Benjamin F. Cravatt, Ph.D., Chairman
Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical Physiology
at The Scripps Research Institute
Dr. Cravatt’s research group is interested in understanding the roles that enzymes play in physiological and pathological processes, especially as pertains to the nervous system and cancer. To address this challenge, they develop and apply an array of biochemical, chemical, and genetic technologies.
The Cravatt group has obtained fundamental insights into the chemical, biochemical, and physiological workings of several important mammalian serine hydrolases, including enzymes involved in the neurobiology of pain and in proteases associated with tumor progression.
Dr. Cravatt obtained his undergraduate education at Stanford University, receiving a B.S. in the Biological Sciences and a B.A. in History. He then trained with Drs. Dale Boger and Richard Lerner and received a Ph.D. in Macromolecular and Cellular Structure and Chemistry from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in 1996. Professor Cravatt joined the faculty at TSRI in 1997 as a member of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology and the departments of Cell Biology and Chemistry. His honors include a Searle Scholar Award (1998-2001), the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry (2004), a Cope Scholar Award (2005), the Irving Sigal Young Investigator Award (2007) and the Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry (2008).
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Dale Boger
Richard and Alice Cramer Professor of Chemistry
at The Scripps Research Institute
Dale Boger received his B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas (1975, with highest distinction and honors in chemistry) and his Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University (1980) under the direction of E. J. Corey.
He returned to the University of Kansas as a member of the faculty in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry (1979-1985), moved to the Department of Chemistry at Purdue University (1985-1991), and joined the faculty in the newly created Department of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute (1991-present) as the Richard and Alice Cramer Professor of Chemistry. Professor Boger is internationally recognized for his work in organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, heterocyclic chemistry, natural products total synthesis and biological evaluation, synthetic methodology development, and combinatorial chemistry and has made seminal contributions to the understanding of the interaction of biologically active molecules with their targets (e.g., DNA-drug interactions of naturally occurring antitumor drugs, glycopeptide antibiotic binding with bacterial cell wall precursors). He was a founder of CombiChem, a long term consultant to several major pharmaceutical companies (Dupont/Dupont-Merck, J&J), a Scientific Advisory Board member for many biotech firms (Rib-X, Conforma, Neurocrine, 3D Pharmecueticals), has served as an advisor to more than 50 PhD and 150 postdoctoral students, and is the coauthor of more than 500 publications and 2 books. He was the founder Editor and continues to serve as the Editor-in-Chief for Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters.
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Phil S. Baran, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute and Memeber, Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology
Phil S. Baran is currently a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Scripps Research Institute and Member of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology. Phil received his B.S. in chemistry from NYU in 1997, his Ph.D. at The Scripps Research Institute in 2001, and from 2001-2003 he was an NIH postdoctoral fellow at Harvard. His independent career began in the summer of 2003 and in 2006 he was promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure. In 2008 he was promoted to Full Professor and in 2009 he was appointed to the Skaggs Institute.
He has published over 120 scientific articles and has been the recipient of several ACS awards such as the Pure Chemistry (2010), Fresenius (2006), and Nobel Laureate Signature (2003) and several international distinctions such as the Hirata Gold Medal (Japan) and the Sackler Prize (Israel). He is the recipient of numerous young investigator awards such as the Beckman and Searle scholarships and from industrial sponsors, including: Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, DuPont, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and Roche. He has delivered hundreds of lectures around the world and consults for numerous companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, DuPont, TEVA and is currently a member of the Eisai scientific advisory board. He is also the co-founder of Sirenas Marine Discovery. His laboratory is focused on the invention of new reactions of broad utility and synthesizing complex natural products in a scalable, economic fashion.,
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Christopher T. Walsh, Ph.D.
Hamilton Kuhn Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School (HMS)
Dr. Walsh’s research spans the interface between chemistry, biology and medicine. Projects focus on the chemical logic and enzymatic machinery of life, mechanism-based enzyme inhibitors, and biosynthesis and mechanism of action of natural antibiotics and antitumor agents.
Dr. Walsh’s career has spanned both academic research and academic administration; the latter includes stints as Chair of MIT Chemistry department at MIT (1982- 1987), Chair of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Department at HMS (1987 – 1995), and President and CEO of Dana Farber Cancer Institute (1992 – 1995). Dr. Walsh earned an A.B. in biology from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in life sciences from The Rockefeller University and completed postdoctoral work at Brandeis University. He has co-authored almost 800 research papers and books. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
For over 30 years, Dr. Walsh has consulted with government, academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies and biotechs. At present, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Ironwood, Achaogen and Proteostasis, as well as on the Scientific Advisory Boards of Eisai, Epizyme, Verastem, and LS9. He is also involved with several nonprofit organizations, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Scientific Review Board), Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (Scientific Advisory Committee) and Calibr (Scientific Advisory Board Chair).
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Rudolph E. Tanzi, Ph.D.
Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at the Massachusetts General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease
Dr. Tanzi’s research is focused on identifying and characterizing gene mutants and variations that are associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. His group discovered mutations in three genes, amyloid precursor protein (APP), presenilin (PS)-1 and (PS)-2, that cause early-onset familial Alzheimer’s Disease. His lab is developing several potential treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease. Dr Tanzi’s group has also discovered genes implicated in other neurological disorders, such as Wilson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease, and autism.
Dr. Tanzi received a B.S. from the University of Rochester with a double major in microbiology and history and a Ph.D. in neurobiology from Harvard University. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Metropolitan Life Foundation Award for Medical Research and The Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders. In addition, he is a member of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and chairs the Research Consortium at Cure Alzheimer’s Fund where he heads the Alzheimer’s Genome Project.
Dr. Tanzi serves on many editorial boards, including Genomind Scientific Advisory Board, Prana Biotechnology R&D Advisory Board, and Lifeboat Foundation Advisory Board. He has published over 300 research articles and co-authored two books, ‘Decoding Darkness: The Search for the Genetic Causes of Alzheimer’s Disease’ and ‘Super Brain: Unleashing the Explosive Power of Your Mind to Maximize Health, Happiness, and Spiritual Well-Being;’ the latter was made into a PBS special.
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Jules A. Hoffman, Ph.D.
Distinguished Class Research Director at CNRS, French National Center of Scientific Research (Emeritus) and Group Leader, Past President of the French National Academy of Sciences, and Professor of Biology at the University of Strasbourg Institute for Advanced Science
Dr. Hoffmann’s research has focused on studies of the development and the defense reactions of insects. In exploring the potent antimicrobial mechanisms of Drosophila as a paradigm for innate immune defenses, he and his group have determined the role of Toll receptors in fighting infections.
Dr. Hoffmann received his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Strasbourg. He completed postdoctoral studies at the Institut für Physiologische Chemie at Philipps Universität in Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. He is a Member of the French National Academy of Sciences, where he served as Vice-President (2005-06) and President (2007-08). He is also a Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Dr. Hoffmann is a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is the recipient of many international awards including the Canada Gairdner Award (2011), the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (2011), the Alexander von Humbold Price, the Robert Koch Prize, and the Lewis Rosenstiel Prize. Dr. Hoffmann has published over 250 articles and edited several volumes.
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Gregory C. Fu, Ph.D.
Attair Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology
Dr. Fu received a B.S. degree in 1985 from MIT and a Ph.D. degree in 1991 from Harvard, which was followed by two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the California Institute of Technology. He was a member of the faculty at MIT from 1993–2012, where he became the Firmenich Professor of Chemistry. In 2012, he was appointed the Altair Professor of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology.
