the beginning of a groundswell that will accelerate discoveries and speed development of new therapies to prevent or treat the diseases of aging. And our scientists and their laboratories are at the forefront, keeping the momentum going.

Geroscience at the Buck InstituteEvery faculty member at the Buck Institute is involved in geroscience. While their specialties range across the entire spectrum of age research—cellular bioenergetics, stress biology, epigenetics, regenerative medicine, neurodegeneration, molecular physiology, and bioinformatics—the Buck faculty share an intense focus on the connection between aging and chronic disease.

Within and beyond their laboratories, the Buck faculty create an atmosphere that supports discovery and thrives on shared knowledge. While each faculty member runs their own laboratory and leads their own team of scientists, all are committed to an organizational structure that has no departmental boundaries and little bureaucracy. Brilliant, entrepreneurial, collaborative, and visionary—the Buck faculty are shedding new light on aging and developing novel solutions to some of its most daunting challenges.

the time has come for geroscience—from concept to reality to national participation

Geroscience

AGING STUDIESDietary Restriction

DNA DamageGenetic Pathways

Mitochondrial FunctionOxidative Damage

SenesenceTranslation

AGE-RELATED DISEASEAlzheimer’s

CancerCardiovascularHuntington’s

Macular DegenerationMetabolic Syndrome

OsteoporosisParkinson’s

ProgeriaStroke

REGENERATIVE MEDICINEAdult Stem Cells

Embryonic Stem CellsInduced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)

TECHNOLOGYBioinformatics

GenomicsMetabolomics

Morphology and ImagingProteomics


Geroscience Studies at the Buck

“We have recent evidence that the aging process is malleable, and it has been observed in several animal models that when aging is delayed, so are the diseases and disabilities that normally accompany aging.”

—Dr . Felipe Sierra, GSIG Founder and Director of the National Institute of Aging’s Division of Aging Biology

NIH Record, August 17, 2012


JuLie andersen, PhdProfessor

Parkinson’s Disease

Julie Andersen is an expert on Parkinson’s disease—an incurable, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that currently affects over 1.5 million people in the United States. Pursuing research that is fundamental for developing treatments for this complex disease, which causes a progressive decline in movement and muscle control, she has identified early risk factors, such as elevated levels of iron and declining amounts of a protective antioxidant called glutathione, and several novel drug treatments (lithium, flavonoids).

The Andersen Lab examines the role of the proteins that are involved in nerve cell degeneration and is working to identify biomarkers for Parkinson’s that could result in therapeutic interventions in the early stages of the disease. Anderson is interested in how the aging brain affects disease.

Andersen was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. Prior to joining the Buck Institute in 2000, she was an associate professor at the Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California.

christoPher benz, MdProfessor and Program Director

Breast Cancer

Christopher Benz, MD, joined the Buck Institute in 2000 as a founding faculty member. A senior member of the UCSF Cancer Center’s Breast Oncology Program, he set up the university’s first laboratory for the study of human breast cancers. Dr. Benz not only continues to treat breast cancer patients at UCSF’s Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center, but he also is the coprincipal investigator of the Buck Institute–UC Santa Cruz Genome Data Analysis Center—one of seven national centers in The Cancer Genome Atlas program.

The Benz Lab was among the first to study why age is such an important determinant for the onset and development of breast cancer, why the incidence of breast cancer increases with age, and how the aging process alters breast cancer biology. In a search for personalized treatments for each patient’s breast cancer subtype, Dr. Benz and his team also explore the genetic and structural differences among breast cancer types, as well as new therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Benz helped organize the Marin Women’s Study (MWS). Launched in 2006, the MWS wanted to detect environmental factors, lifestyle patterns, and individual biofactors contri buting to breast cancer risk in Marin County, where

incidence rates of the ERpositive type of breast cancer are among the highest in the world. By alerting women to the hazards of taking combination hormonal therapy at meno pause, the MWS was able to document a sharp decline in hormone use and a resulting 33% reduction in new breast cancer cases in the county.

“My greatest hope is that our work here at the Buck will allow us to treat Parkinson’s at the earliest possible stage, so treatment can begin before the disease has a chance to progress . That would free patients to live fulfilling lives without major disability .’’

—Julie Andersen, PhD

FacuLty ProFiLes


Martin brand, PhdProfessor

Energy Metabolism of Cells

Martin Brand is an authority on mitochondria—the energyconverting unit of cells— and their influence on aging and disease. After receiving his PhD in biochemistry at the University of Bristol in England, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland; a faculty member at the University of Cambridge; and then a group leader at the Medical Research Council. At Cambridge, he began collaborative studies with Buck faculty. He joined the Buck Institute in 2008.

The Brand Lab is studying mitochondria, which extract energy from nutrients and distribute it to drive the machinery of life in a process that also releases free radicals. Believed to be one of the primary actors in the aging

process, free radicals are implicated in numerous agerelated diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, and many neurological disorders.

Brand’s lab envisions treatments that would minimize the release of free radicals without inhibiting mitochondrial energy metabolism. His lab is collaborating with other Buck labs to evaluate the role of the mitochondria in aging and in agerelated diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s. This research has already opened up new potential drug targets for the control or treatment of these conditions.

daLe bredesen, MdProfessor

Alzheimer’s Disease

Dale Bredesen, MD, an internationally recognized expert in the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, came to the Buck Institute in 1998 as its founding president and CEO. His research has led to new insights that explain the erosion of memory seen in Alzheimer’s disease—insights that are opening the door to a new therapeutic approach.

Dr. Bredesen has found that Alzheimer’s disease stems from an imbalance in nerve cell signaling—a finding that contradicts the belief that Alzheimer’s is caused by the accumulation of sticky plaques in the brain. Several new therapeutic candidates based on his insights into the fundamental nature of Alzheimer’s disease are currently in preclinical trials, funded in part by a generous gift of $3.5 million from private philanthropist Douglas Rosenberg.

Dr. Bredesen is also studying nerve cell signaling in a collaboration between the Bredesen Lab and BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which is seeking treatments for a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease—early onset Familial Alzheimer’s Disease (eFAD)—which can develop in people as young as 30 years of age.

Dr. Bredesen received his MD from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, and served as chief resident in neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), before joining Nobel laureate Stanley Prusiner’s laboratory there as an NIH postdoctoral fellow. He has held faculty positions at UCSF; the University of California, Los Angeles; and the University of California, San Diego. He directed the Program on Aging at the Burnham Institute before joining the Buck Institute.

Judith caMPisi, PhdProfessor

Cancer and Aging

Judith Campisi’s lab focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular biology of aging, particularly its relationship with cancer. Her team explores the causes and consequences of cellular senescence—when stressed cells stop dividing—and cell death. In studying the effects of DNA damage during normal and premature aging, they have found that senescent cells promote inflammation, which disrupts normal tissue functions and drives the progression of cancer. The lab’s pioneering discoveries are shedding light on anticancer genes, DNA repair mechanisms that promote longevity, molecular pathways that protect cells against stress, and stem cells and their role in aging and agerelated disease.

Campisi is internationally recognized for her contributions to understanding why age is the largest single risk factor for developing cancer. An elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she has received numerous awards, most recently, the Longevity Prize from the IPSEN Foundation.

“Aging is controlled by genes and the environment and poses the largest single risk for developing a panoply of diseases . Why do organisms age, and why do these diseases rise exponentially with age? My laboratory aims to understand the molecular and cellular basis of aging in mammals .”

—Judith Campisi, PhD

FacuLty ProFiLes


Lisa eLLerby, PhdAssociate Professor

Huntington’s Disease: Stem Cells, Therapeutic Targets, and Treatments

Lisa Ellerby is an expert on cell death in Hunting ton’s disease, an inherited disorder that attacks motor coordination and cognitive ability. The Ellerby Lab aims to understand the molecular mechanisms causing Huntington’s disease and to discover therapeutic targets and develop treatments for the disease.

Scientists in the Ellerby Lab recently corrected the genetic mutation responsible for Huntington’s disease using a human induced pluripotent stem cell that came from a patient suffering from the disease. Neural stem cells generated

from the corrected stem cells have been transplanted into a mouse model of Huntington’s and are now generating normal neurons. Ellerby and Buck faculty Robert Hughes have discovered a new lead on potential drug therapies for the disease. They discovered a gene mutation that produces an abnormal form of the huntingtin protein in a class of enzymes already implicated in stroke, cancer, and other disorders. Ellerby’s work suggests that inhibiting this class of enzymes may lessen symptoms of Huntington’s disease and prevent nerve cell death. Further therapeutic targets were identified for Huntington’s disease that involve lipid metabolism enzymes.

Ellerby earned her PhD in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She joined the Buck Institute in 2000. She was a senior research associate in neurodegenerative disease and apoptosis and a coinvestigator with the Program on Aging at the Burnham Institute in La Jolla, California.

bradFord Gibson, PhdProfessor and Director of the Buck Institute

Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry Core

Proteomics in Aging, Cancer, and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Bradford Gibson established the Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry Core at the Buck Institute to support research into the molecular basis of aging and disease. His goal is to identify the critical biomolecules and the structural changes they undergo during normal aging that allow pathological processes to establish themselves.

The Gibson Lab focuses on understanding the biological and chemical processes that are common to both agerelated diseases and aging. The lab’s scientists employ mass spectrometry, protein and carbohydrate chemistry, and structural biology techniques to track structural changes in aging cells and in age related diseases such as diabetes, breast cancer, and Huntington’s disease. The Gibson Lab is also part of a national consortium that is identifying early protein biomarkers of cancer in human plasma that may yield early diagnostic tests for specific cancers.

Gibson received his PhD in analytical chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983 and then took a postdoctoral fellowship in chemistry at Cambridge University in England. Before joining the Buck Institute in 2000, he was a professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he currently holds a joint appointment as Adjunct Professor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

david GreenberG, Md, PhdProfessor and Vice President for

Special Research Programs

Cerebrovascular Disease

David Greenberg, MD, PhD, studies the innate responses that protect or repair the brain after a stroke. He hopes to uncover new treatments that can mimic and enhance these responses. After a stroke, the brain responds by boosting the production of proteins that help cells to survive or tissues to regenerate. The Greenberg Lab is exploring the actions of two protective proteins—neuroglobin and VEGF, or vascular endothelial growth factor.

One of the most encouraging recent discoveries in neurobiology is the finding that new nerve cells can be born in the adult brains of mammals. Dr. Greenberg has shown that new neurons can arise as a response to stroke, and his lab has identified factors that promote this. He is also working with Buck colleagues on cell transplantation as a therapy for stroke.

Dr. Greenberg is Vice President for Special Research Programs at the Buck Institute. After receiving his MD and PhD from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, he

trained in internal medicine at New York Hospital–Cornell University Medical Center and in neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Before joining the Buck Institute in 1999, he was on the faculty of the Department of Neurology at UCSF and at the University of Pittsburgh.

FacuLty ProFiLes


robert huGhes, PhdAssistant Professor

Molecular and Chemical Biology of Aging and Neurodegeneration

Robert Hughes explores the mechanisms of normal aging in healthy adults and in people with Huntington’s disease. His team in the Hughes Lab is searching for compounds that help preserve protein configurations in aging yeast cells, and investigating the systems that

maintain the ability of proteins to fold into the shapes that best support healthy functioning. They aim to discover clues to similar functions in human cells.

Hughes has collaborated with Buck colleague Lisa Ellerby to find new molecular targets for potential drug therapies for Huntington’s disease, a progressive genetic disorder that destroys nerves, impairs movement, and causes cognitive decline. Hughes discovered that a set of enzymes implicated in stroke and cancer may also support the onset and progression of Huntington’s disease.

Hughes received his PhD in biology from Yale University. He completed postdoctoral fellowships in biochemistry and genome sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he worked in the laboratory of Stanley Fields, PhD, a pioneer in yeast technology. As an assistant professor in the Division of Medical Genetics at the University of Washington Medical School, Hughes developed yeastbased models of human genetic disorders. Before joining the Buck Institute in 2005, he was Director of Therapeutic Biology at Prolexys Pharmaceuticals in Salt Lake City, Utah.

henri JasPer, PhdProfessor

Enhancing Stem Cell Function to Promote Longevity

Henri Jasper has made seminal discoveries about the effects of aging on stem cell behavior and the role of stress in regulating stem cell function. The Jasper Lab aims to discover how stress and aging influence the ability of stem cells to selfrenew, and whether improving stem cell activity can influence the aging process in multicellular animals. Jasper’s team is expanding its research on stem cells and the process of regeneration in the intestines of fruit flies (Drosophila) to the tracheal stem cells of mice.

The Jasper Lab is also studying the networks that control metabolic homeostasis and influence lifespan. The lab’s scientists use the developing retinas of fruit flies to study stressinduced cell death and to identify molecular and cellular mechanisms governing tissue recovery after stressinduced damage to the genome.

Jasper received his PhD from the University of Heidelberg and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. He became a research assistant professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center in 2003, and an assistant professor of biology at the University of Rochester in 2005. In 2008, Jasper received a Senior Fellow Award of the Ellison Medical Foundation. He received a Glenn Foundation Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging in 2010. His research is supported by the American Federation for Aging Research, National Institute of Aging, National Eye Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, New York Stem Cell Initiative, and Ellison Medical Foundation.

PankaJ kaPahi, PhdAssociate Professor

Nutrition and Energy Metabolism in Lifespan and Disease

Pankaj Kapahi’s research confirms the finding that diet plays a major role in aging, lifespan, and agerelated diseases. Scientists in the Kapahi Lab explore molecular mechanisms in a search for strategies to extend healthy lifespan in people. Their research involves using a combination of biochemical, genetic, and genomic techniques on both the fruit fly (Drosophila) and the nematode worm (Caenorhabditis elegans).

The Kapahi Lab found that a lowprotein diet could lengthen the lives of fruit flies. The diet activated genes that lead to greater energy production in the cells’ powerhouse units, the mitochondria, and thus compensated for the cells’ agerelated decline in performance. Humans share the cellular mechanisms that link diet to longevity in fruit flies, and the benefits of dietary restriction are seen across all species. Kapahi was the first to demonstrate that the growthsignaling pathway called the TOR pathway, which is involved in cancer and diabetes, mediates the effects of dietary restriction.

Kapahi, who joined the Buck Institute in 2004, earned his PhD at the University of Manchester in England and completed postdoctoral studies at the University of California, San Diego, and at the California Institute of Technology. He has received numerous honors and awards, including the Ellison Medical Foundation New Scholar award, the Eureka award from the NIH, and the Nathan Shock New Investigator Award from the American Geronotological Society.

FacuLty ProFiLes


brian kennedy, PhdPresident and Chief Executive Officer

From Invertebrates to Mice to Extending Human Healthspan

Brian Kennedy’s innovative work in the biology of aging began when he was a doctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Under the guidance of MIT Professor Leonard Guarente, he contributed to groundbreaking studies showing that a class of proteins called sirtuins influence aging. He now studies the pathways that modulate

longevity in model organisms ranging from yeast to humans. A major focus of his current research is the target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway, which has been generating excitement since it was shown that the drug rapamycin can extend the lifespan and healthspan of mice.

Determining whether pathways like TOR can be regulated to treat the diseases of aging is a goal of the Kennedy Lab, which focuses on cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes. Kennedy’s team also studies the genetic mutations underlying Hutchinson Gilford Progeria Syndrome, a rare disorder that resembles premature aging.

Kennedy earned his PhD in biology at MIT and completed postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He was an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Washington in Seattle when he was appointed President and CEO of the Buck Institute in 2010. He currently serves as coeditorinchief of Aging Cell, the most highly regarded journal in the aging field, and is a regular consultant in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

deePak LaMba, Mbbs, PhdAssistant Professor

Stem Cell Technologies for Age-Related Eye Disorders

Deepak Lamba, a practicing physician from India, is one of the pioneers in the technology of making retinal cells from human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells in a laboratory dish. He has shown that retinal cells can be transplanted into the eyes of blind mice and rats and that after transplantation the treated eyes respond to light.

The Lamba Lab is researching new methods to treat macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and glaucoma using stem cell technology. Dr. Lamba’s lab is concentrating on the longterm efficacy and safety studies that are essential before this form of therapy can be offered to patients. Developing new approaches to creating patientspecific stem cells is another goal. Lab scientists can now reprogram skin cells into embryonic stem cells and then convert them to retinal cells—a technology that will result in a better understanding of vision diseases and lead to new treatments and drugs to halt, prevent, or delay the onset of these diseases.

Dr. Lamba earned his medical degree from the University of Mumbai, India, and practiced as

a physician there before moving to the United States, where he received his master’s degree in bioengineering from the University of Illinois, Chicago. He did his doctoral thesis and postdoctoral work on generating and transplanting retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells and iPS cells at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Gordon LithGoW, PhdProfessor and

Director of the Interdisciplinary Research Consortium on Geroscience

Molecular Mechanisms of Aging

Gordon Lithgow’s work sheds light on the mechanisms of aging by identifying agents that extend lifespan or prevent agerelated disease. Utilizing the microscopic nematode worm (Caenorhab-ditis elegans), scientists in the Lithgow Lab have discovered various factors that lengthen the lives of these animals, and they are applying these findings to studies on human cells.

Stress has emerged as a major factor in aging and disease, contributing to a breakdown in an organism’s ability to maintain optimal molecular stability. Maintenance of homeostasis in the face of stress is a common feature of increased longevity and healthspan. The Lithgow Lab has made seminal discoveries in the use of small druglike molecules to promote homeostasis. Lab members have found compounds that suppress the pathology associated with Alzheimer’s disease. They are currently researching additional sets of compounds that extend lifespan and healthspan.

Lithgow received his PhD in genetics from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Before joining the Buck Institute in 2001, he was a senior lecturer in molecular gerontology at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Manchester in England. He directs the Buck Institute’s Interdisciplinary Research Consortium on Geroscience.

FacuLty ProFiLes

“One theme continues to emerge from our work—that aging and disease stem from common mechanisms . Delaying disease by delaying the aging process is a serious proposition .”

—Gordon Lithgow, PhD40 Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

victoria Lunyak, PhdAssociate Professor

Epigenetics and Human Adult Stem Cell Aging

Victoria Lunyak is a leading scientist in epigenetics which explores how the genetic blueprint is read differently in different cells of the human body. Her work focuses on adult stem cells, which provide a continual supply of new cells to our tissues as they are needed. The ability of stem cells to repopulate tissues declines with age, a finding that is emerging as a potential factor in the overall aging process. The Lunyak Lab has been able to reverse the aging process of adult adipose stem cells in cell culture. Her research is aimed at discovering methods of improving stem cell function with age, which would enhance tissue maintenance, repair, and resistance to DNA damage.

The Lunyak Lab uses deep proteomic analysis, nextgeneration sequencing technology, and a variety of molecular biology approaches to identify the agerelated epigenetic changes in human adult stem cells and understand their

effects on human aging. The lab has identified novel, previously unreported epigenetic modifications in the chromatin of human adult stem and somatic cells that can serve as biomarkers of cellular and organismal aging.

Lunyak received a master’s degree in biophysics from Leningrad Polytechnic Institute in Russia and earned her PhD in molecular biology from the St. Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute at the Russian Academy of Science in St. Petersburg, Russia. She did postdoctoral work at Brown University and at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), before becoming an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at UCSD. She joined the Buck Institute in 2008.

siMon MeLov, PhdAssociate Professor

Identifying Molecular Hallmarks of Aging

Simon Melov, who heads the Institute’s Genomics Core, explores the role of the energy making units inside cells, the mitochondria, which produce a chemical fuel that powers the cell’s work but which also release damaging free radicals that are linked to disease. The Melov Lab studies proteins that help the mitochondria detoxify free radicals and tracks the decline of function in mitochondria that comes with age. Other research interests include the agerelated bone disorder osteoporosis, age related heart disease, the role of methylation in the aging human genome, and development of molecular techniques to better understand single cell changes with age.

In a landmark study, Melov and his collaborators showed that the more vigorous pattern of gene expression found in young adults could be partially restored in older adults who followed a strengthtraining exercise program for 6 months. The Melov Lab looks for broader genetic fingerprints of aging by surveying the patterns of gene activity in various animals, including human beings, mice, and nematode worms (C. elegans).

Melov received his PhD in biochemistry from the University of London in England. He held positions at Emory University in Atlanta and at the University of Colorado in Boulder before joining the faculty of the Buck Institute as an associate professor in 1999.

sean Mooney, PhdAssociate Professor and

Director of the Bioinformatics Core

Computer Technology and the Next Generation of Biomedical Research

Sean Mooney develops and applies methods in computational biology and bioinformatics—the collection, storage, analysis, and dissemination of biological information—to predict and treat the molecular causes of genetic diseases. As director of the Buck’s Bioinformatics Core, Mooney helps the Buck Institute’s 19 labs to capture, store, and analyze the deluge of data flowing from their work.

The Mooney Lab develops the computer algorithms and statistical models needed to manage, analyze, and generate hypotheses from the data the research generates. The lab is also refining methods that enable computers to form hypotheses about the underlying origins of genetic illness. The lab team has programmed computers to use statistics to predict which mutations in the DNA sequence will lead to significant malfunctions in humans and those which are probably not prime movers in disease. Such work could accelerate the discovery of diagnostic tests and therapies for inherited diseases.

Mooney, who joined the Buck Institute in 2009, received a PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of California, San Francisco. He was an American Cancer Society

John Peter Hoffman Fellow in the Department of Genetics and Medical Informatics at Stanford University. He was subsequently appointed assistant professor in medical and molecular genetics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he codirected the Bioinformatics Core.

FacuLty ProFiLes


david nichoLLs, PhdProfessor

Mitochondrial Function and the Life and Death of Cells

David Nicholls established the Bioenergetics laboratory at the Buck Institute in 2000 before handing it over to Martin Brand in 2008. His research focuses on understanding how mitochondria act as the powerhouses of the cell—currently in relation to diabetes. He retains a parttime position at the Institute and spends 3 to 4 months a year here at the bench, where he continues to develop novel techniques to investigate insitu mitochondrial bioenergetics. For the rest of the year, he is based in Lund, Sweden, and travels extensively around the world lecturing and teaching.

Nicholls has researched mitochondrial function for more than 45 years and has almost 300 publications to his credit. Currently complet

ing the fourth edition (with Stuart Ferguson) of the standard textbook Bioenergetics, he is best known for his discovery of the original uncoupling protein, UCP1; for work on mitochondrial calcium transport and isolated nerve terminals; and for his research into mitochondrial dysfunction in nerve cells.

Nicholls received his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Bristol, England. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and holder of the 2008 Mitchell Memorial Medal from the European Bioenergetics Congress.

arvind raManathan, PhdAssistant Professor

Molecular Physiology of Skeletal Muscle Regeneration, Cancer and Aging

Arvind Ramanathan is taking an integrative approach to answering fundamental questions about cancer, aging, and skeletal muscle regeneration. He has been using metabolomics and chemical biology to understand gene–environment interactions—how environmental signals regulate signals involved in aging and cancer. Ramanathan has identified metabolic signals that mediate mTOR signaling and skeletal muscle differentiation.

Using massspectrometric and imagingbased approaches, the Ramanathan Lab is seeking answers to some important questions. How does the environment regulate cellular physiology? What are the molecular signals that integrate nutrients and organismal and cellular physiology with tissue regeneration? By what mechanisms does aging affect these molecular signals?

Ramanathan was born in Pondicherry, India. He earned a doctorate in chemistry from New York University and completed his graduate work at New York University and the University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center. His postdoctoral work was performed at Harvard University and the Chemical Biology Program at the Broad Institute of Harvard, and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a research fellow. He joined the Buck Institute in 2011.

xianMin zenG, PhdAssociate Professor

Stem-Cell-Based Treatments for Parkinson’s Disease

Xianmin Zeng is working toward a treatment for Parkinson’s disease. The Zeng Lab focuses on studying neural development using human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from adult cells, which can mimic the versatility of hESCs. Zeng has developed methods to induce these stem cells to become the type of nerve cells that are degenerated and lost in people with Parkinson’s disease, and she has ensured that this process can be readily transferred to a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) manufacturing facility so that the products are qualified for clinical use.

Zeng has also developed models for screening small molecules that can prevent or protect against dopaminergic neuron cell death. She has generated many iPSC lines both from patients with Parkinson’s disease and from control subjects. These cells and models will be useful for testing the potential of new drugs and for further pure research into the mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease.

After earning a PhD in molecular biology at the Technical University of Denmark, Zeng did her postdoctoral training at the NIH. She joined the Buck Institute in 2005. She is a recipient of several major funding grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, including a translational grant to develop clinicalgrade dopaminergic neurons from pluripotent stem cells using a scalable process.

FacuLty ProFiLes


Steven Burrill Founder and CEO of Burrill & Company, a life sciences company involved in venture capital and merchant bankingServes on the boards of the National Health Museum, the Kellogg Center for Biotechnology Management, and Catalyst Biosciences

James EdgarChair of the Board of TrusteesManagement consultant and founding member of Edgar, Dunn & Company, an international consulting firmFormer trustee of Rosenberg Foundation and San Francisco Library Foundation

Russell H . Ellison, MD, MSC

Executive Vice President of Paramount Biosciences, Inc.

Shahab FatheazamManaging Director and head of Healthcare, Lincoln InternationalFormerly with GCA Savvian and Vector Securities InternationalMA, Cambridge University; MBA, Columbia University

M . Arthur Gensler Jr ., FAIA

Founder of Gensler, a global architecture, design, planning, and strategic consulting firm

Jim Gerber Co-founder of Western Athletic Clubs, Inc., the owner and operator of luxury athletic and health facilities throughout the West Coast

Stephen Hauser, MD

Chair, Department of Neurology, University of California, San FranciscoChair, Buck Institute Scientific Advisory Board

Harlan P . KleimanCo-founder and CEO of Self Health Network Founder/CEO of Shoreline PacificCo-founder of Long Wharf TheatreUCLA School of Theater, Film and Television board memberChair of the Buck Advisory Council

Charles La FollettePresident of La Follette CapitalFormer board member of Pacific Stock Exchange and Marin Community Investment Committee

Fay Hartog LevinFormer Ambassador to the Netherlands, formerly a senior consultant at Res Publica Group, and Vice President for External Affairs at Chicago Field Museum

Barbara MorrisonPresident of TMC Development, a provider of real estate financingMayor of Belvedere, CAFounder and board president of Working Solutions, a nonprofit that helps micro-entrepreneurs access capital

Catherine H . MunsonPresident, LVPMarin RealtorsBoard member of the Marin Symphony AssociationChair of the board of Project Amigo in Cofradia, MexicoMember of Frank Lloyd Wright Civic Center Conservancy

Herbert H . MyersRegional Business Banking President of San Francisco Bay Region Wells Fargo & Company

David M . PerrySenior Managing Director of TeamCo Advisers

Bill R . PolandReal estate developer, chairman and founder of Bay West Group in San Francisco

Edward A . “Ned” Powell Retired president and CEO of the USO World HeadquartersFormer Assistant Secretary of Management and Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

E . Lewis ReidFormer chair of Buck Board of TrusteesDirector of Community Foundation, Sonoma County, California

Richard M . RosenbergChairman and CEO (retired) at Bank of America Corporation

Larry E . RosenbergerFormer President and CEO and current research fellow of Fair IsaacCo-author of The Deciding Factor: The Power of Analytics to Make Every Decision a Winner

MS in physics and ME from University of California, Berkeley

Mary C . SauerFounder, Vice President, and Director of Sonic Solutions

the 2012 board oF trusteesThe Buck Institute receives support and guidance from a non-compensated Board of Trustees . These recognized leaders from the business, science, and nonprofit communities set policy, approve financial plans, and help shape the strategic direction of the Institute .

Stephen L . Hauser, MD

Chair, Buck Institute SABChair, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco

Robert H . Brown Jr ., MD, DPhil

Professor and chairman, Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Steven A . Carr, PhD

Director of Proteomics, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Ana Maria Cuervo, MD, PhD

Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Marion Bessin Liver Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Cynthia J . Kenyon, PhD

Department of Biochemistry, University of California, San Francisco

James L . Kirkland, MD, PhD

Professor of aging research, Director of Mayo Clinic Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging

Jeffrey D . Macklis, MD, DHST

Director, MGH-HMS Center for Nervous System Repair, Harvard University

Thomas A . Rando, MD, PhD

Director, Glenn Laboratories for the Biology of Aging; Professor, neurology and neurological sciences, Stanford University School of MedicineDeputy Director, Stanford Center on Longevity, Stanford University

scientiFic advisory boardThe Scientific Advisory Board consists of leading scientists in the fields of aging research and age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and cancer . Members of the SAB provide guidance on the Institute’s scientific and educational programs .


Chair of Buck Advisory Council

Harlan KleimanTrustee, Buck Institute for Research on Aging CEO, Self Health Network San Francisco, CA

BAC Members

Tarek AbuZayyadPartner, Head of Merchant Banking, Stanhope Capital LLP London, UK

Hussam Abu IssaVice Chairman and COO, Salam International Qatar

Cinzia AkbaralyFounder, Akbaraly Foundation Honorary General Counsel of Italy in Madagascar Groupe SIPROMAD Madagascar

James A . AleverasInvestment Advisor Representative, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC San Francisco, CA

Wissam ArissFounder and Chairman of the Board, Star Goods Lebanon

Mikhail BatinExecutive Director, Science for Life Extension Foundation Moscow, Russia

Krikor BezdikianCo-founder, Manco Los Angeles, CA

Jeff BohnsonCEO, AnswersMedia, Inc. Chicago, IL

Najib CanaanPrincipal and Chief Investment Officer, Marinus Capital Advisors LLC Stamford, CT

Mehmet CelebiPartner, Illinois Office, Arti Bir Group, Founding Partner, Investments, Construction Naperville, IL

Mark CutisChief Investment Officer, Abu Dhabi Investment Council United Arab Emirates

Mazen S . DarwazehChairman of Board of Directors, Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC Jordan

James EdgarBoard Chair, Buck Institute for Research on Aging Founding Partner, Global Brand Positioning LLC Kentfield, CA

David EliasPrincipal, Alesco Advisors East Amherst, NY

Shahab FatheazamTrustee, Buck Institute for Research on Aging Managing Director and Head of the Healthcare Group, Lincoln International LLC Chicago, IL

Darla Totusek FlanaganGeneral Partner, MKD Investments San Francisco, CA

Anthony GhorayebChairman and CEO, G&G Capital Group Chicago, IL

James W . HarpelSenior Partner, Palm Beach Capital West Palm Beach, FL

Dato Fawziah Abdul KarimCEO, SSU Management Services Malaysia

Lady Jamileh KharraziChairman, Jamileh Kharrazi Charitable Foundation United Kingdom

Ron LandesFounder and President, Landes Bioscience Austin, TX

Patte McDowellFounder and Board Chair, Cloud Nine Foundation San Francisco, CA

Catherine H . MunsonTrustee, Buck Institute for Research on Aging President, Lucas Valley Properties Novato, CA

Veena PanjabiVice President and Co-Owner, World Industries Miami, FL

Thomas PetersPresident and CEO, Marin Community Foundation Novato, CA

Mary PolandRoss, CA

Douglas RosenbergKentfield, CA

Rashid SkafPresident and CEO, AMX Corporation Richardson, TX

Delly Tamer Chief Executive Officer, Letstalk.com San Francisco, CA

Thomas D . WeldonChairman and Managing Director, Accuitive Medical Ventures Fernandina, FL and Duluth, GA

David WetherellManaging Partner, Burrill & Company San Francisco, CA

E . Packer WilburChairman, Southport Properties Southport, CT

William E . WolfCEO, BW Capital Partners Chicago, IL

buck advisory counciL“Belonging to the Buck advisory Council exposes me to a new space of research that will undoubtedly impact the world positively. It is a place where we can all make a difference.”

—Mehmet Celebi, Founding Partner, Arti Bir Group


The community of donors to the Buck Insti tute expanded in 2011 to include the Buck Advisory Council; 10 new trustees; scores of new members, corporate sponsors, and foundations;

and a remarkable group of individuals who provided gifts to name the interior spaces at the Buck campus and chairs in the Drexler Auditorium. Last and certainly not least, there were those who included the Buck Institute as a beneficiary of their will or honored friends and loved ones with a testamentary gift in their name. Together, this diverse group helped to ensure the stability of the Institute by providing crucial funds for operations, facilities, faculty recruitment, equipment, educational and public programs, building expansion, and new research.

To accomplish our goals of growth, stability, recognition, and visibility, and to address the urgent need for basic biological research in aging and chronic disease, the Buck must broaden and deepen its sources of support.

Often misunderstood, the Buck’s financial picture includes a very important annual contribution from the founding Buck Trust. This contribution comes through the Marin Community Foundation, which also supports the Buck Institute for Education and Alcohol Justice, formerly known as the Marin Institute. A fundamental part of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, the Buck Trust accounted for 12% of our total income, or $5.7 million.

With a rapid decline in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) brought on by stagnating budgets and the increased costs of the science the NIH does fund, the Buck Institute must look to individual donors to bridge the gap. Individual donors understand and are inspired by the range of work, the innovation, and the collaboration that are part of the unique fabric of the Buck. While some are taken with the founding idea that aging and chronic diseases are linked in a causal relationship, others are drawn to the Buck by a personal interest in a particular disease.

Each of the 19 laboratories at the Buck focuses on a separate, compelling area of geroscience research. We are reaching out to connect that research to those for whom it matters most.

In the year ahead and with the Buck’s new stateoftheart facility for the study of regenerative medicine completed, the fundraising priorities are clearly the recruitment of faculty, the acceleration of current research, and the funding of educational programs for children and adults. Each of these areas offers much promise for the Buck Institute to contribute to the field, increase knowledge, and deepen our connection to Marin County and the San Francisco Bay Area, where philanthropist Beryl Buck lived and dedicated herself to the wellbeing of others.

The time has come to build upon the great generosity and commitment of our past and current donors and to realize the exciting promise of our mission to extend healthspan through research and education.

the time has come for building upon a great foundation of charitable commitment and giving

Buck trust Income as percentage of total revenue

Buck Trust Allocation

FY2008

82%

18%

FY2009

24%

76%

FY2010

22%

78%

FY2011

15%

85%

FY2012

12%

88%Other

Revenue


FinanciaL stateMents

Increases in Grant revenue (in $millions)

$40

$35

$30

$25

$20

$15

$10

$5

0FY2008

$21.4

FY2009

$17.8

FY2010

$18.9

FY2011

$4.9

FY2012

$15.6

Statement of Net AssetsJune 30, 2012 (With Summarized Comparative Information at June 30, 2011)

2012 2011

ass ets

Cash $ 703,309 $ 2,595,991 Grants and contributions receivable, net 7,488,949 8,792,951

Accounts and interest receivable 42,909 74,744

Investments and investments held in trust 14,652,485 16,801,847

Notes receivable 477,752 246,393

Charitable remainder trusts receivable 817,422 799,091

Deposit and other assets 504,189 737,257

Bond issuance costs, net 1,099,695 1,141,726

Property and equipment, net 108,693,786 86,854,073

Total assets $ 134,480,496 $ 118,044,073

lIaB I lItI e s

Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 4,752,829 $ 5,196,166

Deferred revenue 4,892,500 2,671,098

Accrued interest payable 6,719 72,285

Notes payable 6,616,299 3,630,820

Bonds payable 80,600,000 80,600,000

Total liabilities 96,868,347 92,170,369

Commitments and contingencies

n et ass ets

Unrestricted 33,249,612 22,723,410

Temporarily restricted 4,268,417 3,055,904

Permanently restricted 94,120 94,390

Total net assets 37,612,149 25,873,704

Total liabilities and net assets $ 134,480,496 $ 118,044,073

CIRM Infrastructure Revenue

Grant Revenue without CIRM

$23.4 $24.1

$28.3

$39.7


Contributions 7%

Federal and State Government Grants 37%

Buck Trust 12%

Interest and Other 1%

Foundation and Other Grants 8% Corporate Research

Agreements 4%

operating and Capital revenue for FY2012

Bond Interest and Related Costs 3%

Research 66%

General and Administrative 26%

Fundraising 5%

operating expenses for FY2012

Statement of Activities and Changes in Net AssetsYear Ended June 30, 2012 (With Summarized Comparative Information for the Year Ended June 30, 2011)

TemporarilyRestricted

PermanentlyRestricted

Total

Unrestricted 2012 2011

ope ratI nG r eve n u e s, GaI n s, an d oth e r su pport

Allocation from the Buck Trust $ 5,689,335 $ - $ - $ 5,689,335 $ 5,764,910

Grant revenues 39,659,898 - - 39,659,898 28,298,550

Contributions 1,591,820 2,002,117 - 3,593,937 3,013,044

Interest and investment income 55,998 - - 55,998 78,753

Other income 244,538 - - 244,538 129,516

Net assets released from restrictions 808,205 (808,205) - - -

Total operating revenues, gains, and other support 48,049,794 1,193,912 - 49,243,706 37,284,773

ope ratI nG expe n s e sResearch 24,726,376 - - 24,726,376 23,434,857

General and administrative 9,568,513 - - 9,568,513 8,365,916

Fundraising 1,991,585 - - 1,991,585 1,907,013

Bond interest and related costs 1,237,118 - - 1,237,118 1,440,821

Total operating expenses 37,523,592 - - 37,523,592 35,148,607

Change in net assets from operations 10,526,202 1,193,912 - 11,720,114 2,136,166

non-ope ratI nG aCtIvItI e sChange in value of split-interest agreements, net - 18,601 (270) 18,331 129,436

Total non-operating activities - 18,601 (270) 18,331 129,436

Change in net assets 10,526,202 1,212,513 (270) 11,738,445 2,265,602

n et ass ets

Beginning of year 22,723,410 3,055,904 94,390 25,873,704 23,608,102

End of year $ 33,249,612 $ 4,268,417 $ 94,120 $ 37,612,149 $ 25,873,704

CIRM Infrastructure Grant 31%


$1,000,000 +

The S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation

Glenn Foundation for Medical Research

Ellen and Douglas Rosenberg Foundation

Rowe Family Foundation*

$500,000–$999,999

Michaela and Jay Hoag

Catherine H. Munson § *

$250,000–$499,999

Gensler Family Foundation § *

$100,000–$249,999

Larry L. Hillblom Foundation

Mericos Foundation

Marylin P. Wanlass*

$50,000–$99,999

Patricia L. and John Cahill Jr.*

Mary and Bill R. Poland § *

$10,000–$49,999

Hussam Abu Issa*

Tarek AbuZayyad*

Cinzia and Ylias Akbaraly*

James A. Aleveras Jr.*

Mikhail Batin*

Marjorie E. Belknap*

Robert B. Buck

Lynn M. and Najib S. Canaan*

Cloud Nine Foundation*

Joey and Warren C. Conklin

Jess and A. Crawford Cooley*

Mark N. Cutis*

Mazen Darwazeh*

Helene and Russell Ellison §

Darla Flanagan*

James Harpel*

Ambassador Fay Hartog-Levin § and Daniel E. Levin

Magaret E. Haas Fund*

Linda Hothem

Dato Fawziah Abdul Karim*

Brenda and Brian Kennedy

Lady Jamileh Kharrazi*

The Konigsberg Family Trust

Ellen and Charles S. La Follette § *

Elisabeth R. Levy*

Lycera Corp.

Mary McEachron

Barbara H. Morrison §

Susan Ohrenschall*

Laura and David Perry §

Diane L. and Edward A. Powell §*

Mary and Lew Reid § *

Barbara C. and Richard M. Rosenberg §

Rosenberger Family Fund §

Sangamo Biosciences/Edward Lanphier*

Mary C. Sauer § and Robert Doris

SENS Foundation

Rashid Skaf *

Elizabeth M. Stevens

Liz Wallerstein*

Thomas D. Weldon*

David Wetherell*

Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation

William E. Wolf*

$5,000–$9,999

Deborah and Arthur Ablin Family Fund*

Affymetrix, Inc.

Aida and Dale E. Bredesen

Gunnel and Larry Dingus*

Barbara and David Elias*

Genentech, Inc.

JK Capital Management, LLC

Marin Independent Journal

Virginia M. Melvin and Ralph O’Rear

Gwen and Thomas Price

King and Bruce Sams

Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz and Gary Pomerantz

US Bank

Judy C. Webb*

Buck Institute Members $250–$4,999

A and P Moving, Inc.

Beth and Joseph Aaron

Mohammed Abalkhail

Jamal Abu Issa

Alfa Tech

Yaisa Andrews-Zwilling

Patsy F. and R. Howard Annin Jr.

Joyce D. Applen

Wissam Issam Ariss*

Ruth L. and Anthony Arnold

Elizabeth and James Austin

Barbara and Larry Babow

Betsy Babson and Massoud Dehdashti

Chris Balagtas

Bank of Marin

Chad L. Barber

Carole Bennett and Norman Ciampi

Antoinette and Tom Benoit

Rosemary and Bill Bergin

BioSpherix, LTD.

Jack Bissinger

Elaine and Lyman Black

Kerry and Clark Blasdell

Will Block

Rosalind and David S. Bloom

Helen Bodington

Nancy and N. Edward Boyce

Ute and John Brandon

Cecilia and Larry Bridges

Ruth Broady

Mary Jo and Henry J. Broderick

Jean and Stuart Brown

Diane and O. Davis Brown

Anders Brunmark

Barbara A. Buck

Sally Buehler

Building and Construction Trades Council of Marin County

Maria Cabreira-Hansen

Helen K. and John E. Cahill Fund

Jeanne J. Cahill

Cahill/Otto Construction JV

Joan Capurro

Huguette Carleton-Lenz and Dieter Lenz

Jeanne Carley

Rosario Carr-Casanova and Richard E. Levy

CaterMarin

Wallace Chick

honor roLL oF donorsThe Buck Institute gratefully acknowledges the following donors for their generous contributions.

(§ Board of trustees Member; *Buck advisory Council Member)48 Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

Shankar J. Chinta

Carolyn S. Ciampi

Carter Cliff

Codding Foundation

Toast and George Coley

Jackie W. Collins

Karen Collins

Patricia Conway and James L. Patten

Pamela A. Cook and Paul Gietzel

M. Aline Cornelius and Alan Estes

Corning Life Science

Stone Coxhead

Judith D. and Robert K. Creasy

Katherine Culligan

Arleen Curry

Shahla Davoudi

Dibble & Dibble

Noel W. and Donald R. Dickey

Christine Dohrmann

Marjorie and Jeron Donalds

S. Malvern Dorinson

Catherine and Robert Doyle

Tedi Dunn and William H. Svabek

Elke Neumann Dwelly and Vernon I. Dwelly

Courtney Easley-Neal

Dianne M. Easton

Judy and James M. Edgar §

Ginger and David Egan

Delia F. Ehrlich

Elaine Ellerton

Audrey and Kenneth Ellingsen

Maryann and John Elloway

Elizabeth Enemark

Lois B. Epstein

Sally-Ann and Ervin Epstein

Jacqueline L. and Christian P. Erdman

Phyllis M. Faber

Carolyn and Branwell Fanning

Francine Farouz

Neghmeh and Shahab Fatheazam § *

Marjorie Feder

Carmen M. and Ronald Ferguson

The Florence S. Mahoney Foundation

Judi and Fredric Finkelstein

Isabelle and Denis Finney

Adrian Flierl

Helen Fong

Frank Howard Allen & Co.

Barbara and E.W. Fredell

Friends of Marin Hadassah

Dolores Fruiht

Peggy and Robert Fujimoto

Alison Fuller

John D. Furber

Betty E. Gandel

Elizabeth and David Ganz

The Geistlinger Family Trust

Gary Giacomini

Ruth Noah Giusto and Albert S. Giusto

GlobalStem

Joanne Gordon

Nancy Gorsich

Elizabeth and Joseph Greenberg

Frank and Barbro Greene Charitable Fund

Sara G. and Richard M. Griffith

Peter L. Grossman

Margie and David Guggenhime

Althina and Charles Halfmann

Donna and James Halow

Hilary and Chris Hansen

Ethlyn Ann Hansen

Gay D. and Wyman C. Harris

Stephen L. Hauser §

Wanda R. Headrick and Hans Adler

Kay Heigel

Rebecca and Robert Henn

Jessica Herritt

Patricia Hess

Marion and Jorgen Hildebrandt

Y. Anne Huang

Deborah Huber

Judy Hunt

Lander R. and William Hynes

Ann and Joseph Imhoff

Gabriella and Glenn Isaacson

ISEC

Barbel and Gordon Jacobs

Helene and Stephen N. Jaffe

Arnie J. Kahn

Denise Kalos

Roseanne and Raja Kamal

Aileen A. and Daniel F. Keegan

Janice and Bill Kerr

Norma King

Mildred N. King

Johanna Knoferle

Verna and Jack Krout

Nancy and Richard Kuhn

Jacqueline and Carl Kuhn

Elinor A. and James E. Lacy

Ron Landes*

Mary J. Lang

Almon E. Larsh Jr.

Ragnhild and Knut Larssen

Marsha and Michael Lasky

Sumana Laye

Sarah Leach and Kenneth Drexler

Sharon Leach

Judy and Robert Leet

Mardi Leland

Sharon L. and Kenneth M. Levien

John Levinsohn

Patricia and Lyle E. Lewis

Linda Liscom

Janis R. MacKenzie and Dennis Conaghan

Delphine and Dennis Mangan

Francine and John R. Manis

Nancy E. Martin

Robert Mathison

Marlyn and Larry McClaskey

Shirley B. McDonald

Catherine D. McKown

James W. Meakin

Deborah and Al Meckler

Jane Miller

Raymond Moore

Karen and William Morgenstern

Carol Mowbray

Kari E. and Hans J. Mueller

Lillian J. and Bernie F. Mulaskey

Lynn Jurich and Bradford Murray

Rita and Herbert H. Myers §

Laurie Nardone

Jeanette F. Nichols

E.M. Nomura

Jeremy Norman

Tom Novak

Frances K. and Louis D. O’Brien

On Point Productions, Inc.

The P&G Company

PAE Consulting Engineers

(§ Board of trustees Member; *Buck advisory Council Member)

“I feel privileged to occupy a front-row seat on cutting-edge science.”

— Vernon Dwelly, Buck Institute docent and donor

honor roLL oF donors


Steve Page

Mandy and Samuel Parke

Barbara Patton

Lynn and Richard A. Payne

Gail Perin

Grace and Roland Perkins

Steven Perlmutter

Donna and Jerry Peters

Constance Peterson

Ken Petron

Virginia and Don Pierce

Kelley Baer and Louis R. Pozzo

Melissa Prandi

Lois Prentice

ProMab Biotechnologies, Inc.

Janet and Rudy C. Ramirez

Phyllis and Steven Reinstein

Joan Ring

Karen Ring

Carma Rose

Linda Rosen

Rutherford & Chekene

Renee Rymer and Tony Clementino

Samer Salty

Nancy Marsh Sangster-De Haan and Robert De Haan

Reva Saper

Betsy and John Scarborough

Hermann E. Schnabel

Gail Schroeder

Birgitt Schuele

Andrea Schultz

Virginia and William Schultz

Mary Barbara Shultz

Jackson Scott

Michele E. Scott

Nancy and Robert Sellers

Christopher S. Semler

Susan Severin

Shamrock Materials, Inc.

Brenda Shank

Ingrid Sheets

Colleen and John Silcox

Sybil Skinner

Don and Jean Smith

Jenifer and John Smyth

Helmut Sommer

Cherie and Gideon Sorokin

Donna and David Spilman

Rodney Stock

Ed Stolman

Vi and Dick Strain

Dawna and J. Dietrich Stroeh

Pauline L. and John G. Stuber

Sunrun

Irving and Marilyn Tallman

Tony Tamer

Beverly Tanner

Nancy Thomson

Roxanne Thornton

Three Swallows Foundation

Sally Tilbury

Berit Tisell

Ruthellen Toole

Trison Construction, Inc.

Turck, Inc.

UnionBank

Charlotte S. and Donald F. Urban

Ron Viner

Aaron Vollrath

Lorraine and Vartan Voskanian

Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Warren

Evelyn Warren

Martha A. and Douglas A. Watt

Ann and Mark Weinstock

Susan Wheeler

Ellen White and Ronald F. Gaines

Kay C. and Rick White

Svetlana and Tommie Whitener

Peggy and Charles Wilson

Shannon Wilson and Janine Guillot

Pat and John Withers

Judy V. and Donald E. Wolf

Gerold C. Wunderlich

Gloria and Peter Yu

Merla Zellerbach and Lee Munson

Careen Zelli and Joseph Antoun

under $250

AA Electric SE Inc.

Judy and Paul Archambeau

Linda D. and Ted N. Baker

Lois Ball

Susan T. Ballinger

Kenneth Bauman

Neil Bauman

Shirlyn and David Bauman

Patricia and Donn Bearden

Marie Cressey Belden

Randi and Robert Belshe

Marjorie L. Bertolino

Josephine and George Blagden

Janet A. Blasi Hayssen

Mark Brandt

Helen V. and Frederic L. Brenlin

Barbara C. Carter

Chi-Hui Chai

Richard Chan

Elaine and Ken Chew

Patricia and Melford Chudacoff

Janet and Stanley Clark

Nancy Coit

Carolyn Collins

Anne Corwin

Cosmos

Cotati Terminal

Janice and Richard Cotton

Robert B. Crankshaw

Cross Stitch Cupboard

Virginia Cunningham

Janet Daveiro

Nancy L. and Raul G. Diez

Amy Flannigan Dittmer

Diane Dorfman

Jean and Kevin Dowling

Carrie A. Driscoll

Charles A. Dunkel

Ann Eckelhoff


“My late husband, s. William levy, Md, was a consultant to the Buck Institute since its inception. he immediately recognized the importance of such a research facility. now we, the family, carry on his legacy and give continued support to this important endeavor.”

—Elisabeth Levy



Eckhoff Accountancy Corporation

Charmaine Eng-Ngin

Letty and Orville Erringer

A.S. Erwin

Kathleen and Dick Eschleman

Kristi Evans

Kit Everts

George L. Fernbacher

Don Ferrell

Elizabeth and Robert Finer

Poppy H. Finston

Graham Forder

Helen and Jacob J. Foster

Sally J. and Thomas A. Freed

Madelon and Roger R. Fross

Clara Pearl Fusco

Solange and Andre Gabany

Gail S. and Marc Goldyne

Patricia and Joseph A. Gryson

Ilse Gudehus

Evelyn and Leo Gurevitch

Douglas Hamilton

BJ and Steve Hansen

Glenne Harding

Anita M. and William Dennis Hassler

Elizabeth and Jack R. Heinz

Helen A. Heitkamp

Helen Hennessy

Gloria and Donald Herzog

Ann L. Heurlin

Barbara Hoffman

Mary M. and John R. Hofmann Jr.

Helyse Hollander

Lillian B. Jarvis

Betty and Gene Jemail

Ruth Kagan

Joyce Kami

KB Electronics

Rae and Robert B. Keating

Diana and Milt Kelly

Claire and John P. Killeen

Marion and William Kleinecke

Leslie Ann and William Thomas Knapp

Betty Ann Kniesche

Barbara Kraus

K. and G. Krone

Maria Kuester

Alexander Kwan

Anna and Martin Lackner

Helen L. LaHaye

Mary J. Lang

Pamela and John Larson

Brian Lepsis

Ellen and Victor Levin

Beverly Z. and Myron J. Levy

Jane Luckoff

Julia R. Marquette

Ed McCooey

Johanna McMichael

Joanne and Bob Millum

Dona Moberly and John P. Taylor

Katherine B. Mohr

Phyllis and John Mueller

Scott Nelson

Karla Noyola

Ann W. Ocheltree

Opperman & Son

Betty H. Palkowski

Claire A. Pass

Angelo Pastorino

Peter Pelham

Neil B. Peterson

Nancy and Robert Praetzel

Boyd Quinn

Vida Ray and Ted Freeman

Red Lion Controls

Carol Ross

Yvonne Roth

Moe Rubinstein

Lois Model Rukeyser

Dixie J. Ruud

Deborah and Paul Sagues

Joan M. Shannon

Mary Richards Yort Shattuck

Fumio Shibata

Lydia B. and Charles A. Sloan

Smith Ranch Homes

Phyllis and Peter Sommer

Geoffrey Spellberg

Kathy and Bob Steinbaugh

Sucherman Consulting Group, Inc.

Douglas W. Sullivan

Shirley A. Sullivan

Molly A. Susag and Edward A. Walker

Watcharin Tararattanakorn

Eva Teller

Sandra M. Teller

Michael A. Thompson

Sally Tilbury

Donald N. Tornberg

Judy Tsou and David Carlson

Ewa Uding

Beverlie M. Vandre

Marjorie Walter

Joyce B. Wells

Phyllis and L. Warren Welsh

Gloria D. Wilson and Edward Dermott

Susan and Ian R. Wilson

Patricia Wong and Ronald E. Lok

Vera M. Young


“I have had the privilege of supporting the Buck Institute from its modest beginnings. With outstanding leadership and planned expansion, it has become not only a nationally recognized research organization, but a unique resource and treasure to those of us who live in Marin County.”

—Marjorie E . Belknap, MD



Rowena Abulencia

Emmeline Academia

Pooja Agrawal

Kazutaka Akagi

Silvestre Alavez

Alexander Alleavitch

Mahru An

Julie Andersen

Suzanne Angeli

Arieanna Anies

Joseph Antoun

Robert Archuleta

Nathaniel Areceneaux

Deepthi Ashok

Audrisz Asuncion

Tracy Barhydt

Ricardo Barrera

Lakisha Barrett

Leslie Belingheri

Christopher Benz

Dipa Bhaumik

Adrian Bivol

Benjamin Blackwell

Akilah Bonner

Martin Brand

Dale Bredesen

Regina Brunauer

Libbie Butler

Francis Byrnes

Gabriellee Cailing

Timothy Camarella

Judith Campisi

Bernadette Castro

Lise Castro

Greg Ceniceroz

Di Chen

Shankar Chinta

Brent Clegg

Cindee Crawley

Julie Creighton

Danielle Crippen-Harmon

Evelyn Crivello

Steven Danielson

Albert Davalos

Darcy Davis

Sonnet Davis

Francesco De Giacomo

Marco Demaria

Olivier Descamps

Seana Doughty

Guiping Du

Carlotta Duncan

Lisa Ellerby

Shiena Enerio

Richard Fay

James Flynn

Juliette Gafni

Abirami Ganesan

Thelma Garcia

Brittany Garrett

Theo Garrett

Akos Gerencser

Bradford Gibson

Olivia Gorostiza

Jill Graham

David Greenberg

Robert Guempel

Lisa Gurney

Bachir Hadid

Jeong-Hoon Hahm

Chong He

Karen Hein

Jason Held

Dillon Hench

Justin Hill

Victoria Hogue

Jennifer Holcomb

Lynnette Hollins

Katherine Hughes

Robert Hughes

Henri Jasper

Shelly Jennings

Lori Jensen

Varghese John

Darci Kane

Pankaj Kapahi

Subhash Katewa

Shana Katzman

Desmond Kelly

Amit Khanna

Bo Khanrasa

Demetris Killian

Yong-Hwan Kim

Janet King

Ida Klang

Marysia Kolipinski

Jennika Krisa

Jeff Kroyer

Jitendra Kumar

Remi-Martin Laberge

Deepak Lamba

Joann Lassak

Matthew Laye

Judith Lewis

Jay Lewis-Kraitsik

Biao Li

Wai Li

Chen-Yu Liao

Christopher Lieu

Chandani Limbad

Gordon Lithgow

Qiuyue Liu

Su Liu

Daniel Lockshon

Vicky Loel

Renee Lontz

Tamara Loomis

Allison Lorenzi

Mark Lucanic

Victoria Lunyak

Gregory MacIntosh

Alex Madias

Julie Mangada

Jonathan Manning

Xiao Mao

Karla Mark

Alex Matalis

Richard Maxwell

Thomas McBride

Mark McCormick

Cary McDonald

Linda McDougal

Matthew McGee

Marie McKinney

Simon Melov

Eduardo Meza

Jackson Miller

Kylie Mitchell

Olga Momcilovic

Judith Montoya

Justine Montoya-Sack

Shona Mookerjee

Sean Mooney

Anne Neill

Ryan Ng

David Nicholls

Robert O’Brien

Shannon O’Hare

Monique O’Leary

Michelle Ohlson

Adam Orr

Lisa Palma

Dorina Papanikolaou

Kyungchae Park

Alexander Patent

Oliver Pedersen

Ophelia Pedersen

Jun Peng

buck staFF As of June 30, 2012

NaNcy DerrVice President, Finance &

Chief Financial Officer

KristeN Gates, eDDDirector, Postgraduate Education

remy Gross iiiVice President, Business Development

& Technology Advancement

DeNise KalosVice President, Wellness Programs

BriaN KeNNeDy, PhDPresident & Chief Executive Officer

mary mceachroN, JDChief Administrative Officer

& General Counsel

raJa Kamal, PhD Senior Vice President for

Institute Relations

KeviN KeNNeDyDirector,

Information Technology

ralPh o’rearVice President,

Facilities & Planning

Blair WiNNDirector,

Resource Development

staFF oriGins MaP


Juniper Pennypacker

Irina Perevoshchikova

Theodore Peters

Clare Peters-Libeu

Christopher Place

Robert Place

Todd Plummer

Chris Pobre

Jordan Poinsett

Karen Poksay

Deborah Post

Milena Price

Casey Quinlan

Subramanian Rajagopalan

Arvind Ramanathan

Anand Rane

Padma Rao

Rammohan Rao

Matthew Rardin

Maryanne Ravano

Kris Rebillot

John Reeder

Lorri Reinders

Brandon Reitzel

Joseph Reynolds

Armelle Richard

Ilan Riess

Christine Robbins

Jennifer Rodrigues

Aric Rogers

Tal Ronnen Oron

Daniel Rothschild

Alex Sabogal

Richard Safreno

Melissa Sarantos

Birgit Schilling

Gary Scott

Chester Seligman

Atossa Shaltouki

Tong Shi

Masha Shifs

Almas Siddiqui

Mara Sinats

Joanna Sitzmann

Renuka Sivapatham

Dylan Sorensen

Patricia Spilman

Steve Spusta

Tara Srinivasan

Tom Starr

Joel Sunga

Molly Susag

Anna Swistowska

Brandon Tavshanjian

Veena Theendakara

Jonathan Thompson

Janita Thusberg

Marc Ting

James Tollervey

Cendrine Tourette

Shih Yin Tsai

Mitsuhiro Tsuchiya

Scott Tsuchiyama

Stelios Tzannis

Joanne Van Kampen-Johnsen

Miguel Vargas

Michael Velarde

Andrew Vinson

Catherine Vitelli

Alicia Wallace

Darrain Waters

Adrianne Williamson

Joy Wilson

Kathleen Wilson-Edell

Justin Winstead

Tobias Wittkop

Sun Won Kim

Lin Xie

Bridget Yates

Hoi Sze Yau

Mariya Yevtushenko

Khan Zafar

Chris Zambataro

Xianmin Zeng

Ningzhe Zhang

Qiang Zhang

Yiqiang Zhao

Ying Zou

Artem Zykovich

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Buck Institute8001 Redwood Blvd . Novato, CA 94945Tel: 415-209-2000Fax: 415-899-1810E-mail: info@buckinstitute .org

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