ORLANDO, Fla., October 1, 2013 – Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) president and interim CEO, Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., joined the advisory board of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame at the University of South Florida in Tampa. The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame is in its inaugural year; it honors and celebrates inventors whose achievements have advanced the quality of life for Floridians and people across the nation.
“I am excited and honored to join the advisory board of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. When we decided to open Sanford-Burnham’s east coast campus in Orlando, we knew that Florida would be an ideal location for an entrepreneurial medical research institute,” said Vuori. “The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame recognizes the depth of talent in the state that is driving life-science cluster development in Florida.”
Vuori is a pioneer in the study of the most life-threatening aspect of cancer, tumor metastasis, which is responsible for nearly all deaths in cancer patients. Among her many scientific achievements, she has made seminal contributions to the field of cancer research through publications on cellular communication networks that regulate cancer-cell survival, motility, and drug resistance. Under her leadership the Institute has sharpened its focus on translating the understanding of disease mechanisms into new therapeutics. The Institute’s expertise in human biology and drug discovery has contributed to ten cancer therapeutics currently in pre-clinical and clinical trials and more than 650 patents.
“We are extremely pleased to have Dr. Vuori on the advisory board,” said Paul R. Sanberg, Ph.D., D.Sc., president of the National Academy of Inventors and senior vice president for Research & Innovations at the University of South Florida. “Sanford-Burnham was among the first nonprofit medical research institutes that set up a campus in Florida. The Sanford-Burnham team in Orlando has recruited internationally renowned scientists to Florida, thus helping the state build its reputation as a new research powerhouse.”
Honorees will be selected annually through a nomination process open to all inventors in the state of Florida. The nominations will be reviewed by a selection committee comprised of distinguished experts in relevant fields of innovation. Nominees elected to the Hall of Fame will be inducted at an annual ceremony, where their achievements will be honored and their influence on society acknowledged and celebrated. The first induction ceremony is planned for 2014.
The Advisory Board of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame is comprised of leaders and inventors from public corporations, private businesses, research universities, nonprofit institutes, governmental agencies, and other areas. They include Michael A. Marletta, Ph.D., of The Scripps Research Institute, Richard A. Houghten, Ph.D., of Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, Richard Jove, Ph.D., of the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida, and Alan List, M.D., of Moffitt Cancer Center, among others.
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About Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute is dedicated to discovering the fundamental molecular causes of disease and devising the innovative therapies of tomorrow. Sanford-Burnham takes a collaborative approach to medical research with major programs in cancer, neurodegeneration, diabetes, and infectious, inflammatory, and childhood diseases. The Institute is recognized for its National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and expertise in drug-discovery and stem-cell technologies. Sanford-Burnham is a nonprofit, independent institute that employs 1,200 scientists and staff in San Diego (La Jolla), California, and Orlando (Lake Nona), Florida. For more information, visit us at sanfordburnham.org.
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