Benaroya Research Institute

Benaroya Research Institute
Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason
Established 1956
Research type Basic (non-clinical), Clinical and Translational Research
Field of research
 Immune System and Autoimmune Disease Research
President Jane H. Buckner, MD[1]
Address 1201 Ninth Avenue
Location Seattle, WA
Affiliations Virginia Mason Health System[2]
Website www.benaroyaresearch.org

Benaroya Research Institute (BRI, formally called Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason[3]) is a Seattle, Washington non-profit organization that conducts autoimmune disease medical research. It is affiliated with Virginia Mason Health System and located on the campus of Virginia Mason Medical Center.[2]

Much of BRI’s research aims to uncover how immune cells function and why they malfunction to cause disease.[4][5] BRI researchers have illuminated how immune cells contribute to rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other diseases.[4][5]

BRI uses translational research and clinical trials to carry its discoveries from the lab to the clinic, improving how physicians diagnose and treat disease.[5][6]

History

BRI was founded in 1956 as the Virginia Mason Research Center."[7][8][9] In 1985, Gerald Nepom, MD, PhD, became BRI’s director and established its immunology research program.[10][11][12]

In 1999, BRI moved into a new, 100,000 square-foot building at the corner of Seneca and 9th Avenue, in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood.[13] The building was named the Benaroya Research Institute in honor of donations from the Benaroya family.[14]

In the late 1990s, BRI’s William Kwok, PhD and Gerald Nepom, MD, PhD, developed MHC class II tetramer technology that helps researchers find and study antigen-specific T cells.[15] These tetramers are customized (using different HLA/peptide combinations) for use by researchers to study how the immune system responds to many different diseases and pathogens, including influenza, human papillomavirus, allergies, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.[16]

In 2016, Jane Buckner, MD, took over from Gerald Nepom, MD, PhD and became BRI’s president.[11][17]" Nepom remained at BRI as a researcher and faculty member.[11][17]

Research

BRI actively studies immune cells and immunotherapies that reprogram those cells; these therapies could prevent or stop type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.[18][19]

BRI’s research is fueled by its biorepositories of blood and specimens from individuals with autoimmune diseases and other disorders, and from healthy individuals.[20] BRI is home to eight biorepositories that contain samples dating back to the year 2000.[21]

In 2014, BRI was awarded a seven year, $27 million per-year grant to become headquarters of the Immune Tolerance Network (ITN), a clinical research consortium with more than 200 research sites around the world.[22] The ITN investigates how to retrain the immune system to tolerate organ transplants and reduce the effects of allergies, autoimmune diseases and other health issues.[23][24] The ITN is directed by BRI’s Gerald Nepom, MD, PhD.[22]

BRI’s Carla Greenbaum, MD is chair of Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet.[25] TrialNet is an international research network that is pursuing new ways to identify, slow the progression of and ultimately prevent type 1 diabetes.[26]

In 2016, BRI received a five-year, $8 million NIH grant to lead a collaboration that studies how the immune system responds to allergens in the lungs, and how those allergens trigger asthma attacks.[27] The collaboration includes researchers from BRI, UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s Research Institute.[27] Their work could lead to new therapies for allergies and asthma.[28]

Funding and Growth

BRI has received United States federal grants for research for a wide variety of research projects, including research on autoimmune diseases,[29] allergies[30] and asthma.[31]

In 2015, BRI’s annual budget was $65 million, marking a 73 percent increase in sponsored research funding over the previous five years.[32] Approximately 72 percent of BRI’s 2015 research was supported by government research grants and contracts.[33] The remaining revenues came from philanthropic donations, pharmaceutical studies, foundation grants and other sources.[34]

In 2015, BRI ranked third in National Institutes of Health funding among Washington State research institutions.[35]

References

  1. ↑ Seattle Times Staff (1 February 2016). "Casa Latina selects Marcos Martinez as executive director". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 Smith, Rob (2016-01-06). "Marriage of Virginia Mason, Yakima Memorial is official". Puget Sound Business Journal. Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  3. ↑ "About the Institute". benaroyaresearch.org. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 Apfel, Amelia (December 2014). "Cancer Cure Inc.". Seattle Business Magazine. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Apfel, Amelia (August 2015). "Why BRI is a Global Leader in Immune System Research". Seattle Magazine. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  6. ↑ Allison, Karmel (2 September 2010). "On the Trail of Autoimmunity: Dr. Jane Buckner". A Sweet Life: The Diabetes Magazine. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  7. ↑ "Longtime Benaroya Research Institute Boss to Step Down". Puget Sound Business Journal. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  8. ↑ Reedy, Justin (22 May 2008). "UW Medicine Honors Outstanding Alumni". UW Today. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  9. ↑ "Washington Life Science History". washingtonlifescience.com. Info Resource Inc. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  10. ↑ Apfel, Amelia (August 2015). "Why BRI is a Leader in Global Immune Research" (August 2015). Seattle Magazine. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 Smith, Rob (22 June 2015). "Longtime Benaroya Research Institute boss to step down". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  12. ↑ Reedy, Justin (22 May 2008). "UW Medicine honors outstanding alumni". University of Washington Today. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  13. ↑ Flynn, Mike (19 Sep 1999). "Triumph for Virginia Mason". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  14. ↑ Pemberton-Butler, Lisa (13 September 1997). "Virginia Mason Names Building For Diabetes-Study Benefactors". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  15. ↑ Nepom, Gerald (15 March 2012). "MHC Class II Tetramers". Journal of Immunology. 188: 2477–2482. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1102398. PMID 22389204. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  16. ↑ Nepom, Gerald (15 March 2012). "MHC class II tetramers". Journal of Immunology. 188: 2477–2482. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1102398. PMID 22389204.
  17. 1 2 Fox, Maggie (4 March 2016). "Feeding kids peanuts prevents allergies long-term, study shows". Today.com. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  18. ↑ Apfel, Amelia (August 2015). "Why BRI is a Global Leader in Immune System Research" (August 2015). Seattle Magazine. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  19. ↑ Apfel, Amelia (December 2014). "Cancer Cure Inc." (December 2014). Seattle Business Magazine. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  20. ↑ Garnick, Carol (3 June 2016). "People in research: Dr. James Lord takes 17,000 steps toward a cure". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  21. ↑ "BioMed USA Directory of North American Biorepositories". biomedusa.org. BioMed USA. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  22. 1 2 Bauman, Valerie (23 Jan 2014). "Benaroya Research Institute wins grant to lead international immune research effort". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  23. ↑ Bauman, Valerie. "Benaroya Research Institute wins grant to lead international immune research effort" (23 Jan 2014). Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  24. ↑ Thompson, Dennis (4 March 2016). "Supervised Exposure Therapy for Peanut Allergy Lasts, Study Finds". Health Day. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  25. ↑ Azevedo, Margarida (4 April 2016). "TrialNet Researchers Develop Type1 Diabetes Classification". Diabetes News Journal. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  26. ↑ "Earlier intervention for type 1 diabetes sought with new staging classification". Medical Xpress. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  27. 1 2 McGrane, Clare (23 August 2016). "New solutions for allergies and asthma? Seattle collaboration lands $8M grant to research treatments". GeekWire. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  28. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Benaroya Research Institute receives $8M to research new asthma treatments". Puget Sound Business Journal. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  29. ↑ "Benaroya Research Institute gets $2.2M grant". bizjournals.com. Puget Sound Business Journal. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  30. ↑ "Benaroya Research Institute gets $5.3M grant to study allergies". bizjournals.com. Puget Sound Business Journal. 20 February 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  31. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Benaroya Research Institute receives $8M to research new asthma treatments". Puget Sound Business Journal. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  32. ↑ Benaroya Research Institute 2015 Annual Report. Benaroya Research Institute. p. Inside front cover. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  33. ↑ Benaroya Research Institute 2015 Annual Report. Benaroya Research Institute. 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  34. ↑ Benaroya Research Institute 2015 Annual Report. Benaroya Research Institute. 2015. p. Inside front cover.
  35. ↑ Garnick, Carol (8 June 2016). "Exclusive: NIH fixes database error, and Washington state's research grant tally shrinks". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 22 September 2016.

External links

Official website

Coordinates: 47°36′36″N 122°19′44″W / 47.609885°N 122.328883°W / 47.609885; -122.328883

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