California Biomedical Industry - California Healthcare Institute

Executive profileDr. Ed Holmes, President andCEO of the Sanford Consortiumfor Regenerative MedicineQ: Tell me about the origins ofthe Sanford Consortium.We came into being after the bond issue(Prop. 71) was passed and CIRM wasformed….I think the four institutions(UCSD, Salk, Scripps and Burnham)and the scientists within them allworking together is really what got usstarted. And that is continued to be thefoundation of what we do.Q: We are at a dynamic time forstem cell research — especiallywith the first human trial onspinal cord injury. What excitesyou most about the researchabout to happen here?We have begun to engage a wide groupof scientists from all four institutionsand you can see the genuine excitement.We have also begun to identify threetheme areas to work in. Neurosciences,because that is an important areafor stem cell research. Also, in thearea of cancer biology we have got atremendous amount of strength, and incardiovascular disease.But what we have discovered is thereiss so much more and we do not wantto exclude people, so we will probablyconcentrate on these three areas butembrace, though special projects, otherthings that would be important to bringinto this.We are in the position to choose amongthe very best people, but, at the sametime, we envision the consortium tobe more than this building. It is thescience but it is also all four institutions.Just because you are not located in thebuilding does not mean that you arenot a part of the Sanford Consortium.So, they have come up with some cleverways to engage people who might not bein the building long-term with specialprojects.Q: A lot of this depends on theleveraging of federal funds andright now this is still up in the air,with stem cell research held up inthe courts. What concerns do youhave there?Nobody can predict what is going tohappen in Washington and obviouslyit is an up and down situation. But Iwould say the disquiet in Washingtonhas been a boon for California. Youfind people who want to come anyway,but they want to come even more now.It would be really nice if the federalgovernment gets it sorted out — andI, personally, think they will. I amoptimistic the federal government willstraighten itself out and begin to makeinvestments.Q: What are the designconsiderations for enablingcollaborative work?For collaboration to work, first you needopportunity. We have rooms intendedto reduce certain types of behaviorand encourage collaboration. We haveteam rooms so six people at a time canhook up computers. It is a smartboard,so they can write on the screen so itcaptures the image plus what theyannotate on their screen.The building calls for wide openstaircases and large open spaces thatconnect. It should allow people to morevertically circulate.Q: Did you model this buildingafter any other facilities in thecountry?The exterior was designed toacknowledge that it has to fitcontextually with the iconic structurethat is the Salk. It started with thescientists back in 2007. This is a LEEDgold building. We are using chilledbeams throughout. We are also takingadvantage of the fact that we live ina great part of the world. We face theocean here on top of the Torrey PinesMesa, which allows for some fantasticviews. We plan to build an open-airreception space and fully take advantageof the Southern California climate.California Biomedical Industry 2011 Report | 93