The Convergence of Science and Medicine

THE CONVERGENCE OF
SCIENCE AND MEDICINE
A Campaign for The Rockefeller University | 2020-2024

Science and medicine are entering an explosive era of discovery, fueled by technological advances and the impact of new translational opportunities that are speeding up the timeline between scientific discovery and clinical application.

The Rockefeller University is poised to take advantage of this inflection point.

The environment at Rockefeller is perfect for developing a deep relationship between innovation, basic biology, and the understanding of human health and disease.

PRESIDENT RICHARD P. LIFTON
CARSON FAMILY PROFESSOR

A Revolution
in Biomedicine

Today we are witnessing a remarkable convergence of science and medicine. Basic scientists are making fundamental discoveries that illuminate the causes of human health and disease, while studies of patients are revealing unanticipated biological mechanisms in disease causation. This cross-fertilization is accelerating our understanding of basic biology and offering new opportunities to prevent, treat, and cure disease. The impact on human health will be truly transformational.

Rockefeller University and its preeminent research hospital are uniquely positioned to lead this revolution.

With your help, our faculty can seize the opportunities on the horizon. Together, we can create a healthier world today and for generations to come.

Rockefeller has a 120-year track record of advancing the boundaries of scientific knowledge, resulting in medical breakthroughs that have improved human health. Ten years ago, hepatitis C was killing millions each year. Then Rockefeller’s Charles Rice devised a system to replicate and study the virus, leading to the development of a drug that cures 95 percent of hepC patients—work for which he won a 2020 Nobel Prize.

The Rockefeller University Hospital is a vital link in the translational pipeline. Founded in 1910, the hospital was the birthplace of clinical research in the United States. It provides critical expertise, personnel, and programs to help Rockefeller scientists through every stage of clinical investigation, from establishing patient protocols to conducting Phase I and Phase II clinical trials.

Rockefeller faculty are the most innovative biomedical scientists in the world. They are unencumbered by departmental barriers, creating a highly collaborative environment that maximizes interaction. Head of Laboratory and biophysicist Amy Shyer and graduate fellows in the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Research Building.

In a message from the campaign co-chairs, Robin Chemers Neustein and John M. Shapiro describe "How Rockefeller has already improved your life."

Convergence Illustrated

Rockefeller was founded with a singular mission—science for the benefit of humanity.

Great basic science has the potential to improve human health and provides the surest route to effective disease prevention and treatment.

Thanks to unparalleled scientific freedom, Rockefeller scientists can conduct the type of groundbreaking foundational research that leads to innovative therapeutic discovery.

MOCK VIRUSES
Testing the potency of antibodies to fight COVID-19 must be done under strict safety protocols since it involves handling a highly infectious virus. A multi-laboratory collaboration led by virologists Paul Bieniasz and Theodora Hatziioannou developed a harmless "pseudo-coronavirus" capable of serving as a surrogate for the real thing. At the onset of the pandemic, one third of Rockefeller laboratories embarked on new research to understand the biology of the virus that causes COVID-19 and apply that knowledge to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of the disease.

NEW ANTIBIOTICS TO COMBAT RESISTANT INFECTIONS
Chemist Sean Brady discovers new antibiotics by mining DNA from natural sources, such as ordinary soil and the human microbiome. With antibiotic resistance on the rise, new treatments for persistent diseases like tuberculosis are needed to thwart outbreaks.

ANTIBODY-BASED THERAPIES
Immunologist Michel Nussenzweig pioneered a method to isolate and clone broadly neutralizing antibodies from people who have successfully fought HIV infection. His team has identified two antibodies that, in combination, effectively suppress levels of the HIV virus without use of other drugs. Physician-scientist Marina Caskey has led a series of clinical trials at Rockefeller’s research hospital to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of these antibodies.

MECHANISMS OF HUMAN DISEASE
Cancer biologist Agata Smogorzewska studies DNA repair in patients with the rare genetic disorder Fanconi anemia. Her work is providing insights into how the human genome protects its integrity against constant assault.

DETAILED BLUEPRINTS OF PROTEINS
Virus replication is a complex puzzle of parts fitting tightly together almost like gears in a machine. Disrupting the fit is one way to stop the spread of disease. In March 2020, structural biologists Seth Darst and Elizabeth Campbell refocused their research to investigate the replication system of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Detailed atomic-level resolution images help drug developers search for, and test, drug candidates.

President Richard P. Lifton and Board Chair William E. Ford

Core Priorities of the Strategic Plan

Over the past decade, Rockefeller has made substantial investments in creating the ideal environment for translational research. Generous support to the university’s two previous capital campaigns made ambitious construction and renovation projects possible, setting the stage for the collaborative ventures at the heart of the new strategic plan.

The 2020–2024 Strategic Plan for The Rockefeller University, adopted by the Board of Trustees in November 2019, calls for a broad array of initiatives to capitalize on the convergence of science and medicine.

1 :
Investing in Audacious and Original Scientists

2 :
Translating Discoveries into Diagnostics and Therapeutics

3 :
Catalyzing Collaborations: New Institutes and Centers

4 :
Powering the Future Through Disruptive Technologies

5 :
Enhancing the Scientific Environment

Investing in
Audacious and
Original Scientists

High-risk research that aims for high rewards sets Rockefeller apart from mainstream science where success is measured in smaller increments.

We hire only the most creative investigators and provide them with the scientific freedom and the financial resources to pursue novel research.

Annual core grants act as venture capital, enabling our lab heads to pursue bold questions. This innovation funding would not be possible without the support of generous benefactors who underwrite named chairs and laboratories.

⬑ Link to Funding Opportunities

Rockefeller professor Michael Young receiving the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2017 photo.

Rockefeller professor Michael Young received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2017 for his discoveries of genes that control circadian rhythm. Since 1999, seven Rockefeller scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Chemistry, a number unmatched by any other institution in the world.

The university's visionary faculty are central to our success. Kivanç Birsoy uses cutting edge technology—genomic screening and CRISPR gene editing—to study the metabolic needs of cancer cells. This research can lead to targeted therapies to starve cancer’s growth and stop proliferation.

Photo of scientist working in front of computer

Occasionally, the university embarks on targeted recruitment for an emerging scientific or societal need. Hiring a senior scientist in computational biology/artificial intelligence will augment and bridge investigations currently underway on campus.

Photo of students on Rockefeller University campus

The university’s David Rockefeller Graduate Program in Bioscience is devoted to advanced education in the life sciences. The program is individualized to each student’s academic interests, offering rigorous training and close mentoring by faculty. Students receive a generous stipend, free tuition, comprehensive medical insurance, and subsidized housing.

Pictured, from left to right, are finalist Lilang Wan (mentor, David Allis), winner Laura Duvall (mentor, Leslie Vosshall), and finalist Carla Nasca (mentor, Bruce McEwen)

Postdoctoral scholars are essential members of virtually every Rockefeller laboratory. They devise and execute experiments, help to mentor graduate students, and initiate collaborations with colleagues in other research groups.

At Rockefeller, we are all motivated by a common mission. We all share the same passion and thrill for exploring the unknown and defining the elusive.

VANESSA RUTA
GABRIELLE H. REEM AND HERBERT J. KAYDEN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
2019 MACARTHUR FELLOW

Translating Discoveries
Into Diagnostics
and Therapeutics

The university has a robust translational research ecosystem, which ensures that Rockefeller investigators have the funding, scientific resources, and entrepreneurial knowledge to take their discoveries from the bench to the clinic. The ecosystem includes:

A thriving internal drug and diagnostics discovery program
An on-campus research hospital, experienced in conducting clinical trials
Access to cutting-edge technology through shared resource centers
An expert Office of Technology Transfer
A new on-campus biotech incubator
An inter-institutional therapeutics accelerator that provides industry expertise in medicinal chemistry and antibody engineering

⬑ Link to Funding Opportunities

The skin's phenomenal ability to replenish itself comes from a reservoir of stem cells (shown in green in a mouse hair follicle).

Since 2014, more than 300 translational research grants have been awarded to Rockefeller investigators through a first-of-its-kind internal therapeutic grants program. Research supported by these grants has resulted in 114 invention disclosures, 14 clinical trials conducted on campus, and the creation of 8 new companies. ABOVE: The skin's phenomenal ability to replenish itself comes from a reservoir of stem cells (shown in green in a mouse hair follicle).

The Center for the Convergence of Science and Medicine will centralize translational efforts and strengthen the connection between basic science, clinical medicine, and drug discovery. Rockefeller microbiologist Luciano Marraffini, above, pioneered the development of CRISPR gene-editing technology.

Shown in green: the molecular response to an antidepressant

How most antidepressants work remains a molecular mystery. Studies at Rockefeller have traced the chain of molecular events activated by medications like Prozac—research that can inform treatments for a range of neurological diseases. Shown in green: the molecular response to an antidepressant.

Hair cells, the sensory receptors of the ear, detect sound and maintain vestibular function. Once lost, they are not replaced. With funding from a proof-of-concept grant, neuroscientist Jim Hudspeth initiated a project to induce regeneration of hair cells. His lab’s first clinically focused effort, it has already resulted in the development of novel molecules with therapeutic potential for not just the ear, but the eye, heart, and other organs.

Rockefeller is committed to ensuring equal access to entrepreneurship opportunities for its scientists. The Kellen Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund helps to ensure that every scientist who wants to realize the therapeutic potential of their research has the support and encouragement to do so.

Thanks to the incredibly supportive environment at Rockefeller, my research team was able to develop two potential cancer therapeutics that are now in clinical trials. It has always been my dream to have my science help patients.

SOHAIL TAVAZOIE
LEON HESS PROFESSOR
SENIOR ATTENDING PHYSICIAN, THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Catalyzing Collaborations
New Interdisciplinary
Institutes and Centers

Solving complex scientific problems requires an integration of disciplines, technologies, and expertise. Rockefeller's open structure encourages the kind of cross-pollination that catalyzes cures.

Through the Campaign for the Convergence of Science and Medicine, Rockefeller has created three new interdisciplinary centers or institutes and hopes to establish two more:

Center for the Convergence of Science and Medicine
Center for Research on the Biology of Aging
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Institute for Global Infectious Disease Research
Price Family Center for the Social Brain
Marlene Hess Center for Research on Women's Health and Biomedicine

⬑ Link to Funding Opportunities

Photo of Physician-scientist Sohail Tavazoie

The Center for the Convergence of Science and Medicine will provide Rockefeller investigators with the roadmap, tools, and financial support—the translational architecture—so that they can find new ways to prevent, mitigate, and cure diseases. Physician-scientist Sohail Tavazoie’s cancer research is driven by the desire to improve treatments and save lives.

Photo of scientist in protective equipment in lab

Stavros Niarchos Institute for Global Infectious Disease Research. A rapid therapeutic response to emerging viruses must be driven by the best science. Rockefeller is home to some of the most innovative immunologists and infectious disease specialists in the world. This institute centralizes their efforts to solve complex diseases that affect both the developed and developing world.

Developmental biologist Ali Brivanlou models the origins of Huntington’s disease with new technology involving tiny brain models called neuruloids

Center for Research on the Biology of Aging. Aging is increasingly seen as a set of fundamental biological processes directed by genes and epigenetic changes. What molecular mechanisms drive these changes? Scientists in this center will expand the boundaries of our current knowledge, translating basic science into a more precise understanding of the biology of aging.

Price Family Center for the Social Brain. Rockefeller neuroscientists are making groundbreaking discoveries about the underpinnings of social interaction and behavior. Their work is revealing the biological principles that govern social intelligence, spoken language, and complex social organization. Daniel Kronauer, head of the Laboratory of Social Evolution and Behavior, developed an automated tracking apparatus and a vibrant color-coding system to study social behavior in ant colonies.

Marlene Hess Center for Research on Women's Health and Biomedicine. This center—headed by Agata Smogorzewska, left—is a timely response to evidence that women and men manifest and experience disease differently and respond differently to pharmaceuticals.

Powering the Future
Through Disruptive
Technologies

Paradigm-shifting technologies are radically changing the way research is conducted, fueling progress toward discoveries that could barely be imagined even five years ago.

A generation of scientific breakthroughs will be dependent on new tools and instruments.

For Rockefeller to sustain its extraordinary scientific pace, support for the timely acquisition of new technologies must be a priority. A comprehensive brochure, Technologies Powering Today's Scientific Revolution: High Impact Philanthropy at Work, is available.

⬑ Link to Funding Opportunities

Centralized Scientific Resource Centers offer Rockefeller scientists access to cutting-edge equipment and expert technical services—from genome sequencing to high-throughput screening for drug candidates. By supporting one of these centers, a donor can make a significant impact on a broad array of investigations. Alison North is Senior Director of the Frits and Rita Markus Bio-Imaging Resource Center.

Greg Alushin, right, uses the Evelyn Gruss Lipper Cryo-Electron Microscopy Resource Center to study cellular machinery at atomic resolution

Advanced technology in the hands of Rockefeller's world-class scientists drives transformational science that leads to new therapeutics. Greg Alushin, right, uses the Evelyn Gruss Lipper Cryo-Electron Microscopy Resource Center to study cellular machinery at atomic resolution.

Priya Rajasethupathy, right, explores the biological mechanisms of memory— how our brains encode, consolidate, and retrieve information

Leveraging transformative technologies and innovative behavioral methods, Priya Rajasethupathy, right, explores the biological mechanisms of memory— how our brains encode, consolidate, and retrieve information.

Of all the organizations that my family’s philanthropy has helped to create, The Rockefeller University has contributed more to the well-being of mankind and the world than any other.

DAVID ROCKEFELLER (1915–2017)
TRUSTEE, THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY, 1940–2017

Enhancing the
Scientific
Environment

Rockefeller provides an extraordinary environment that allows a singular focus on science.

This includes state-of-the-art research facilities, subsidized housing, and a green campus that is an oasis on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Reliable on-site childcare is vital to scientific achievement—a reality underscored by the 2020 pandemic. Rockefeller’s Child and Family Center offers exceptional care and an enriching environment for infants, toddlers, and preschool-aged children.

The university’s unique scientific environment is sustained through generous philanthropic support of both current operations and future goals. Donors to the endowment ensure the university’s long-term fiscal health. They are betting on Rockefeller’s 120-year record of success and ability to steward their funds for even greater future impact.

⬑ Link to Funding Opportunities

The spectacular Stavros Niarchos Foundation–David Rockefeller River Campus extended the university’s footprint along the East River. The new campus includes the state-of-the-art Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Research Building.

Rockefeller’s mission has long included educational outreach to inspire and train future generations. These efforts ensure there is a strong pipeline of future graduate and postdoctoral fellows, and—equally importantly—a broader community of citizens interested in and informed about the importance of science to their lives.

RockEDU director Jeanne Garbarino, at right, in the Teaching Laboratory

RockEDU Science Outreach is a renowned educational program for students and teachers, featuring original academic curricula, support for under-resourced schools, and an advanced summer laboratory experience for high school students. The program also offers important mentoring opportunities for Rockefeller scientists. RockEDU director Jeanne Garbarino, at right, in the Teaching Laboratory.

Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis in front of audience

Through its Parents & Science Initiative, Rockefeller hosts Science Saturday, an annual day of science for children in grades K–8 and their families. Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis captivated his audience of middle school students and their parents with the science of why parrots can dance but dogs cannot. (Hint: it has to do with vocal learning in the brain.)

Amy Falls with Rockefeller Board Chair Bill Ford

“When a donor makes a gift to the endowment, they are expressing their belief that the university will be carrying out its mission of preventing disease and finding cures in perpetuity.” —Rockefeller Board Chair William E. Ford (right). Shown with David Rockefeller, Jr., great-grandson of the university’s founder, John D. Rockefeller, who provided the first gift to the institution’s endowment—$2.6 million in November 1907.

Invest in the
Future of Science and Medicine

We now have the roadmap for translating scientific discoveries into new medicines. With your help, Rockefeller can seize the opportunities on the horizon.

Together, we can create a healthier world for today and for generations to follow.

Graphic: Embryonic skin cells communicate via mechanical cues dictated by physics—not chemical signals—to form the familiar circular pattern that will become a hair follicle.

Embryonic skin cells communicate via mechanical cues dictated by physics—not chemical signals—to form the familiar circular pattern that will become a hair follicle. Amy Shyer studies how organs take shape. Her research will enable the development of powerful tools to study and treat disease.

The germinal center is a boot camp to train B cells (shown in clusters) to better bind to pathogen targets. Gabriel Victora studies the cellular dynamics of affinity maturation, the process by which antibodies hone their ability to bind to pathogens. “We want to understand the rules that govern how antibodies are made and how they decide what to target. As basic scientists, the impact we expect to have is writing the rule book to make a better vaccine.”