Sanford Laboratories for Innovative Medicines (“Sanford Labs”) has launched as a not-for-profit biomedical research organization and collaborative hub with a mission to accelerate the development of novel molecular medicines from scientific discovery to the clinic. Its lead initiative is focused on RNA therapeutics, a rapidly expanding class of drugs with the potential to progress quickly from concept to patient and change the standard-of-care for many life-threatening diseases.

Located in San Diego’s vibrant life science community, Sanford Labs is pioneering a new model for biomedical research that combines academic innovation with industry efficiency. Research programs led by teams of entrepreneurial scientists are organized around therapeutic approaches and platform technologies with broad applicability to a range of diseases, thus enabling the efficient prototyping of multiple new medicines in parallel. Critically, private funding enables programs to launch without the need for incremental grants or other external capital, giving scientists the ability to advance projects to rigorous proof-of-concept milestones and go/no-go decision points.

Sanford Labs is led by Kristiina Vuori, MD, PhD, the President and CEO and founding member of the board of directors of Sanford Labs. She also serves as professor and Pauline & Stanley Foster Distinguished Chair at the National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Former President of Sanford Burnham Prebys and current board member for several non-profit organizations and biotech companies, Vuori brings a wealth of experience in basic and translational research and business strategy.

“Over the past 30 years, I’ve seen San Diego evolve into a research powerhouse and hub for biomedical innovation,” said Vuori. “Sanford Labs in an exciting addition to this dynamic ecosystem as its unique operating model fills a critical gap for translational research that is not a fit for traditional academic labs and yet is too early for venture or industry investment. By de-risking novel therapeutic targets and technologies and developing prototype medicines, we aim to accelerate novel molecular medicines from scientific discovery to the clinic.”

“By catalyzing partnerships between academia and industry, both here in San Diego and beyond, Sanford Labs aims to leverage the complementary strengths of both sectors to bring transformative medicines to patients with focus and efficiency,” said Edward Holmes, MD, chair of Sanford Labs’ board. Holmes is also president and CEO of the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, former chair of Singapore’s National Medical Research Council, and previously served as Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine at UC San Diego. “Sanford Labs is the latest addition to the extraordinary philanthropic legacy by T. Denny Sanford, and we thank him for his generosity and for believing in and supporting the vision and mission of Sanford Labs,” Holmes added. Sanford is a South Dakota businessman and philanthropist who has donated more than $2 billion to various causes over the years and is a strong champion for biomedical research.

Gene Yeo, PhD, MBA, a recognized leader in computational and experimental approaches to understanding how RNA processes work in development and disease, serves as the Chief Scientist for Sanford Labs. He is also a professor of cellular and molecular medicine at UC San Diego, where his work has led to advancements in understanding several neurodegenerative diseases including myotonic dystrophy, Huntington’s disease and ALS. Yeo says he was attracted to Sanford Labs’ mission to significantly shorten the journey from discovery to therapy adding that “RNA therapeutics offer a perfect opportunity for this, as we can leverage genomics advancements to pinpoint targets, while benefiting from the proven safety records of therapeutic RNAs like messenger RNAs and antisense oligonucleotides.” Yeo is also a seasoned entrepreneur, has co-founded several biotech companies and serves as scientific advisor to many including Eclipsebio, Orbital Therapeutics, Insitro and Atomic AI.

Sanford Labs has worked quickly to establish a nimble start-up like culture, and to onboard an experienced operations team as well as an exceptional group of scientists at the forefront of developing new therapeutic approaches and technologies based on the latest advances in RNA biology. Ongoing research programs that demonstrate “proof of concept” are expected to provide opportunities for start-up company generation and biopharma partnering in the near term. Over the long term, Sanford Labs’ goal is to sustain and enhance its impact through a combination of academic, philanthropic, industry and government agency partnerships and spinout companies stemming from its advances.

About Sanford Labs

Sanford Labs is an independent, not-for-profit research organization with a mission to discover and deliver next-generation molecular medicines. Launched in 2023, Sanford Labs is pioneering a new model for translational research that catalyzes partnerships between academia and industry to propel new discoveries to patients more efficiently than traditional research models. Its lead initiative focuses on RNA therapeutics, a rapidly expanding class of drugs with the potential to progress quickly from concept to patient and change the standard-of-care for many life-threatening diseases. For more information, visit https://sanfordlabs.org/ and connect with us on LinkedIn.

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