Scripps institute gets $80MM

Scripps Research Institute has received more than $80 million - one of its largest grants ever - to expand the work of its Molecular Screening Center.

The six-year grant, announced Tuesday, comes from the National Institutes of Health. The funds will be shared by Scripps scientists in La Jolla and Jupiter, Fla., who are working to find “proof-of concept” molecules that could be useful in developing new drugs, according to a news release.

The Scripps center is part of the Molecular Libraries Production Centers Network under the NIH strategic funding plan.

Dr. Alan M. Krensky of the NIH said in the release that the program “is a bold experiment to bring small molecule screening to academics.”

Also announced recently was a $20 million NIH grant for the Scripps Translational Science Institute (STSI.)

“Our program capitalizes on this unique time in biomedical research with momentous progress in such areas as genomics, stem cells and applications of wireless technology,” said STSI’s director, Dr. Eric J. Topol. “This funding and participation in the consortium allows us to make even greater progress in developing individualized treatment and prevention strategies.

The institute is comprised of a diverse array of participating institutions and investigators including Scripps Research Institute, Scripps Health, the J. Craig Venter Institute, The Neurosciences Institute, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation, Burnham Institute for Medical Research, San Diego Supercomputer Center, The Salk Institute, San Diego State University and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.