Etcetera

Governor Lauds Scripps Florida as Spark for State's Future
Speaking at Scripps Florida on November 12 before the first joint meeting of the Florida State Board of Education and the Board of Governors of the state's higher education system, Florida Governor Charlie Crist praised Scripps Florida as the catalyst for the state's bioscience-based economy, and the leading example of the success of the state's initiative.

"We must plan across every level—including kindergarten to our high schools and our research universities—to ensure our graduates are prepared to participate in Florida's innovation economy," he said.

Before the governor spoke, meeting participants, who included representatives from the non-profit business group the Florida Council of 100, heard an in-depth overview of Scripps Florida presented by Harry Orf, Scripps Florida's vice president of scientific operations; Deborah Leach-Scampavia, communications specialist responsible for Florida educational outreach; Peter Policastro, senior director of business development; and Phil LoGrasso, associate professor and senior scientific director of the Translational Research Institute.

Anastasia Kralli and Subhash Sinha Win DOD Grants
Scripps Research Institute investigators Anastasia Kralli and Subhash Sinha have won grants from the U.S. Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs.

Kralli's project, titled "The Role of PGC-1 Coactivators and ERR Nuclear Receptors in Breast Cancer," was funded through the Breast Cancer Research Program's Concept Award, which was established to "support the exploration of a highly innovative new concept or untested theory that addresses an important problem relevant to breast cancer." Kralli was one of 86 awardees selected from among 1,546 applicants.

Sinha's project, titled "Bispecific Antibody Conjugate Directed to Legumain and Integrin," was funded through the Prostate Cancer Research Program Idea Development Award, which was designed to "promote innovative, high-impact research focused on eradicating prostate cancer." Sinha was one of 49 award recipients selected from among 636 applicants.

Reza Ghadiri and Philip Dawson Receive du Vigneaud Awards
Professor Reza Ghadiri and Associate Professor Philip Dawson of Scripps Research have been named the American Peptide Society's 2010 Vincent du Vigneaud Awardees for "outstanding achievements in peptide research."

The award will be presented at the society's Gordon Research Conference on "Chemistry and Biology of Peptides" to be held in Ventura, California in March 2010. Previous recipients of this award include Jeffery Kelly, chair of the Scripps Research Molecular and Experimental Medicine Department.

Moustaches for a Cause
A Scripps Research team called "Scripps Machismo" is raising awareness and money for men's health issues through the international non-profit organization Movember.

"Participants raise money for Movember by growing a moustache for the whole month of November," explained Jared Purton, the team captain. "This year the Scripps Movember team is the largest it has ever been with almost 30 people."

While Movember—a name derived from a combination of the word "mo" (slang for moustache) and "November"—is relatively new to the United States, the group began in Melbourne, Australia, in 2003. Originally a challenge to bring back the moustache, in 2004 the campaign evolved to become a fundraising event for prostate cancer. Since then, Movember has grown globally. Participants in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Ireland have now raised some $47 million to support Movember's fight against prostate and testicular cancer.

To support Scripps Machismo and make a donation to Movember:

• Go to the Movember website at http://us.movember.com/mospace/56275/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account, or
• Write a check payable to "Movember Foundation," referencing Registration Number 56275, and mail it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 2726, Venice, CA 90294-2726.

The clean-shaven Scripps Machismo crew at the beginning of November.

Send comments to: mikaono[at]scripps.edu

Governor Charlie Crist speaks on education and bioscience at Scripps Florida.