the time has come

2012 annual report

Age-related disease is
arguably the single greatest
challenge for biomedicine in
the 21st century.
And for governments around the world, the
greatest challenge may be the tidal wave
of health and economic impacts caused by
rapidly aging populations.
Through a remarkable convergence
of events, the Buck Institute for
Research on Aging is now positioned
to take a central role in addressing
this global health crisis.
The time has come for the
Buck Institute to fulfill its
founding promise to increase
healthspan—the healthy years
of human life.
4  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report
 the time has come
2012 annual report

The Buck Index 2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Letter from the President . . . . . . . . . 8

Letter from the Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Going Global . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Year in Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Accomplishments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Postdoc Collaborations . . . . . . . . . . 26

Geroscience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Faculty Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Board of Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Scientific Advisory Board . . . . . . . . 43

Buck Advisory Council . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Financial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Honor Roll of Donors . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  5

 the buck index 2012
Number of people worldwide who will be age 65 and older by 2030: 1 in 8 1

Growth rate of older populations in developed countries between 2010 and 2050: 71%
growth rate in less developed countries: 250% 2

Percentage of older Americans living with one chronic condition: 80%

percentage living with at least two: 50% 3

Portion of United States’ health care costs used to treat chronic diseases: two-thirds 4

Percentage of older Americans’ health care costs spent to treat chronic diseases: 95% 5

Percentage that the lifespan of healthy nematode worms is extended when exposed to Thioflavin T,

a common laboratory dye: 50% 6

Rank of the United States of per capita health expenditures in the world: 1 7

Chance that an American age 65 or older has Alzheimer’s: 1 in 8 8

Expected increase in Alzheimer’s disease costs in the United States between 2011 and 2050:

$183 billion to $1.1 trillion 9

Percentage that weekly moderate exercise reduces the risk of developing breast and colon cancers: 21–25% 10

Chance that a woman in a high-income country is sufficiently active: 1 in 2 11

Percentage of Americans age 65 and older who did not exercise in the past month: nearly 32% 12

Percentage of all American cancer cases diagnosed in people age 55 and older: 77% 13

1  National Institute on Aging. “Overview: Our Aging World.” Why Population Aging Matters: A 6  Alavez, Silvestre, et al., “Amyloid-binding Compounds Maintain Protein Homeostasis During
Global Perspective. Ageing and Extend Lifespan.” Nature 472 (2011): 226–229.

2  National Institute on Aging. “Humanity’s Aging.” Global Health and Aging.
3, 19  National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adult
and Community Health. “At a Glance 2011” Healthy Aging: Helping People to Live Long and
Productive Lives and Enjoy a Good Quality of Life.
7  World Health Organization. World Health Statistics 2012. (Geneva, Switzerland: World Health
Organization, 2012).
8, 9  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC Healthy Brain Initiative: Progress
2006–2011. (Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011).

4, 5, 12  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Merck Family Foundation. The 10, 11, 16, 21, 22, 24  World Health Organization. Global Status Report on Noncommunicable
State of Aging and Health in America 2007. Diseases 2010. (Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2011).

6  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

 the buck index 2012

Lifetime risk of developing cancer for an American man: 1 in 2 14

Lifetime risk of developing cancer for an American woman: 1 in 3 15

Percentage of cancers that can be prevented by improving diet, physical activity, and body composition:

27–39% 16

Percentage that Buck CEO Brian Kennedy believes laboratory research will extend the human healthspan: 15% 17

Expected percentage of Americans living with cardiovascular disease in 2030: 41% 18

Percentage of deaths caused by heart disease in Americans age 65 and older: 28% 19

Frequency that an American dies from a coronary event: one every minute 20

Number of deaths that could be prevented each year worldwide if salt consumption were reduced to recommended level:

2,500,000 21

Percentage of the world’s adults who are overweight: 35% 22

Percentage of Americans age 65 and older living with diabetes: 27% 23

Percentage that engaging in weekly moderate physical activity reduces the risk of developing diabetes: 27% 24

Percentage of the world’s blind people who are age 50 and older: 82% 25

Percentage of visually impaired people who live in developing countries: more than 90% 26

Percentage increase in the lifespan of nematode worms when treated with lithium: 46% 27

Percentage that rapamycin extends lifespan in mice: 12% 28

13, 14, 15  American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures, 2012. (Atlanta, GA: American
Cancer Society, 2012).
17  Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Buck Institute Helps Launch National “Healthspan
Campaign.”
18  Heidenreich, Paul A., et al., “Forecasting the Future of Cardiovascular Disease in the United
States.” Circulation. E-pub January 24, 2011.
20  Lloyd-Jones, Donald, et al., “Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2010 Update: A Report
from the American Heart Association.” Circulation 121 (2010): e46–e215.
23  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Fact Sheet: National Esti-
mates and General Information on Diabetes and Prediabetes in the United States, 2011. (Atlanta,
GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, 2011).
25, 26  World Health Organization. Vision 2020: The Right to Sight. Global Initiative for the
Elimination of Avoidable Blindness, Action Plan 2006–2011. (Geneva, Switzerland. World Health
Organization, 2007).
27  McColl, Gawain, et al., “Pharmacogenetic Analysis of Lithium-induced Delayed Aging in Caenor-
habditis Elegans.” Journal of Biological Chemistry 283 (2008): 350–357.
28 Harrison, David, et al., “Rapamycin Fed Late in Life Extends Lifespan in Genetically Hetero-
geneous Mice.” Nature 460 (2009): 392–395.
  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  7
 Letter from the
President
A
stunning percentage of the world’s popu­
lation will be over the age of 60 by 2025. By
2050, the percentage will be 41.5% in Japan,
33.9% in China, and 26.6% in the United
States. No surprise, then, that there is a growing global
health crisis as a result of these rapidly aging popula­
tions, the chronic diseases associated with aging, the
inadequate support services in nearly every country,
and the lack of agreement about how aging and disease
are linked.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
expect national health expenditures to reach $54.2
billion by 2020 for Americans age 65 years and older.
A study from the Milken Institute determined that
chronic diseases will cost Americans $4.2 trillion in
treatment costs and lost economic output by 2023. But
unless there are changes in what we know about aging
and how we treat the aging and increasingly sick popu­
lations among us, that money will be spent inefficiently
on treating individual diseases or building new hospi­
tals rather than on disease prevention and researching
the mechanisms of aging that are the cause of so many
age-related disorders.
The Buck Institute for Research on Aging is creating
new global alliances that advance innovation, acceler­
ate research, bring new treatments to market, increase
understanding and education, and most importantly,
extend the healthy years of life—our healthspan. These
goals are urgent and universally important. The effect
of even a 5-year extension of healthspan will ripple
dramatically throughout global health care networks,
economies, political systems, and societies.
The Buck has never been in a better position to effect
change in the way people around the world confront
the challenges of aging and chronic disease. And now
we are an even stronger voice advocating prevention
and personal choice as it relates to individual health.
8  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report
Through numerous new global initiatives and collab­
orations, the Buck is more visible than ever before.
Playing on the global stage for the first time, the
Buck is pursuing major opportunities to advance
the science and understanding of aging. Now more
than ever, we need your financial support to keep this
momentum going.
As we have demonstrated during the past year and,
indeed, the past decade, the Buck Institute is taking
a unique approach to the problems of aging and age-­
related disease by cultivating collaborative thinking
and experimentation. We’re attracting and retaining
the best scientists with an organizational structure that
places research before all else, eliminating bureaucracy
and the need for scientists to teach. Our state-of-the-
art research facility is expanding to accommodate
a critical mass of leaders and innovative thinkers in
every field of aging research—all working together to
address the problems of aging. This environment and
approach are fostering critical links between research,
translational medicine, and health care policy. And
we’re growing a global network that informs our per­
spective and the urgency with which we work.
We are moved to action by the scale of the problems
facing us, and we are firmly committed to this direc­
tion in the years ahead. Please join us by supporting our
many initiatives, research, and programs.
Brian K. Kennedy, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer
Letter from the
Chair

I
t is my great fortune to represent the Board of year with the addition of 10 new trustees to our Board,
Trustees of the Buck Institute for Research broadening our capabilities and perspectives and
on Aging during a period of such remarkable strengthening our committees.
development, growth, and accomplishment. The
Of course, much remains to be done if we are to
momentum that has developed since the arrival of
achieve our vision. We receive between $5 and $6 mil­
Brian Kennedy as President and CEO is evident in the
lion annually from the original Buck Trust, based on a
hiring of exceptional new faculty and staff, the building
fixed percentage of the Trust’s income. This Buck Trust
of facilities that foster scientific collaboration, the cre­
support launched the Institute and enabled it to get
ation of the Buck Advisory Council, and the expansion
where it is today. To reach the next level, however, we
of the Board of Trustees.
must increase our philanthropic support, both locally
Today, more than 12 years after the Buck was founded, and internationally.
the scientific and medical community has come to
We have many philanthropic opportunities that can
recognize what we have always known: that an under­
be tailored to the specific interests of a donor. For
standing of aging processes leads directly to an
example, you could help underwrite research on the
understanding of the causes of an enormous range of
cause and prevention of a specific disease, such as
neurodegenerative diseases and other disorders, such
Parkinson’s, thereby enabling our scientists to pursue
as Parkinson’s, macular degeneration, breast cancer,
a promising line of research not otherwise funded.
type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.
Alternatively, you could help fund doctoral candidates
The goal of the Buck Institute is to find ways of pre­ in a PhD program that we are hoping to launch with
venting and treating these diseases and disorders to the University of Southern California—the first pro­
increase “healthspan”—the years of healthy, active gram of its kind in aging—or you could help us broaden
living. Our vision is for the Buck Institute to become the scope of our science by supporting the recruitment
a global center for research and information on aging of a talented researcher in a field of interest.
that is as important in its field as the Mayo Clinic is
We are also exploring opportunities for venture
in diagnosis and clinical treatment. Most gratifying in
philanthropy—something that seems a natural for us
this regard is the increasing number of outstanding
since our entrepreneurial spirit and independence give
scientists who want to come to our Institute.
us considerable flexibility in structuring arrangements.
The success of our scientists in obtaining competitive
Naturally, we would welcome the chance to explore
research grants from the National Institutes of Health
these ideas and more with you.
(NIH) and other sources has been remarkable, espe­
cially during this period of restricted governmental
funding. Many of their accomplishments and expand­
ing international collaborations are described in this
Annual Report.

Much has been achieved since our last Annual Report James Edgar
under the leadership of my predecessors, Lew Reid and Chair, Board of Trustees

Catherine Munson. That progress has continued this

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  9

Going Global

the time has come for new business

networks and partnering

I
n 2011–2012 business development became a geographically restricted licensing arrangements, new
top priority in the Buck Institute’s business plan. patent applications, joint research ventures, and the
The new emphasis arose from a combination of creation of a for-profit entity to produce and distribute
factors—the increasing number of discoveries new products developed with the Buck’s scientific
about the biology of aging by the Buck’s 20 principal expertise. 
investigators and more than 200 scientists, the decline
Dedicated to understanding and deepening the world’s
in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
knowledge of the aging process in all its complexity,
the conclusion of a major Geroscience grant, and the
the Buck Institute is now on the threshold of fulfill­
growing need for partners with complementary clinical,
ing its mission to increase healthspan—the healthy,
regulatory, and manufacturing capabilities.
productive years of life. The priority of partnering
By the end of the fiscal year, the Business Development underscores our determination to push the boundaries
and Technology Advancement department included of aging science and to accelerate the pace of bringing
three remarkable individuals with impressive résumés new therapeutic treatments to aging populations
in biology, organic chemistry, drug development, around the world.
patent application, licensing agreements, and new
business entity creation and management. Capitalizing
on their expertise, the Buck Institute adopted a vigor­
ous and far-reaching approach to the creation of new
opportunities, collaborations, and partnerships with
academic institutions, corporations, and nonprofits
across the globe. 

Meetings this past year with potential partners in

Brazil, Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Chile,
Madagascar, China, Turkey, and many countries
throughout the Middle East confirmed an urgent,
global need for the Buck’s research on aging and for the
therapies poised to emerge from its laboratories. Pro­
ductive discussions ensued on early-stage investments
in promising research on the chronic diseases of aging,

“Chronic diseases are a correlate of aging and responsible

for more than 63% of global deaths. As a global leader in
science, the Buck is taking initiative in health policy-making
and promoting innovation in the fields of chronic disease
prevention and healthy aging.”
—Professor Joseph Antoun, MD, MS, MPP
Adjunct Professor of Health and Public Policy

10  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

First Foray into Global Public Policy
I
n the fall of 2011 the Buck
Institute welcomed Joseph
Antoun as Adjunct Professor
of Health and Public Policy. A
cross-national/comparative health
policy expert, Professor Antoun is
helping the Buck explore the possi­
bility of developing a PhD program
in aging research and guiding the
Buck’s entry into the global debate
on health care policy.
“Professor Antoun’s medical and
business expertise is allowing us to
move into this new sphere of health
care policy and join the debate
about how this country develops
and distributes new drugs,” says
President and CEO Brian K. Ken­
nedy. “With the work in our labs
and the expansion of our educa­
tional programs, we aim to have a
major impact on global health. At
the same time, we want to make
sure that public policy includes an
‘aging’ perspective.”
Prior to his appointment, Professor
Antoun was the public policy and
strategic development leader for
emerging and developing markets
at Eli Lilly and Company. He is
President and CEO of Health Sys­
tem Reform S.A.L., a consultancy
aimed at improving public health
through health policy. Professor
Antoun is the co-director of the
Center for Health Policy at the
University of Chicago where he
teaches Health Systems, Pharma­
ceutical Policy, and Leadership in
Healthcare. He is also a visiting
fellow in the Department of Social
Policy at the London School of
Economics and Political Science.
Professor Antoun received his mas­
ter’s degree in public policy from
Harvard University and his medical
doctorate and master’s degree in
medical and biological sciences
from Saint Joseph University in
Beirut, Lebanon. He serves on the
scientific advisory board of the
Akbaraly Foundation’s 4AWOMAN
project, the first national oncology
project in Sub-Saharan Africa, and
on the Dean’s International Council
of the Harris School of Public Policy
at the University of Chicago.
BELOW: Brian Kennedy and
Joseph Antoun speaking at a
community seminar focused on
global health care and chronic
disease.
  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  11
Above: Cinzia Akbaraly, the
president of Madagascar’s
Akbaraly Foundation, receives
the BAC Humanitarian Award;
Nobel Prize–winning economist
Myron Scholes is the recipient
of the BAC Award for Scientific
Achievement.
Buck Advisory
Council
Founded in 2011, the Buck Advi-
sory Council (BAC) is a diverse
group of women and men from
around the world who are com-
mitted to supporting the mission
of the Buck Institute and serving
as its informal global ambassa-
dors. Council members include
leaders in venture capital, busi-
ness, finance, consultancy, law,
technology, and other fields of
endeavor. Many have served as
pillars of their communities and
are among the most respected in
their professions.
Each year, the BAC convenes a
domestic meeting and an inter-
national meeting for the purpose
of engaging its members with
the most recent developments in
the fields of aging, disease, and
health care. In addition, the BAC
presents scientific and humani-
tarian awards to individuals who
demonstrate exceptional accom-
plishment and dedication in their
area of expertise.
Going Global

Above: Fluorescent images of neural precursor cells

and dopaminergic neurons generated from human
embryonic stem cells.

Global Leader in Revolutionary Stem Cell Technology

O
ne of the most tantalizing
prospects in biomedical
research is the possibility
of using stem cells to
replace cells in our brains and other
organs that have been damaged
by the diseases of aging. From her
lab at the Buck Institute, Xianmin
Zeng, PhD, is leading a global
charge to get a stem cell treatment
for Parkinson’s disease ready for
clinical trials.
Parkinson’s slowly destroys the
dopamine-producing neurons in
the brain that control movement.
Zeng says the initial challenge in
the search for a stem cell treatment
for Parkinson’s was getting the right
stem cells to use to replace the
destroyed cells. Zeng had already
generated dopamine-producing
neurons from human embryonic
stem cells when she came to the
Buck from the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) in 2005. When
technology was developed in 2006
to reverse-engineer adult stem
cells to become embryonic-stem-
cell-like cells, she jumped on the
opportunity.
But it’s one thing to generate
dopamine-producing neurons in a
lab dish. It’s another matter entirely
to generate a sufficient quantity of
clinical-grade neurons for human
trials. In the past 2 years, Zeng
developed a method to reproduce
the required neurons. Also, she
proved that the method could be
scaled up and the cells produced
in a good manufacturing practice
(GMP) manufacturing facility,
which is a core requirement for
clinical trials.
Zeng’s manufacturing partner is the
City of Hope’s GMP manufacturing
facility near Los Angeles, Califor­
nia. They have already produced
some of the cells, which the Zeng
Lab is currently testing to validate
that they have the same function as
those the lab has produced. In par­
allel with long-term safety studies,
including a 9-month test in mice to
ensure that the cells do not produce
tumors, the design of the clinical
trial is under way.

12  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

 “We are planning and hoping to file an
investigational new drug application in the near
future. I cannot really tell when we can expect
such a therapy, but my hope is for a Phase I trial
within the next 5 years.”
—Xianmin Zeng, PhD
Associate Professor

Two years ago, the California
Institute for Regenerative Medi­
cine awarded a grant to Zeng and
her long-time collaborator Dr.
­Mahendra Rao, the director of the
Center for Regenerative Medicine
at the NIH, to prepare the trial and
to work on the basic biology of the
disease. With clinician and manu­
facturing partners at University of
California, San Francisco (UCSF),
the City of Hope, Johns Hopkins
University, and the NIH, the two
are engaged in defining the criteria
that will be used to determine the
type of patients most likely to bene­
fit from the new stem cell therapy.
Zeng’s work is receiving interna­
tional attention. She has been globe­
trotting this past year to coordinate
stem cell manufacturing proce­
dures so that clinical trials can be
run in different countries, includ­
ing Japan, China, Argentina, and
Sweden. Argentina’s stem cell con­
sortium, which has an agreement
with the California Institute for
Regenerative Medicine, has asked
Zeng to serve on its scientific advi­
sory board to advise them on the
stem cell protocol she developed.
“My collaborators want to be able to
work with their own manufacturing
facilities, and to decide which pro­
tocol to use. My goal this past year
has been to show everyone that we
are one of the first to have verified
our data and our protocol in a GMP
manufacturing facility.”
At the end of the day, Zeng hopes
that the new source of cells will
lead to more rapid development of
cell replacement therapies for Par­
kinson’s disease, to better under­
standing of the mechanism of the
disease, and to testing new drugs
that may help Parkinson’s patients
in the future. “The global collabora­
tion we are doing will get others the
tools they need so that they don’t
have to start from the beginning.
This should speed up the search for
new therapies.”

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  13

Going Global

“If I had not had breast cancer, I would never have had the
idea to start 4AWOMAN to fight cancer in Madagascar. It was
a chance to do something that would relieve pain and serve
the women of this country that I love—women who deserve
the same level of respect and dignity that I received.”
—Cinzia Akbaraly
President, Akbaraly Foundation

Partnering with Madagascar’s Akbaraly Foundation

I
n 2011 Cinzia Akbaraly,
founder and president of
Madagascar’s Akbaraly
Foundation, invited Chris
Benz, MD, to present an overview
of the global status of breast cancer
at a TEDx Antananarivo event
she had organized. Her goal was
to call attention to the plight of
Madagascar’s women, who were
dying of breast and cervical cancers
at a high rate.
Having been successfully treated
for breast cancer in her native
Italy, Akbaraly was passionate
to do something about the dire
situation of cancer patients in her
adopted country, particularly that
of the women, the social and eco­
nomic heart of this island nation.
“Madagascar is losing ground very
fast,” says Dr. Benz, a practicing
oncologist as well as a leading
expert on the genetic and structural
variations among different breast
cancers. “Even though Madagascar
has one of the lowest worldwide
incidence rates, it has a very high
death rate from breast cancer. And
cervical cancer, which we’re essen­
tially eradicating in the United
States, is the number-one cancer
killer. In Sub-Saharan Africa, by
the time a woman gets diagnosed
with breast or cervical cancer, 70%
of the time it’s in an incurable stage,
so she’s essentially going to die.”
The Akbaraly Foundation’s
4AWOMAN project targets these
two killers and is working to raise
awareness, expand screening, and
establish basic infrastructure in
Madagascar. “These are first steps,
but we really want to partner with
them and form a research alliance,”
says Dr. Benz.
Apart from the humanitarian
reason, there’s a strong scientific
reason for collaborating: the need
for data on the special type of
breast cancer afflicting the women
of Madagascar. One of the most
aggressive forms of breast cancer is
commonly found in African-Amer­
ican women. It lacks biomarkers
that allow for the use of targeted
chemical and hormonal therapies,
and the pathways driving it are
unknown. “Fewer than two dozen
indigenous African breast cancers
have actually been analyzed in
depth,” says Dr. Benz. “We suspect
that breast cancers in Madagascar
are going to represent an even more
aggressive subset of African-Amer­
ican breast cancers, but nobody has
any data yet.”
Cinzia Akbaraly became a found­
ing member of the Buck Advisory
Council, and that’s how she met
Dr. Benz. In 2012 she received
the BAC’s Humanitarian Award.
The problem she is tackling is
huge—late diagnoses, lack of drugs
and access to clinics, few treatment
options, no tumor registries, cul­
tural stigmas, and economic and
political instability—and the needs
are great. “It’s probably going to
take longer than my lifetime, but
Cinzia’s an impatient person,” says
Dr. Benz. “If this can be done at all,
it will be done by Cinzia.”

14  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

 Board Profile

Shahab Fatheazam
As a managing director of Lincoln International
and head of the firm’s Healthcare group, Shahab
Fatheazam spends 60% of his time on global
transactions. That gives this Buck Institute Board
member a unique van-
tage point for appreci-
ating the role the Insti-
tute is poised to play
Below: Cinzia Akbaraly and Buck in a world increasingly
faculty Dr. Chris Benz. Akbaraly impacted by aging
received the Humanitarian Award demographics. “The
at the 2012 meeting of the Buck
Buck Institute is at the
Advisory Council.
absolute center of a
growing debate that
is happening in gov-
ernment, pharmaceuticals, academia, and banking,”
he says. “The possibilities are wide open and very
exciting. I couldn’t say no when asked to be on the
Board last year.”
Fatheazam was educated at Cambridge University
in England and earned his MBA at Columbia
University. He began his career in the international
investment banking department of Kidder, Peabody
& Company, where as a “newly minted” vice presi­
dent, he witnessed the IPO of biotech pioneer
Amgen. He got hooked on health care. “I saw all
the tools and services that were needed to make
a health care company a success—it really fasci-
nated me.”

Fatheazam, who makes his home in Chicago, is

“For women, aging is the single eager to bring that same fascination and a wealth
greatest risk factor for developing of experience to the Buck Institute. “The Buck is
doing high-caliber science with exemplary faculty
breast cancer. By understanding and staff,” he says. “I look forward to being part of
the different molecular and genetic its future.”
subtypes of breast cancer, new
prevention strategies can be
designed that will eliminate this
deadly disease.”
—Christopher Benz, MD
Professor and Program Director

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  15

Year in Review

the time has come for realizing the

promise of regenerative medicine

New Era in
Stem Cell Research

I
n April 2012, the Buck Institute celebrated the
opening of its Regenerative Medicine Research
Center, bolstering its unique efforts to exploit
the promise of stem cell technology to advance
aging research. The goal is to move more rapidly in
developing new therapies to prevent and treat the
diseases of aging.

The new research center is a California Institute for

Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Center of Excellence—
one of just 12 stem cell facilities approved for funding
throughout the state. The citizens of California,
through CIRM, are making this urgently needed
research possible. In nine laboratories of this state-of-
the-art building, stellar scientists, including two new
faculty, are currently collaborating on research and
using stem cell technology to detect, delay, prevent,
and treat the scourges of aging—Alzheimer’s and
Parkinson’s ­diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disease,
macular degeneration, and stroke.

The new building, which incorporates many “green”

technologies, symbolizes for the Buck the hope and
promise of stem cell research. This fitting stage for the
Buck’s expanded focus on regenerative medicine would
not have been possible without CIRM, which provided
half of the funding for the $41 million building. CIRM
is also funding some of the stem cell research underway
in the Center’s research labs and supporting the crucial
training of new stem cell scientists. These investments
will benefit Californians and people around the world
for years to come.

16  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

 “We are so proud to have had the opportunity
and privilege to fund part of the construction
of this new building. We are looking forward to
hearing about all of the wonderful research that
will come out of this facility.”
—Jonathan Thomas, Chair
CIRM Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee

Left to right: Jonathan Thomas, Chair,

CIRM; Brian Kennedy, PhD, Buck
Institute President and CEO; Alan
Trounson, PhD, President, CIRM; James
Edgar, Chair, Buck Board of Trustees.

Above: Model of completed Buck

campus. Future funding will enable
construction of two additional
research buildings approved in the
Buck master plan.

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  17

Year in Review: new Faculty

Boosting the Regenerative Power of

Adult Stem Cells to Enhance Longevity

T
he Buck’s newest faculty member, Henri
­Jasper, PhD, brings an international reputa­
tion as a stem cell biology star to the Institute.
Jasper is renowned for making fundamental
discoveries about the role of stress signaling and aging
on stem cell behavior.
to study the underlying mechanisms causing retinal
diseases such as macular degeneration, a major cause
of blindness and visual impairment in older adults. The
Jasper Lab will collaborate with the Lamba Lab, which
is developing stem cell replacement therapies to treat
macular degeneration.

The German-born scientist spent the summer of 2012 The Buck Institute was on Jasper’s radar screen as a
relocating his lab—1,500 genetically unique strains of potential place to work for many years. A visit in 2011
fruit flies (approximately 20,000 individual flies) and finally convinced him to make the move. “I was struck
six lab members—from the University of Rochester to by the collaborative spirit at the Buck—it really is a
the Institute’s Regenerative Medicine Research Center. unique environment,” says Jasper. “The opportunity to
do interdisciplinary work with so many outstanding
Jasper, who received his PhD from the University of
scientists focused on aging and disease is very exciting.”
Heidelberg in Germany and the European Molecular
Biology Laboratory, is focused on enhancing the func­
tion of adult stem cells. As we age, adult stem cells—
which live in pockets throughout our bodies and go to
work when important tissues are damaged—become
less effective. He wants to understand how adult stem
cells regenerate damaged tissue and why their regener­
ative potential declines with age.

Jasper was one of the first aging researchers to use

stem cells in the intestines of fruit flies to test how
aging affects stem cell function. Jasper is also using
the retinas of fruit flies to determine how insulin and
stress-signaling pathways control tissue regeneration,
metabolic homeostasis, and cell death.

“We think the short-lived fruit fly, with tissues and

genetics that can be easily manipulated, offers a perfect
scientific palette for this inquiry,” Jasper says. While
the fruit fly is an ideal model system for his work, he
plans to expand his research to mammals, specifically
to the respiratory systems of mice, which regenerate
from a stem cell population that closely resembles the
intestinal stem cells of fruit flies.
Jasper has already begun collaborating with the Ken­
nedy and Kapahi labs. The three groups intersect in
their interest in the effects of diet and stress on aging,
and they plan to explore the effects of metabolic signal­
ing on stem cell maintenance and regeneration.

Jasper recently received a highly competitive grant of

$1 million from the National Eye Institute to continue
research on developing the fruit fly as a model to study
degenerative eye diseases. He is focusing on the retina,
the light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of
the eye. His aim is to understand the complex cellular
processes that kick in when the retina needs to elimi­
nate cellular debris, including the wreckage associated
with aging. The funding will enable the Jasper Lab

18  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

“It’s the science that counts, and that’s why
I’ve come to the Buck. The Institute is poised
to make major contributions to the field of
regenerative medicine, and I am very excited
to be a part of that.”
—Henri Jasper, PhD
Professor

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  19

Year in Review: new Faculty
Innovating with Stem Cells to Treat Vision Disorders
F
or people suffering from age-related macular
degeneration—a disease that progressively
destroys central vision—Deepak Lamba, MBBS,
PhD, is offering new hope with his stem cell
research, which is under way in the Buck’s new Regen­
erative Medicine Research Center.
Vision problems often spark a downward spiral in the
health of older people. An estimated 11 million people
in the United States alone have some form of macular
degeneration, making it the leading cause of vision loss
in Americans 60 years of age and older. Dr. Lamba, who
joined the Buck Institute in October 2011, is using stem
cell technology to identify new methods to combat
macular degeneration as well as glaucoma and retinitis
pigmentosa.
Photoreceptors, Dr. Lamba says, are the key cells
needed to treat macular degeneration. As a graduate
student, he pioneered the development of efficient
methods of making these retinal cells from human
embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Taking advantage of
new technology, he also derives retinal cells from
induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). An iPSC is a
cell taken from any tissue that has been reverse-engi­
neered to behave like an embryonic stem cell. Utilizing
both hESCs and iPSCs, he has generated differentiated
photoreceptors—the cells in the eye that respond to
light—and has successfully transplanted these cells into
20  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report
the eyes of mice. When Dr. Lamba tested the stem-cell-
transplanted eyes for vision, they responded to light.
“Now I need to determine if there will be any issues
with tumor development in the new cells,” says Dr.
Lamba. “I also need to ascertain how long the trans­
planted cells survive.”
Dr. Lamba’s work goes beyond developing stem cell
replacement therapies. He is using iPSC technology to
generate eye cells from skin cells to better understand
and prevent, or develop treatments for, diseases like
glaucoma. Eye diseases in the glaucoma group often
share traits such as high eye pressure, damage to the
optic nerve, and gradual sight loss. “Glaucoma is a
complicated disorder since it affects the ganglion
cells, which project from the eye to the brain,” says
Dr. Lamba. “Transplantation would be much more
difficult, so I’m using iPS cell technology to create cells
that can be used to screen existing drugs in order to
identify those that might be useful as a treatment.”
Dr. Lamba came to the Buck because he wanted to be
part of the Institute’s larger focus on delaying the aging
process itself. He is studying retinitis pigmentosa, a
group of hereditary eye diseases that lead to blindness.
“In many people, the symptoms of the disease don’t
show up until age 50 or 60. Delaying the aging process
would make a huge difference for these patients.”
“Impaired eyesight often heralds a sharp
decline in quality of life for seniors. Losing
the ability to read, drive, and safely navigate
one’s surroundings can be devastating.”
—Deepak Lamba, MBBS, PhD
Assistant Professr

above: Lamba Lab members are

(clockwise from left): Mark Gutierrez,
Deepak Lamba, Joe Reynolds, Ilan Riess,
and Thelma Garcia.

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  21

Year in Review: New discovery
Reversing the Aging Process
W
hat is going wrong with our biological
clock as we age? Victoria Lunyak, PhD,
and her lab team began searching for
answers by hypothesizing that DNA
damage in the genome of adult stem cells would look
quite different from the age-related damage occurring
in regular body cells.
Human adult stem cells regenerate their tissues of origin,
always keeping the body in a state of flux. For example,
muscle tissue is fully regenerated every 15 years, skin
cells become “new” every 4 weeks, and the cells in our
skeleton turn over every 10 years. Adult stem cells
also kick into action when tissues are damaged and in
need of repair. Unfortunately adult stem cells lose their
regenerative powers with age. When this happens, the
body no longer replaces the damaged tissue as well as it
once could, which leads to a host of diseases.
Much of the damage caused by aging is thought to be
a result of cells losing telomeres, the caps found at the
ends of chromosomes. But since adult stem cells are
known to keep their telomeres, Lunyak suspected that
different mechanisms were at play that would explain
aging in adult stem cells.
Below: Victoria
Lunyak, PhD, In a landmark study undertaken with scientists from
Associate the Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Cal­
Professor. ifornia, San Diego (UCSD), Howard Hughes Medical
22  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report
Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,
International Computer Science Institute, Applied Bio­
systems, and Tel Aviv University, Lunyak’s team at the
Buck Institute showed that they can reverse the aging
process in human adult stem cells. They accomplished
this by suppressing the accumulation of toxic tran­
scripts from retrotransposons, the genetic elements
that make up about 42% of the human genome.
“By rewinding the cellular clock in this way,” explains
Lunyak, “we were not only able to rejuvenate ‘aged’
human stem cells, but to our surprise we were able
to reset them to an earlier developmental stage by
up-regulating the pluripotency factors—the proteins
that are critically involved in the self-renewal of undif­
ferentiated embryonic stem cells.”
The study’s findings were published in the September
1, 2011, issue of Cell Cycle. If Lunyak’s team can now
find a way to keep adult stem cells young, the cells
could be used to repair damaged heart tissue after a
heart attack, heal wounds, correct metabolic syndromes,
produce insulin for patients with type 1 diabetes, cure
arthritis and osteoporosis, and regenerate bones. 
In its most recent discovery, the Lunyak Lab has found
that noncoding RNAs (ribonucleic acids), which make
up a large portion of the human genome, provide
vital scaffolding for cellular processes in adult stem
cells. This finding
implies that the
chronic diseases of
aging arise from
the deterioration
of this scaffolding
rather than from
genetic mutations,
giving researchers
additional targets
for therapeutic
interventions.
Year in Review: education

Training a New Generation of Scientists

M
ore than a decade ago, Richard Klausner, celebration of science that drew 4,000 people to its
former Chairman of the National Com­ North Bay Discovery Day main event. The Institute also
mittee on Science Education, said, “All broke ground on a new, state-of-the-art, 1,500-square-
of us have a stake, as individuals and as a foot demonstration laboratory and classroom, which
society, in scientific literacy.” Since then, the need for will dramatically enhance its ability to provide unique
science education has become critical, especially as the training in science for children and adults.
role of the United States as a global leader in technol­
Throughout 2011–2012, the Buck offered free commu­
ogy is called into question. In the San Francisco Bay
nity education seminars for adults. Buck scientists and
Area, the challenging economic climate facing public
executive staff visited community and professional
educational institutions has made the situation even
groups to speak about the Institute’s research advances
more difficult. Some schools have
and discoveries in aging and age-related diseases. The
been forced to reduce or eliminate
Institute hosted a program called Science in the City—a
courses, extracurricular activities,
series of intimate lunches held at the Olympic Club in
and teacher training in the sciences.
San Francisco that introduced Buck scientists and their
Providing assistance in this crucial
research to members of the business community.
area was at the core of the Buck
Institute’s educational outreach in All of these initiatives reflect the Buck Institute’s dedi­
2011–2012. cation to developing the next generation of scientists.
They also underscore the Buck’s commitment to serve
The Buck’s mission is to extend
as a regional leader in educating young scientists and
healthspan—the healthy, produc­
the general public, and to sharing the results of our
tive years of life—through research
research as broadly as possible—research that offers
and education. In 2011–2012 the
hope for a healthier lifespan for aging populations
Buck Institute responded to regional
everywhere.
needs by expanding its educational
programming, which in the previous 3 years had
reached 3,000 children. Following the directives of the
Presidential Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math campaign (STEM), the Buck tailored its educa­
tional programming to enhance the participation and
performance of the region’s youth in science and math.

The Buck hired its first full-time education coordinator

for K–12 as well as a director of postdoctoral educa­
tion. The Institute took the lead in coordinating local
activities for the Bay Area Science Festival, a weeklong

Pathways to priming the education pipeline

Attract Retain Persist Attach

Invite children to Choose to keep Lead students Continue to
learn learning to graduate STEM careers

The Buck’s Algebra Academy High School Summer Undergraduate Graduate Students:
Education Scholars Interns: 2- and 4-year MS and PhD
Program Bay Area Science
Festival Postdoc Trainees

Primary to Undergraduate Graduate Professorate/

High School Education Education Industry

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  23

Year in Review

Accomplishments
July 2011 September 2011 Buck CEO Brian James Edgar elected March 2012 May 2012
Kennedy visits the as Chair of the Buck
The Providence Buck Institute and Middle East where he Board of Trustees. Buck Institute holds The Greenberg Lab
­Journal runs an op-ed Biotica collaboration explores partnerships Scientific Sympo- publishes a study
co-authored by will evaluate rapa- with pharmaceutical sium: Stem Cells and in The Proceedings of
January 2012
Buck faculty Julie mycin analogs and companies, govern- Aging. the National Aca­demy
­Andersen, “Are We other polyketides ments, and research The San Francisco of Sciences focusing
Giving U.S. Infants in a broad range of Ambassador Fay on modifying scar
institutes. ABC affiliate runs a
Too Much Iron?” age-related disease Hartog Levin and Lew tissue following
story on the Buck’s
models to identify The Arab Times and Reid join the Board of chronic stroke.
geothermal project.
Proteome Sciences novel therapeutics. Kuwait Times publish Trustees.
and the Benz Lab to op-eds by Buck CEO Buck CEO Brian The Buck Advisory
develop biomarker Lunyak study in Cell Buck Institute Council meets and
Brian Kennedy on the Kennedy goes to
tests to improve Cycle, “Scientists appears on Capitol bestows awards for
epidemic of type 2 Tokyo and Singapore
breast cancer treat- Turn Back Clock Hill; Buck CEO Brian scientific and human-
diabetes now impact- to forge connections
ment. on Adult Stem Cell Kennedy helps launch itarian achievement.
ing the Middle East. between the Institute
Aging.” national “healthspan”
and biotech and
campaign.
August 2011 November 2011 pharmaceutical com- June 2012
Buck Board adds
panies.
four new members:
Buck CEO Brian Buck Institute coor- April 2012 The Glenn Foundation
Ned Powell, Shahab
Kennedy is quoted dinates North Bay awards $1 million to
Fatheazam, Barbara February 2012 Henri Jasper, PhD,
in The New York Discovery Day at establish training
Morrison, and Larry hired as new faculty
Times: “Longer lives Infineon Raceway on Research from the fellowships in aging
Rosenberger. member. Arrives in
for obese mice with November 5. More Melov Lab: A study in research.
hope for humans of the summer from
than 4,000 people Science Translational
Buck CEO Brian
all sizes.” The article Rochester, NY, and Steve Burrill and Jim
attend the signature Medicine shows mas-
Kennedy is quoted
focuses on a study continues research Gerber join the Buck
event during the Bay sage reduces inflam-
extensively in The
involving the exper- aimed at promoting Board of Trustees.
Area Science Festival. mation and promotes
Scientist regarding
imental drug SRT- longevity by enhanc-
the controversies over growth of new mito-
ing the activity of The Ellerby Lab pub­
1720. Buck faculty Judith
the role of sirtuins in chondria following
adult stem cells. lishes a study in Cell
Campisi is quoted in
lifespan extension strenuous exercise.
On August 9, 2011, Stem Cell—scientists
a New York Times
and age research. The story gets picked
the Buck Institute was USA Today runs a correct genetic muta-
article focusing on
up by several national
awarded a patent story about the 100th tion responsible for
senescent cells and
media—NPR,
titled “Small Mole- October 2011 birthday of Buck Huntington’s disease
aging.
Bloomberg, and USA
cules that Replace CEO Brian ­Kennedy’s in human induced
Today.
or Agonize p53 The appointment of grandmother in pluripotent stem
Joseph Antoun, MD,
December 2011 ­Louisville, KY. The cells.
Function” (US Patent Buck CEO Brian
# US7,994,184 B2). as Adjunct Faculty piece features an
The Kleiman Multime- ­Kennedy goes to
P53 has been shown marks the Buck Insti- interview with ­Kennedy
dia Studio opens at Central America to
to have the ability to tute’s first foray into about aging research.
the Buck Institute. set stage for scientific
promote or retard public policy.
collaborations that
The Buck Institute’s
aging, depending on Buck faculty Judith would bring postdoc
New faculty Deepak new Regenerative
the context of its reg- Campisi and Simon fellows to Buck Insti-
Lamba, MBBS, PhD, Medicine Research
ulation and activity. Melov are quoted in tute labs.
arrives at the Buck Center opens on April
The inventor is Dale a National Journal
Institute. Macular 14; the Institute’s
E. Bredesen, MD. article, “Longevity: A The Costa Rica News
degeneration is first public open
Manual.” publishes an op-ed
added to the roster of house draws 1,000
by Brian K. Kennedy,
age-related diseases ­attendees.
“A Wake-Up Call for
studied at the Buck.
Costa Rica.”

24  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

Buck Institute Publications by Year Board Profile

103 Catherine H. Munson

Motivation comes in all forms. Most people know
Catherine Munson as a Bay Area real estate pro-
Total 1,100 fessional associated with the modern residential
housing developer
Joseph Eichler. But
an opportunity to
2012 return to her scientific
roots prompted the
87 98 103 over-scheduled com-
munity activist to join
the Board of Trustees
of the Buck Institute
in 2004. Munson grad-
uated with an MA in
microbiology and biochemistry from the University
2009 2010 2011 of Nebraska in 1950. She worked in basic research
before beginning her career in real estate. “I knew
the Buck was involved in revolutionary medical
102 82 75
research, and I wanted to be a part of it,” she
says. “As I got to know the faculty members, I just
caught fire.”

Munson, who is the very active CEO of Lucas Valley

Properties, served as Board Chair in 2010–2011.
“Supporting the Buck Institute is now my number-­
2006 2007 2008 one passion and commitment,” she says. “The Insti-
tute is the most significant organization in Marin
94 85 79 County. Everyone ages—the Buck has a humani-
tarian mission that is impacting global health.”

Increasing the Institute’s visibility is always on her

radar screen. “Those of us who live in the Bay Area
are incredibly blessed to have access to these
world-class scientists who are working to find real
solutions to the demographic challenges that face
2003 2004 2005 our society,” says Munson. “I am extremely proud
and fiercely enthusiastic to spread the word about
10 41 63 78 their efforts.”

1999 2000 2001 2002

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  25

POSTDOC COLLABORATIONS
the time has come for bold science,
creative collaboration, and new therapies
Postdoc Collaborations—Heart and Soul
of Science at the Buck
A
t the Buck Institute, there are few walls, little
bureaucracy, no turf wars. It’s an environment
designed to encourage collaboration across
disciplines—one where eager young sci­
entists can bounce ideas off each other and try novel
approaches to solving some of the fundamental prob­
lems in aging science.
In most research organizations it’s the young scientists—
the postdoctoral fellows who have completed their
PhDs—who do the yeoman’s work in the laboratories.
The Buck Institute is no exception. But at the Buck,
postdocs have a unique advantage. They are not only
mentored by outstanding faculty members, but they
also have daily opportunities to reach beyond their labs
to form synergistic partnerships—collaborations both
within and beyond the Buck that will advance knowl­
edge and understanding of the biological processes of
aging. Their dedication and discoveries may eventually
lead to new therapies for some of aging’s worst mal­
adies—cancer, heart disease, and Parkinson’s.
26  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report
This section highlights postdoc research collaborations
at the Buck. Featured are stories of six young scientists
who work in the Andersen, Kapahi, Kennedy, Melov,
and Campisi labs. Their laser focus and “big picture”
attitude exemplify what drives science and research
here at the Buck.
While these six postdocs have expertise in different
disciplines and technologies, all are working on proj­
ects involving rapamycin—a drug already tested and
approved by the FDA for suppressing the immune
system of transplant patients. In 2009, a trio of labs
reported that rapamycin—a compound discovered on
Easter Island in 1964—extended the lifespan of mice
by 12%. Rapamycin’s remarkable ability to delay the
aging process in mice and other species, along with its
FDA-approved status, makes the drug a source of hope
and great excitement in aging research.
  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  27
POSTDOC COLLABORATIONS

28  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

Collaborating on a Parkinson’s Discovery

I
n the Andersen Lab, Almas Siddiqui has been association of parkin transcripts with the machinery
working on Parkinson’s disease research since that synthesizes new proteins. To address this possibil­
2008. She’s trying to determine what oxidative ity, Siddiqui sought Rogers’s technical expertise.
stress does to the neural cells of patients with the
Finding the answer was important because, as Rogers
disease. Oxidative stress, which produces free radicals
explains, “Rapamycin, the drug used in Almas’s experi­
and is a normal byproduct of cellular metabolism,
ment, targets a protein complex called TOR. This com­
increases with age. “And increased production of free
plex controls a number of cellular processes, including
radicals can create a state of imbalance,” says Siddiqui,
the synthesis of new protein. The technique that I
“that may contribute to the cell death associated with
adapted from translation state array analysis can be
Parkinson’s disease.”
used to determine changes in the synthesis of specific
Three years ago when she first began working with proteins like parkin.”
rapamycin, an immune-suppressing drug currently
Siddiqui’s finding is important, Rogers says, because “if
approved for use following organ transplants, Siddiqui
you can understand where the desired effects of a drug
found that there was an improvement in the functions
are coming from, you can develop a new drug or com­
of the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cells,
binations of drugs that avoid unwanted side effects.
when she applied rapamycin to a cell culture model of
Rapamycin targets TOR, which in turn modulates
Parkinson’s disease. But what really surprised her was
protein synthesis, but TOR also controls a number of
the drug’s effect on parkin, a protective protein whose
loss of function is reported in Parkinson’s patients.

“We never expected that, when we gave rapamycin to

cells in a dish, we would see an increase in the parkin
protein levels because generally rapamycin decreases
production of new protein,” says Siddiqui. Why was
rapamycin having this positive effect on parkin? To
confirm her suspicion that the increase was happening
at a different level of gene expression than she had
expected, Siddiqui turned to Aric Rogers, a postdoc­
toral fellow in the Kapahi Lab, which has an overall
focus on aging and nutrition.
Rogers is an expert in the biology of mRNA trans­
lation—especially as it relates to aging. Translation is
the final step of gene expression, when our genetic
code prompts the production of proteins. It occurs
after individual genes encoded in the DNA have been
transcribed into RNA, an intermediate that may or
may not be translated into functional proteins. S­ iddiqui
knew that the transcripts of the gene encoding parkin
had not increased, which suggested that the increased
­levels of the protein might be due to an increase in
translation. This could be the case if there were increased
other cellular processes. Drugs can be used to target above:
just those factors affecting protein production, or other The central
drugs may be added to lessen undesired side effects.” dogma of
molecular
biology.
Their collaborative work on understanding rapamycin’s
impact on the protein produced in the cell culture
model of Parkinson’s disease points to a potential use
of the drug—or analogs of it called rapalogs—as a
therapeutic for Parkinson’s disease and other neuro­
degenerative disorders. “There’s a huge emphasis now
on drugs that target translation,” says Rogers, “and
because rapamycin is already approved by the FDA, it
will be much easier to get these rapalogs to clinical tri­
als.” “Parkinson’s is still a big black box,” adds Siddiqui,
who is moving her research into mice, “but the future
is now much more promising.”

left: In a conversation-fostering space, postdocs

Almas Siddiqui and Aric Rogers discuss their joint
research project.

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  29

POSTDOC COLLABORATIONS
Exploring Rapamycin’s Effect on Heart and Bone Health
P
ostdoctoral fellows Monique O’Leary and
James Flynn are engaged in a collaboration
between the Kennedy and Melov labs that
aims to evaluate the health benefits of treating
mice with the drug rapamycin. Some of the Kennedy
Lab’s many projects focus on cardiovascular health
and the mTOR pathway—the pathway that rapamycin
inhibits and that modulates aging across many differ­
ent organisms. The Melov Lab is providing genomic
expertise and technology to this project, and to the
entire Institute.
Four years ago Brian Kennedy hired O’Leary as a
postdoc in his laboratory at the University of Washing­
ton to study genes involved in aging and age-related
diseases in mice. In 2010 Kennedy, now the Buck Insti­
tute’s president and CEO, asked O’Leary to relocate his
lab from the University of Washington and to manage
it on a day-to-day basis in addition to working on her
own research projects. “I study the process of transla­
tion, when proteins are being made within a cell,” says
O’Leary. “The TOR signaling pathway plays a crucial
role in translation and the aging process.” Flynn is an
expert in gene expression, and both scientists work
with mice to understand how they age and to explore
potential therapeutics for age-related diseases.
Determining a potential use for rapamycin to treat
age-related disorders such as osteoporosis and heart
disease is a large part of their work at the Buck. In this
study, the two postdocs wanted to see what happens
on a genomic level to a normal mouse as it ages—what
genes are turned on, what genes are turned off, and
why the expression of these genes changes over time.
“We want to look at the signaling molecules down­
stream of the actual molecule that’s called mTOR and
to understand how the mTOR signaling pathway relays
Above: Using microCT imaging and 3D analysis software, it is possible
to “digitally” slice through bones revealing their inner structure.
Shown here are the middle sections of mouse femurs from young
mice (left) compared to older mice (center and right, respectively).
This imaging can reveal the effectiveness of a drug in maintaining
bone mass. 3D model by Michael Presley.
30  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report
its signal throughout a cell or within an organism,” says
O’Leary. “From previous studies, we knew that rapa­
mycin extended lifespan, but nobody had done any
studies to see if it extends healthspan.”
To add a unique approach to their rapamycin study,
Flynn was sent to Belgium for extensive training in
micro CT imaging—a technique that enables him
to get 3D images inside the femurs of mice. The live
imaging allowed Flynn and O’Leary to observe the
mice and evaluate their health as they aged. So far,
the postdocs have followed a group of middle-aged
(12 months of age) mice for a year, examining various
functions in them and analyzing bone structure, heart
function, and muscle mass every 3 months. They have
also put a group of “old-aged” mice (24 months of
age) on a diet that includes rapamycin and conducted
a similar examination of cardiovascular health, bone
density, and muscle mass.
Based on their experiments, O’Leary and Flynn have
co-authored a paper and submitted it for publication.
“The initial results have been extremely encouraging,
especially because these older animals are considered
senior citizens in their mouse population,” says Flynn.
“We think we’ve identified a large number of genes that
are turned on or off in the mice as a result of having
had rapamycin added to their diet. We’re also looking
at inflammation as one of the factors that is impacted
by rapamycin.”
Flynn learned the technique he used to measure
inflammation from a postdoc in the Campisi Lab,
Remi-Martin Laberge, whose desk is just a shouting
distance away from his own. “The ability to go and talk
to someone who’s an expert in this aspect of aging is
unique at the Buck because there are few places where
there are so many diverse experts on the biology of
aging,” says Flynn. “It’s really great to be able to go to
someone like Remi and get feedback on a part of your
project. You can’t be an expert in everything, so being
able to collaborate with experts helps move the science
forward and accelerate the research.”
Initially skeptical that their time-consuming project
would have any unique beneficial results, O’Leary
is looking forward to getting their paper published.
“Many labs around the country are studying rapamy­
cin, with an eye toward its potential use in humans.
We are hoping that our paper makes a significant
contribution to that body of work.”
 Below: Postdocs Monique O’Leary and
James Flynn review data from mouse
studies involving the drug rapamycin.

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  31

 POSTDOC COLLABORATIONS

Reducing the Inflammation

That Can Contribute to Cancer

R
emi-Martin Laberge and Su Liu, postdoctoral fellows
in the Campisi and Kapahi labs, study senescence—the
process that occurs when cells lose their ability to
divide. The two scientists are now working on a joint
project between their respective labs to identify the effects of
rapamycin on senescent cells.

Laberge, who earned a PhD at Canada’s McGill University on

cancer drug resistance, has been with the Campisi Lab since 2008.
He is immersed in studying the inflammatory processes that are
associated with senescence and their impact on the development
of cancer. Liu, who is originally from China, joined the Kapahi

Below: Su Liu and Remi-Martin Laberge look

at senescent cells that have been treated with
rapamycin. The postdocs often work in one of the
cell culture rooms near the Campisi Lab.

32  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

Lab in 2010 after receiving a PhD in pathology from
the University of Rochester where she studied prema­
ture aging in a mouse model.
Pankaj Kapahi and his lab had been studying the role
of the target of rapamycin (TOR) on flies and worms
in aging, but were considering extending their work
to human cells and mice. So when Kapahi suggested
to Laberge that he test rapamycin’s effects on mice and
human senescent cells, Laberge took up the challenge.
In the Campisi Lab, Laberge began by applying rapa­
mycin to cells that he had forced to senesce by expos­
ing them to ionizing radiation. Laberge saw lower
inflammation in those senescent cells. Next Laberge
began studying senescent cells that actually stimulate
the growth of cancer cells. “When cells senesce, they
spew proinflammatory cytokines, and when senescent
cells accumulate, their signals lead to chronic inflam­
mation, which drives cancer. The majority of age-related
diseases are boosted by chronic inflammation.”
When Liu joined the Kapahi Lab, she began growing
human senescent cells in culture along with cancer
cells to see what would happen. She found, as predicted
by earlier Campisi Lab experiments, that the senescent
cells stimulated the growth of the cancer cells, which
became more aggressive and invasive. That’s why, Liu
says, it’s important in humans to reduce the number
of senescent cells and the inflammation they cause.
“The cancer might grow anyway, but it grows faster
when the senescent cells are around,” explains Laberge.
“They’re stimulating cells that are not very invasive
to become more invasive, breaking the barriers that
prevent those cells from migrating into other tissues.”
Liu and Laberge found that rapamycin could block this
stimulating effect.
Laberge also found that many cytokines—those inflam­
matory molecules in the blood that slowly increase as
people age—are secreted at much lower levels in the
presence of rapamycin. The cytokines are secreted by
senescent cells and are potentially in the vicinity of can­
cer cells. Since the level of cytokines in blood is associ­
ated with cardiovascular disease and neurodegeneration,
he is now interested in “getting rid of senescent cells or
tuning down the chronic, low-level inflammation that is
specifically induced by senescent cells.”
function, which might explain the differential role of
senescent cells in different contexts,” says Liu. “For
example, senescent cells in the cancer context are a bad
thing, but in the context of wound healing they play a
beneficial role. We need to find a way to target different
groups of cytokines.”
Chemotherapy drugs induce DNA damage—that’s how
they kill cancer cells, says Laberge. “Often when you
treat patients with chemotherapy drugs, they don’t just
work on the cancer cells. They also affect the surround­
ing normal cells, and that will induce senescence in
those cells. This is a big problem because the cancer cells
that aren’t killed by chemotherapy will now be fueled by
the surrounding senescent cells that were just created.”
Laberge says rapamycin is so far the best tool to
come along for identifying pathways associated with
healthspan extension. But the compound can cause
diabetes and suppress muscle function. To uncouple
the positive and negative effects, he and Liu are trying
to dissect the molecular pathways that are impacted by
rapamycin. “Hopefully we’ll find something that will
be much better than rapamycin—something that will
specifically enhance rapamycin’s beneficial effects but
not enhance its negative effects.”
For Laberge and Liu, their joint project is a perfect
example of the benefits of Buck collaboration. Other
scientists at the Buck and elsewhere contributed to
their work. Working alone, it would have taken the
postdocs years to advance their research to where it
is today. “Discoveries go faster here because we’re all
under the same umbrella of aging,” says Laberge. “We
all have the same goals, but we study different aspects
of aging. And as we learn more about molecular mech­
anisms in different organisms, we can then apply them
to the various disease systems that others are research­
ing at the Buck.”

This past year, Liu and Laberge tested over 200 dif­
ferent cytokines and found that rapamycin did not
inhibit all of them, just a group of them. “This is
very important because each cytokine has its distinct

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  33

Geroscience

the time has come for geroscience—from

concept to reality to national participation

T
he Buck Institute is the birthplace of gerosci­ Geroscience at the Buck Institute
ence, a new discipline focused at the inter­ Every faculty member at the Buck Institute is involved
section of normal aging and chronic disease. in geroscience. While their specialties range across the
The term “geroscience” entered the scientific entire spectrum of age research—cellular bioenerget­
lexicon in 2007 when the Buck Institute received one ics, stress biology, epigenetics, regenerative medicine,
of nine Roadmap for Medical Research grants from the neurodegeneration, molecular physiology, and bio­
National Institutes of Health. informatics—the Buck faculty share an intense focus
on the connection between aging and chronic disease.
With this grant, the NIH aimed to support research
teams that are “addressing health challenges that have Within and beyond their laboratories, the Buck faculty
been resistant to traditional research approaches.” The create an atmosphere that supports discovery and
$25 million award validated our mission to extend thrives on shared knowledge. While each faculty mem­
healthspan and our collaborative interdisciplinary ber runs their own laboratory and leads their own team
research model. It recognized the value of the Buck’s of scientists, all are committed to an organizational
founding objective—to bring together top scientists structure that has no departmental boundaries and
with highly disparate backgrounds who share a passion little bureaucracy. Brilliant, entrepreneurial, collabora­
for solving the tough, profoundly complex biomedical tive, and visionary—the Buck faculty are shedding new
problems of aging. light on aging and developing novel solutions to some
of its most daunting challenges.
In 2012, the formation of a Trans-NIH Geroscience
Interest Group (GSIG) underscored
the success of our approach. The GSIG
includes scientists from some of the AGE-RELATED DISEASE
27 research institutes and centers that Alzheimer’s
Cancer
compose the NIH who are keen to
Cardiovascular
apply the discoveries in aging research Huntington’s
to their own research agendas, which Macular Degeneration
Metabolic Syndrome
often are focused on a particular dis­ Osteoporosis
ease. One of the GSIG’s goals is to pro­ Parkinson’s
Progeria
mote the application of aging research Stroke
by developing public/private partner­
ships with scientific societies, industry
groups, and other research institutes.
AGING STUDIES
Dietary Restriction
DNA Damage
At the Buck, we see this growing inter­ Genetic Pathways
Mitochondrial Function
est in aging research as the beginning
Oxidative Damage
of a groundswell that will accelerate Senesence
discoveries and speed development of REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
Translation TECHNOLOGY
Bioinformatics
new therapies to prevent or treat the Adult Stem Cells
Genomics
Embryonic Stem Cells
diseases of aging. And our scientists Metabolomics
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)
and their laboratories are at the fore­ Morphology and Imaging
Proteomics
front, keeping the momentum going.

34  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

 “We have recent evidence that the aging process
is malleable, and it has been observed in several
animal models that when aging is delayed, so
are the diseases and disabilities that normally
accompany aging.”
—Dr. Felipe Sierra, GSIG Founder and Director of the
National Institute of Aging’s Division of Aging Biology
NIH Record, August 17, 2012
Geroscience Studies at the Buck

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  35

Faculty
Profiles
“My greatest hope is that our work
here at the Buck will allow us to
treat Parkinson’s at the earliest
possible stage, so treatment can
begin before the disease has a
chance to progress. That would
free patients to live fulfilling lives
without major disability.’’
—Julie Andersen, PhD
Julie Andersen, PhD
Professor
Parkinson’s Disease
Julie Andersen is an expert on Parkinson’s
disease—an incurable, progressive neuro­
degenerative disorder that currently affects
over 1.5 million people in the United States.
­Pursuing research that is fundamental for
developing treatments for this complex
­disease, which causes a progressive decline
in movement and muscle control, she has
identified early risk factors, such as elevated
levels of iron and declining amounts of a
protective antioxidant called glutathione,
and several novel drug treatments (lithium,
flavonoids).
The Andersen Lab examines the role of the pro­
teins that are involved in nerve cell degenera­
tion and is working to identify biomarkers for
Parkinson’s that could result in therapeutic
interventions in the early stages of the disease.
Anderson is interested in how the aging brain
affects disease.
Andersen was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard
Medical School and Massachusetts General
Hospital. Prior to joining the Buck Institute
in 2000, she was an associate professor at the
Andrus Gerontology Center at the University
of Southern California.
36  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report
Christopher Benz, MD
Professor and Program Director
Breast Cancer
Christopher Benz, MD, joined the Buck Insti­
tute in 2000 as a founding faculty member. A
senior member of the UCSF Cancer Center’s
Breast Oncology Program, he set up the uni­
versity’s first laboratory for the study of human
breast cancers. Dr. Benz not only continues to
treat breast cancer patients at UCSF’s Carol
Franc Buck Breast Care Center, but he also
is the co-principal investigator of the Buck
­Institute–UC Santa Cruz Genome Data Analy­
sis Center—one of seven national centers in
The Cancer Genome Atlas program.
The Benz Lab was among the first to study
why age is such an important determinant for
the onset and development of breast cancer,
why the incidence of breast cancer increases
with age, and how the aging process alters
breast cancer biology. In a search for personal­
ized treatments for each patient’s breast cancer
subtype, Dr. Benz and his team also explore
the genetic and structural differences among
breast cancer types, as well as new therapeutic
strategies. 
Dr. Benz helped organize the Marin Women’s
Study (MWS). Launched in 2006, the MWS
wanted to detect environmental factors, lifestyle
patterns, and individual biofactors contri­buting
to breast cancer risk in Marin County, where
incidence rates of the ER-positive type of
breast cancer are among the highest in the
world. By alerting women to the hazards of
taking combination hormonal therapy at
meno­pause, the MWS was able to document
a sharp decline in hormone use and a resulting
33% reduction in new breast cancer cases in
the county.
Faculty Profiles

Martin Brand, PhD Judith Campisi, PhD

Professor
Energy Metabolism of Cells
Martin Brand is an authority on mitochon­
dria—the energy-converting unit of cells—
and their influence on aging and disease.  particularly its relationship with cancer. Her
After receiving his PhD in biochemistry at
the University of Bristol in England, he was a
postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins Univer­
sity in Baltimore, Maryland; a faculty member
at the University of Cambridge; and then a
group leader at the Medical Research Council.
At Cambridge, he began collaborative studies
with Buck faculty. He joined the Buck Institute
in 2008.
The Brand Lab is studying mitochondria,
which extract energy from nutrients and
distribute it to drive the machinery of life in a
process that also releases free radicals. Believed
to be one of the primary actors in the aging
Dale Bredesen, MD
Professor
Alzheimer’s Disease
Dale Bredesen, MD, an internationally recog­
nized expert in the mechanisms of neurode­
generative diseases, came to the Buck Institute
in 1998 as its founding president and CEO. His
research has led to new insights that explain
the erosion of memory seen in Alzheimer’s
disease—insights that are opening the door to
a new therapeutic approach.  Longevity Prize from the IPSEN Foundation.
Professor
Cancer and Aging
Judith Campisi’s lab focuses on understanding
the cellular and molecular biology of aging,
team explores the causes and consequences
of cellular senescence—when stressed cells
stop dividing—and cell death. In studying
the effects of DNA damage during normal
and premature aging, they have found that
senescent cells promote inflammation, which
disrupts normal tissue functions and drives
the progression of cancer. The lab’s pioneering
discoveries are shedding light on anti-cancer
genes, DNA repair mechanisms that promote
longevity, molecular pathways that protect cells
against stress, and stem cells and their role in
aging and age-related disease.
Campisi is internationally recognized for her
contributions to understanding why age is the
largest single risk factor for developing cancer.
An elected Fellow of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, she has
received numerous awards, most recently, the
 

Dr. Bredesen has found that Alzheimer’s

disease stems from an imbalance in nerve cell
signaling—a finding that contradicts the belief
that Alzheimer’s is caused by the accumulation
of sticky plaques in the brain. Several new thera­
peutic candidates based on his insights into the
fundamental nature of Alzheimer’s disease are
currently in pre-clinical trials, funded in part
by a generous gift of $3.5 million from private
philanthropist Douglas Rosenberg.

Dr. Bredesen is also studying nerve cell signal­

process, free radicals are implicated in numer­
ous age-related diseases, including cancer,
heart disease, stroke, and many neurological
disorders.
Brand’s lab envisions treatments that would
minimize the release of free radicals without
inhibiting mitochondrial energy metabolism.
His lab is collaborating with other Buck labs to
evaluate the role of the mitochondria in aging
and in age-related diseases such as cancer,
diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Hun­
tington’s. This research has already opened up
new potential drug targets for the control or
treatment of these conditions.
ing in a collaboration between the Bredesen
Lab and BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,
which is seeking treatments for a rare form of
Alzheimer’s disease—early onset Familial Alz­
heimer’s Disease (eFAD)—which can develop
in people as young as 30 years of age.
“Aging is controlled by genes and
Dr. Bredesen received his MD from Duke
the environment and poses the
University Medical Center in Durham, North
Carolina, and served as chief resident in neu­
largest single risk for developing
rology at the University of California, San a panoply of diseases. Why do
Francisco (UCSF), before joining Nobel laure­ organisms age, and why do
ate Stanley Prusiner’s laboratory there as an these diseases rise exponentially
NIH postdoctoral fellow. He has held faculty with age? My laboratory aims to
positions at UCSF; the University of California, understand the molecular and
Los Angeles; and the University of California, cellular basis of aging in mammals.”
San Diego. He directed the Program on Aging
at the Burnham Institute before joining the —Judith Campisi, PhD
Buck Institute.

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  37

Faculty Profiles

Lisa Ellerby, PhD David Greenberg, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Huntington’s Disease: Stem Cells,
Therapeutic Targets, and Treatments
Lisa Ellerby is an expert on cell death in
Hunting­ton’s disease, an inherited disorder
that attacks motor coordination and cognitive
ability. The Ellerby Lab aims to understand the
molecular mechanisms causing Huntington’s
disease and to discover therapeutic targets and
develop treatments for the disease.
Scientists in the Ellerby Lab recently corrected
the genetic mutation responsible for Hunting­
ton’s disease using a human induced pluripo­
tent stem cell that came from a patient suffering
from the disease. Neural stem cells generated
Bradford Gibson, PhD
Professor and Director of the Buck Institute
Chemistry and Mass Spectrometry Core
Proteomics in Aging, Cancer, and
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Bradford Gibson established the Chemistry
and Mass Spectrometry Core at the Buck Insti­
tute to support research into the molecular
basis of aging and disease. His goal is to iden­
tify the critical biomolecules and the structural
changes they undergo during normal aging
that allow pathological processes to establish
themselves.
Professor and Vice President for
Special Research Programs
Cerebrovascular Disease
David Greenberg, MD, PhD, studies the innate
responses that protect or repair the brain after
a stroke. He hopes to uncover new treatments
that can mimic and enhance these responses.
After a stroke, the brain responds by boosting
the production of proteins that help cells to
survive or tissues to regenerate. The Greenberg
Lab is exploring the actions of two protective
proteins—neuroglobin and VEGF, or vascular
endothelial growth factor.
One of the most encouraging recent discov­
eries in neurobiology is the finding that new
nerve cells can be born in the adult brains of
mammals. Dr. Greenberg has shown that new
neurons can arise as a response to stroke, and
his lab has identified factors that promote this.
He is also working with Buck colleagues on cell
transplantation as a therapy for stroke.
Dr. Greenberg is Vice President for Special
Research Programs at the Buck Institute. After
receiving his MD and PhD from the Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine, he

The Gibson Lab focuses on understanding

from the corrected stem cells have been trans­
planted into a mouse model of Huntington’s
and are now generating normal neurons.
Ellerby and Buck faculty Robert Hughes have
discovered a new lead on potential drug thera­
pies for the disease. They discovered a gene
mutation that produces an abnormal form of
the huntingtin protein in a class of enzymes
already implicated in stroke, cancer, and other
disorders. Ellerby’s work suggests that inhibit­
ing this class of enzymes may lessen symptoms
of Huntington’s disease and prevent nerve cell
death. Further therapeutic targets were identi­
fied for Huntington’s disease that involve lipid
metabolism enzymes.
Ellerby earned her PhD in chemistry from the
University of California, Santa Cruz. She joined
the Buck Institute in 2000. She was a senior
research associate in neurodegenerative
disease and apoptosis and a co-investigator
with the Program on Aging at the Burnham
Institute in La Jolla, California.
the biological and chemical processes that are
common to both age-related diseases and aging.
The lab’s scientists employ mass spectrometry,
protein and carbohydrate chemistry, and struc­
tural biology techniques to track structural
changes in aging cells and in age-­related dis­
eases such as diabetes, breast cancer, and Hun­
tington’s disease. The Gibson Lab is also part of
a national consortium that is identifying early
protein biomarkers of cancer in human plasma
that may yield early diagnostic tests for specific
cancers.
Gibson received his PhD in analytical chem­
istry from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in 1983 and then took a postdoc­
trained in internal medicine at New York
toral fellowship in chemistry at Cambridge
­Hospital–Cornell University Medical Center
University in England. Before joining the Buck
and in neurology at the University of Califor­
Institute in 2000, he was a professor at the Uni­
nia, San Francisco (UCSF). Before joining the
versity of California, San Francisco (UCSF),
Buck Institute in 1999, he was on the faculty of
where he currently holds a joint appointment
the Department of Neurology at UCSF and at
as Adjunct Professor of Chemistry and Phar­
the University of Pittsburgh.
maceutical Chemistry.

38  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

Faculty Profiles
Robert Hughes, PhD
Assistant Professor
Molecular and Chemical Biology of
Aging and Neurodegeneration
Robert Hughes explores the mechanisms of
normal aging in healthy adults and in people
with Huntington’s disease. His team in the
Hughes Lab is searching for compounds that
help preserve protein configurations in aging
yeast cells, and investigating the systems that
maintain the ability of proteins to fold into the
shapes that best support healthy functioning.
They aim to discover clues to similar functions
in human cells.
Hughes has collaborated with Buck colleague
Lisa Ellerby to find new molecular targets
for potential drug therapies for Huntington’s
disease, a progressive genetic disorder that
destroys nerves, impairs movement, and causes
cognitive decline. Hughes discovered that a
set of enzymes implicated in stroke and cancer
may also support the onset and progression of
Huntington’s disease.
Hughes received his PhD in biology from Yale
University. He completed postdoctoral fellow­
ships in biochemistry and genome sciences at
the University of Washington in Seattle, where
he worked in the laboratory of Stanley Fields,
PhD, a pioneer in yeast technology. As an
assistant professor in the Division of Medical
Genetics at the University of Washington
Medical School, Hughes developed yeast-based
models of human genetic disorders. Before
joining the Buck Institute in 2005, he was
Director of Therapeutic Biology at Prolexys
Pharmaceuticals in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Henri Jasper, PhD
Professor
Enhancing Stem Cell Function to
Promote Longevity
Henri Jasper has made seminal discoveries
about the effects of aging on stem cell behavior
and the role of stress in regulating stem cell
function. The Jasper Lab aims to discover how
stress and aging influence the ability of stem
cells to self-renew, and whether improving
stem cell activity can influence the aging
process in multicellular animals. Jasper’s team
is expanding its research on stem cells and
the process of regeneration in the intestines
of fruit flies (Drosophila) to the tracheal stem
cells of mice.
The Jasper Lab is also studying the networks
that control metabolic homeostasis and
influence lifespan. The lab’s scientists use the
developing retinas of fruit flies to study stress-
induced cell death and to identify molecular
and cellular mechanisms governing tissue
recovery after stress-induced damage to the
genome.
Jasper received his PhD from the University
of Heidelberg and the European Molecular
Biology Laboratory. He became a research
assistant professor at the University of Roch­
ester Medical Center in 2003, and an assistant
professor of biology at the University of
Rochester in 2005. In 2008, Jasper received a
Senior Fellow Award of the Ellison Medical
Foundation. He received a Glenn Foundation
Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms
of Aging in 2010. His research is supported by
the American Federation for Aging Research,
National Institute of Aging, National Eye
Institute, National Institute of General Medical
Sciences, New York Stem Cell Initiative, and
Ellison Medical Foundation.
Pankaj Kapahi, PhD
Associate Professor
Nutrition and Energy Metabolism in
Lifespan and Disease
Pankaj Kapahi’s research confirms the finding
that diet plays a major role in aging, lifespan,
and age-related diseases. Scientists in the
Kapahi Lab explore molecular mechanisms
in a search for strategies to extend healthy
lifespan in people. Their research involves
using a combination of biochemical, genetic,
and genomic techniques on both the fruit fly
(Drosophila) and the nematode worm
(Caenorhabditis elegans).
The Kapahi Lab found that a low-protein diet
could lengthen the lives of fruit flies. The diet
activated genes that lead to greater energy
production in the cells’ powerhouse units,
the mitochondria, and thus compensated for
the cells’ age-related decline in performance.
Humans share the cellular mechanisms that
link diet to longevity in fruit flies, and the
benefits of dietary restriction are seen across
all species. Kapahi was the first to demonstrate
that the growth-signaling pathway called the
TOR pathway, which is involved in cancer
and diabetes, mediates the effects of dietary
restriction.
Kapahi, who joined the Buck Institute in
2004, earned his PhD at the University of
Manchester in England and completed post­
doctoral studies at the University of California,
San Diego, and at the California Institute of
Technology. He has received numerous honors
and awards, including the Ellison Medical
Foundation New Scholar award, the Eureka
award from the NIH, and the Nathan Shock
New Investigator Award from the American
Geronotological Society.
  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  39
Faculty Profiles
Brian Kennedy, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer
From Invertebrates to Mice to
Extending Human Healthspan
Brian Kennedy’s innovative work in the biol­
ogy of aging began when he was a doctoral
student at the Massachusetts Institute of Tech­
nology (MIT). Under the guidance of MIT
Professor Leonard Guarente, he contributed to
groundbreaking studies showing that a class
of proteins called sirtuins influence aging.
He now studies the pathways that modulate
longevity in model organisms ranging from
yeast to humans. A major focus of his current
research is the target of rapamycin (TOR)
pathway, which has been generating excite­
ment since it was shown that the drug rapa­
mycin can extend the lifespan and healthspan
of mice.
Determining whether pathways like TOR can
be regulated to treat the diseases of aging is a
goal of the Kennedy Lab, which focuses on
cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders
like type 2 diabetes. Kennedy’s team also studies
the genetic mutations underlying Hutchinson-­
Gilford Progeria Syndrome, a rare disorder
that resembles premature aging.
Kennedy earned his PhD in biology at MIT
and completed postdoctoral training at the
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Cen­
ter in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He was
an associate professor in the Department of
Biochemistry at the University of Washington
in Seattle when he was appointed President
and CEO of the Buck Institute in 2010. He
currently serves as co-editor-in-chief of Aging
Cell, the most highly regarded journal in the
aging field, and is a regular consultant in the
pharmaceutical and biotech industries.
40  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report
Deepak Lamba, mbbs, PhD
Assistant Professor
Stem Cell Technologies for
Age-Related Eye Disorders
Deepak Lamba, a practicing physician from
India, is one of the pioneers in the technology
of making retinal cells from human embryonic
stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells
in a laboratory dish. He has shown that retinal
cells can be transplanted into the eyes of blind
mice and rats and that after transplantation the
treated eyes respond to light.
The Lamba Lab is researching new methods to
treat macular degeneration, retinitis pigmen­
tosa, and glaucoma using stem cell technology.
Dr. Lamba’s lab is concentrating on the long-
term efficacy and safety studies that are essen­
tial before this form of therapy can be offered
to patients. Developing new approaches to
creating patient-specific stem cells is another
goal. Lab scientists can now reprogram skin
cells into embryonic stem cells and then con­
vert them to retinal cells—a technology that
will result in a better understanding of vision
diseases and lead to new treatments and drugs
to halt, prevent, or delay the onset of these
diseases.
Dr. Lamba earned his medical degree from the
University of Mumbai, India, and practiced as
a physician there before moving to the United
States, where he received his master’s degree in
bioengineering from the University of Illinois,
Chicago. He did his doctoral thesis and post­
doctoral work on generating and transplanting
retinal cells derived from human embryonic
stem cells and iPS cells at the University of
Washington in Seattle.
Gordon Lithgow, PhD
Professor and
Director of the Interdisciplinary Research
Consortium on Geroscience
Molecular Mechanisms of Aging
Gordon Lithgow’s work sheds light on the mech­
anisms of aging by identifying agents that extend
lifespan or prevent age-related disease. Utilizing
the microscopic nematode worm (Caenorhab-
ditis elegans), scientists in the Lithgow Lab have
discovered various factors that lengthen the lives
of these animals, and they are applying these
findings to studies on human cells.
Stress has emerged as a major factor in aging
and disease, contributing to a breakdown in an
organism’s ability to maintain optimal molecu­
lar stability. Maintenance of homeostasis in the
face of stress is a common feature of increased
longevity and healthspan. The Lithgow Lab has
made seminal discoveries in the use of small
drug-like molecules to promote homeostasis.
Lab members have found compounds that
suppress the pathology associated with Alzhei­
mer’s disease. They are currently researching
additional sets of compounds that extend
lifespan and healthspan.
Lithgow received his PhD in genetics from
the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Before
joining the Buck Institute in 2001, he was a
senior lecturer in molecular gerontology at the
School of Biological Sciences at the University
of Manchester in England. He directs the Buck
Institute’s Interdisciplinary Research Consor­
tium on Geroscience.
“One theme continues to emerge
from our work—that aging and
disease stem from common
mechanisms. Delaying disease by
delaying the aging process is a
serious proposition.”
—Gordon Lithgow, PhD
Faculty Profiles
Victoria Lunyak, PhD
Associate Professor
Epigenetics and Human Adult
Stem Cell Aging
Victoria Lunyak is a leading scientist in
epigenetics which explores how the genetic
blueprint is read differently in different cells
of the human body. Her work focuses on adult
stem cells, which provide a continual supply
of new cells to our tissues as they are needed.
The ability of stem cells to repopulate tissues
declines with age, a finding that is emerging as
a potential factor in the overall aging process.
The Lunyak Lab has been able to reverse the
aging process of adult adipose stem cells in cell
culture. Her research is aimed at discovering
methods of improving stem cell function with
age, which would enhance tissue maintenance,
repair, and resistance to DNA damage.
The Lunyak Lab uses deep proteomic analysis,
next-generation sequencing technology, and
a variety of molecular biology approaches to
identify the age-related epigenetic changes in
human adult stem cells and understand their
effects on human aging. The lab has identified
novel, previously unreported epigenetic modi­
fications in the chromatin of human adult stem
and somatic cells that can serve as biomarkers
of cellular and organismal aging.
Lunyak received a master’s degree in biophys­
ics from Leningrad Polytechnic Institute in
Russia and earned her PhD in molecular biol­
ogy from the St. Petersburg Nuclear Physics
Institute at the Russian Academy of Science
in St. Petersburg, Russia. She did postdoctoral
work at Brown University and at the Univer­
sity of California, San Diego (UCSD), before
becoming an adjunct assistant professor in the
Department of Medicine at UCSD. She joined
the Buck Institute in 2008.
Simon Melov, PhD
Associate Professor
Identifying Molecular Hallmarks
of Aging
Simon Melov, who heads the Institute’s
Genomics Core, explores the role of the
energy-­making units inside cells, the mito­
chondria, which produce a chemical fuel that
powers the cell’s work but which also release
damaging free radicals that are linked to dis­
ease. The Melov Lab studies proteins that help
the mitochondria detoxify free radicals and
tracks the decline of function in mitochondria
that comes with age. Other research interests
include the age-related bone disorder osteo­
porosis, age-­related heart disease, the role of
methylation in the aging human genome, and
development of molecular techniques to better
understand single cell changes with age.
In a landmark study, Melov and his collabo­
rators showed that the more vigorous pattern
of gene expression found in young adults
could be partially restored in older adults who
followed a strength-training exercise program
for 6 months. The Melov Lab looks for broader
genetic fingerprints of aging by surveying the
patterns of gene activity in various animals,
including human beings, mice, and nematode
worms (C. elegans).
Melov received his PhD in biochemistry from
the University of London in England. He held
positions at Emory University in Atlanta and at
the University of Colorado in Boulder before
joining the faculty of the Buck Institute as an
associate professor in 1999.
Sean Mooney, PhD
Associate Professor and
Director of the Bioinformatics Core
Computer Technology and the Next
Generation of Biomedical Research
Sean Mooney develops and applies methods in
computational biology and bioinformatics—
the collection, storage, analysis, and dissemina­
tion of biological information—to predict and
treat the molecular causes of genetic diseases.
As director of the Buck’s Bioinformatics Core,
Mooney helps the Buck Institute’s 19 labs to
capture, store, and analyze the deluge of data
flowing from their work.
The Mooney Lab develops the computer
algorithms and statistical models needed to
manage, analyze, and generate hypotheses
from the data the research generates. The lab
is also refining methods that enable computers
to form hypotheses about the underlying
origins of genetic illness. The lab team has
programmed computers to use statistics to
predict which mutations in the DNA sequence
will lead to significant malfunctions in humans
and those which are probably not prime mov­
ers in disease. Such work could accelerate the
discovery of diagnostic tests and therapies for
inherited diseases.
Mooney, who joined the Buck Institute in
2009, received a PhD in pharmaceutical chem­
istry from the University of California, San
Francisco. He was an American Cancer Society
John Peter Hoffman Fellow in the Depart­
ment of Genetics and Medical Informatics
at Stanford University. He was subsequently
appointed assistant professor in medical and
molecular genetics at the Indiana University
School of Medicine, where he co-directed the
Bioinformatics Core. 
  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  41
Faculty Profiles
David Nicholls, PhD
Professor
Mitochondrial Function and the Life
and Death of Cells
David Nicholls established the Bioenergetics
laboratory at the Buck Institute in 2000 before
handing it over to Martin Brand in 2008. His
research focuses on understanding how mito­
chondria act as the powerhouses of the cell—
currently in relation to diabetes. He retains a
part-time position at the Institute and spends
3 to 4 months a year here at the bench, where
he continues to develop novel techniques to
investigate in-situ mitochondrial bioenergetics.
For the rest of the year, he is based in Lund,
Sweden, and travels extensively around the
world lecturing and teaching.
Nicholls has researched mitochondrial func­
tion for more than 45 years and has almost 300
publications to his credit. Currently complet­
ing the fourth edition (with Stuart Ferguson)
of the standard textbook Bioenergetics, he is
best known for his discovery of the original
uncoupling protein, UCP1; for work on mito­
chondrial calcium transport and isolated nerve
terminals; and for his research into mitochon­
drial dysfunction in nerve cells.
Nicholls received his PhD in biochemistry
from the University of Bristol, England. He is a
Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and
holder of the 2008 Mitchell Memorial Medal
from the European Bioenergetics Congress.
42  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report
Arvind Ramanathan, PhD
Assistant Professor
Molecular Physiology of Skeletal
Muscle Regeneration, Cancer and
Aging
Arvind Ramanathan is taking an integrative
approach to answering fundamental questions
about cancer, aging, and skeletal muscle
regeneration. He has been using metabol­
omics and chemical biology to understand
gene–environment interactions—how envi­
ronmental signals regulate signals involved in
aging and cancer. Ramanathan has identified
metabolic signals that mediate mTOR signal­
ing and skeletal muscle differentiation.
Using mass-spectrometric and imaging-based
approaches, the Ramanathan Lab is seeking
answers to some important questions. How
does the environment regulate cellular phys­
iology? What are the molecular signals that
integrate nutrients and organismal and cellular
physiology with tissue regeneration? By what
mechanisms does aging affect these molecular
signals?
Ramanathan was born in Pondicherry, India.
He earned a doctorate in chemistry from New
York University and completed his graduate
work at New York University and the Univer­
sity of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center. His
postdoctoral work was performed at Harvard
University and the Chemical Biology Program
at the Broad Institute of Harvard, and at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a
research fellow. He joined the Buck Institute
in 2011.
Xianmin Zeng, PhD
Associate Professor
Stem-Cell-Based Treatments for
Parkinson’s Disease
Xianmin Zeng is working toward a treatment
for Parkinson’s disease. The Zeng Lab focuses
on studying neural development using human
embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human
induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived
from adult cells, which can mimic the versa­
tility of hESCs. Zeng has developed methods
to induce these stem cells to become the type
of nerve cells that are degenerated and lost
in people with Parkinson’s disease, and she
has ensured that this process can be readily
transferred to a Good Manufacturing Practice
(GMP) manufacturing facility so that the
products are qualified for clinical use.
Zeng has also developed models for screening
small molecules that can prevent or protect
against dopaminergic neuron cell death. She
has generated many iPSC lines both from
patients with Parkinson’s disease and from
control subjects. These cells and models will
be useful for testing the potential of new drugs
and for further pure research into the mecha­
nisms of Parkinson’s disease.
After earning a PhD in molecular biology at
the Technical University of Denmark, Zeng
did her postdoctoral training at the NIH. She
joined the Buck Institute in 2005. She is a
recipient of several major funding grants from
the California Institute for Regenerative Medi­
cine, including a translational grant to develop
clinical-grade dopaminergic neurons from
pluripotent stem cells using a scalable process.
the 2012 Board of Trustees
The Buck Institute receives support and guidance from a non-compensated Board of Trustees.
These recognized leaders from the business, science, and nonprofit communities set policy,
approve financial plans, and help shape the strategic direction of the Institute.
Steven Burrill
Founder and CEO of Burrill &
Company, a life sciences company
involved in venture capital and
merchant banking
Serves on the boards of the National
Health Museum, the Kellogg Center
for Biotechnology Management, and
Catalyst Biosciences
James Edgar
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Management consultant and
founding member of Edgar, Dunn &
Company, an international consulting
firm
Former trustee of Rosenberg
Foundation and San Francisco
Library Foundation
Russell H. Ellison, MD, MSC
Executive Vice President of
Paramount Biosciences, Inc.
Shahab Fatheazam
Managing Director and head of
Healthcare, Lincoln International
Formerly with GCA Savvian and
Vector Securities International
MA, Cambridge University; MBA,
Columbia University
Scientific Advisory Board
The Scientific Advisory Board consists of leading scientists in the fields of aging research and
age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. Members of the SAB provide
guidance on the Institute’s scientific and educational programs.
Stephen L. Hauser, MD
Chair, Buck Institute SAB
Chair, Department of Neurology,
University of California,
San Francisco
Robert H. Brown Jr., MD, DPhil
Professor and chairman, Department
of Neurology, University of
Massachusetts Medical School
M. Arthur Gensler Jr., FAIA
Founder of Gensler, a global
architecture, design, planning, and
strategic consulting firm
Jim Gerber
Co-founder of Western Athletic
Clubs, Inc., the owner and operator
of luxury athletic and health facilities
throughout the West Coast
Stephen Hauser, MD
Chair, Department of Neurology,
University of California,
San Francisco
Chair, Buck Institute Scientific
Advisory Board
Harlan P. Kleiman
Co-founder and CEO of Self Health
Network
Founder/CEO of Shoreline Pacific
Co-founder of Long Wharf Theatre
UCLA School of Theater, Film and
Television board member
Chair of the Buck Advisory Council
Charles La Follette
President of La Follette Capital
Former board member of Pacific Stock
Exchange and Marin Community
Investment Committee
Steven A. Carr, PhD
Director of Proteomics, Broad Institute
of MIT and Harvard
Ana Maria Cuervo, MD, PhD
Department of Developmental and
Molecular Biology, Marion Bessin
Liver Research Center, Albert Einstein
College of Medicine
Fay Hartog Levin
Former Ambassador to the
Netherlands, formerly a senior
consultant at Res Publica Group, and
Vice President for External Affairs at
Chicago Field Museum
Barbara Morrison
President of TMC Development, a
provider of real estate financing
Mayor of Belvedere, CA
Founder and board president of
Working Solutions, a nonprofit that
helps micro-entrepreneurs access
capital
Catherine H. Munson
President, LVPMarin Realtors
Board member of the Marin
Symphony Association
Chair of the board of Project Amigo in
Cofradia, Mexico
Member of Frank Lloyd Wright Civic
Center Conservancy
Herbert H. Myers
Regional Business Banking President
of San Francisco Bay Region Wells
Fargo & Company
David M. Perry
Senior Managing Director of TeamCo
Advisers
Cynthia J. Kenyon, PhD
Department of Biochemistry,
University of California,
San Francisco
James L. Kirkland, MD, PhD
Professor of aging research, Director of
Mayo Clinic Robert and Arlene Kogod
Center on Aging
  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  43
Bill R. Poland
Real estate developer, chairman and
founder of Bay West Group in
San Francisco
Edward A. “Ned” Powell
Retired president and CEO of the USO
World Headquarters
Former Assistant Secretary of
Management and Deputy Secretary
at the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs
E. Lewis Reid
Former chair of Buck Board of
Trustees
Director of Community Foundation,
Sonoma County, California
Richard M. Rosenberg
Chairman and CEO (retired) at Bank
of America Corporation
Larry E. Rosenberger
Former President and CEO and
current research fellow of Fair Isaac
Co-author of The Deciding Factor:
The Power of Analytics to Make Every
Decision a Winner
MS in physics and ME from
University of California, Berkeley
Mary C. Sauer
Founder, Vice President, and Director
of Sonic Solutions
Jeffrey D. Macklis, MD, DHST
Director, MGH-HMS Center for
Nervous System Repair, Harvard
University
Thomas A. Rando, MD, PhD
Director, Glenn Laboratories for the
Biology of Aging; Professor, neurology
and neurological sciences, Stanford
University School of Medicine
Deputy Director, Stanford Center on
Longevity, Stanford University
Buck Advisory Council
Chair of Buck Krikor Bezdikian “Belonging to the Buck Advisory Council
Advisory Council Co-founder, Manco exposes me to a new space of research
Los Angeles, CA
Harlan Kleiman that will undoubtedly impact the world
Trustee, Buck Institute for Jeff Bohnson positively. It is a place where we can all
Research on Aging
CEO, Self Health Network CEO, AnswersMedia, Inc. make a difference.”
San Francisco, CA Chicago, IL
—Mehmet Celebi, Founding Partner, Arti Bir Group

BAC Members Najib Canaan

Principal and Chief Investment Officer,
Tarek AbuZayyad Marinus Capital Advisors LLC
Stamford, CT
Shahab Fatheazam Veena Panjabi
Partner, Head of Merchant Banking,
Stanhope Capital LLP Trustee, Buck Institute for Research Vice President and Co-Owner, World
London, UK Mehmet Celebi on Aging Industries
Managing Director and Head of Miami, FL
Partner, Illinois Office, Arti Bir Group, the Healthcare Group, Lincoln
Hussam Abu Issa Founding Partner, Investments, International LLC Thomas Peters
Vice Chairman and COO, Salam Construction Chicago, IL
International Naperville, IL President and CEO, Marin
Qatar Community Foundation
Darla Totusek Flanagan Novato, CA
Mark Cutis
General Partner, MKD Investments
Cinzia Akbaraly Chief Investment Officer, Abu Dhabi San Francisco, CA Mary Poland
Founder, Akbaraly Foundation Investment Council
Honorary General Counsel of Italy in United Arab Emirates Ross, CA
Anthony Ghorayeb
Madagascar
Groupe SIPROMAD Mazen S. Darwazeh Chairman and CEO, G&G Capital Douglas Rosenberg
Madagascar Group
Chairman of Board of Directors, Kentfield, CA
Chicago, IL
Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC
James A. Aleveras Jordan Rashid Skaf
James W. Harpel
Investment Advisor Representative, President and CEO, AMX Corporation
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC Senior Partner, Palm Beach Capital
Richardson, TX
San Francisco, CA  West Palm Beach, FL
Delly Tamer
Dato Fawziah Abdul Karim
Chief Executive Officer,
CEO, SSU Management Services
Letstalk.com
Malaysia
San Francisco, CA

Lady Jamileh Kharrazi

Chairman, Jamileh Kharrazi
Charitable Foundation
United Kingdom
Thomas D. Weldon
Chairman and Managing Director,
Accuitive Medical Ventures
Fernandina, FL and Duluth, GA

Ron Landes David Wetherell

Founder and President, Landes Managing Partner, Burrill &
Bioscience Company
Austin, TX San Francisco, CA

Patte McDowell E. Packer Wilbur

Wissam Ariss James Edgar Founder and Board Chair, Cloud Nine Chairman, Southport Properties
Foundation Southport, CT
Founder and Chairman of the Board, Board Chair, Buck Institute for San Francisco, CA
Star Goods Research on Aging
Lebanon Founding Partner, Global Brand William E. Wolf
Positioning LLC
Catherine H. Munson
CEO, BW Capital Partners
Mikhail Batin Kentfield, CA Trustee, Buck Institute for Research Chicago, IL
on Aging
Executive Director, Science for President, Lucas Valley Properties
Life Extension Foundation David Elias
Novato, CA
Moscow, Russia Principal, Alesco Advisors
East Amherst, NY

44  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

the time has come for building upon a great
foundation of charitable commitment and giving

T
he community of donors to the Buck Insti­­tute Each of the 19 laboratories at the Buck focuses on a
expanded in 2011 to include the Buck Advisory separate, compelling area of geroscience research. We
Council; 10 new trustees; scores of new mem­ are reaching out to connect that research to those for
bers, corporate sponsors, and foundations; whom it matters most.
and a remarkable group of individuals who provided
In the year ahead and with the Buck’s new state-of-
gifts to name the interior spaces at the Buck campus
the-art facility for the study of regenerative medicine
and chairs in the Drexler Auditorium. Last and certainly
completed, the fundraising priorities are clearly the
not least, there were those who included the Buck
recruitment of faculty, the acceleration of current
Institute as a beneficiary of their will or honored friends
research, and the funding of educational programs for
and loved ones with a testamentary gift in their name.
children and adults. Each of these areas offers much
Together, this diverse group helped to ensure the sta­
promise for the Buck Institute to contribute to the
bility of the Institute by providing crucial funds for
field, increase knowledge, and deepen our connection
operations, facilities, faculty recruitment, equipment,
to Marin County and the San Francisco Bay Area,
educational and public programs, building expansion,
where philanthropist Beryl Buck lived and dedicated
and new research.
herself to the well-being of others.
To accomplish our goals of growth, stability, recogni­
The time has come to build upon the great generosity
tion, and visibility, and to address the urgent need
and commitment of our past and current donors and
for basic biological research in aging and chronic
to realize the exciting promise of our mission to extend
disease, the Buck must broaden and deepen its sources
healthspan through research and education.
of support.

Often misunderstood, the Buck’s financial picture

includes a very important annual contribution from
the founding Buck Trust. This contribution comes
through the Marin Community Foundation, which
Buck Trust Income as Percentage of Total Revenue
also supports the Buck Institute for Education and
Alcohol Justice, formerly known as the Marin Institute.
A fundamental part of the Buck Institute for Research
on Aging, the Buck Trust accounted for 12% of our
total income, or $5.7 million.

With a rapid decline in funding from the National Other

Institutes of Health (NIH) brought on by stagnating 82% 76% 78% 85% 88%
Revenue
budgets and the increased costs of the science the
NIH does fund, the Buck Institute must look to indi­
vidual donors to bridge the gap. Individual donors
understand and are inspired by the range of work, the Buck Trust
Allocation 18% 24% 22% 15% 12%
innovation, and the collaboration that are part of the
unique fabric of the Buck. While some are taken with FY2008 FY2009 FY2010 FY2011 FY2012
the founding idea that aging and chronic diseases are
linked in a causal relationship, others are drawn to
the Buck by a personal interest in a particular disease.

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  45

Financial StatementS
Statement of Net Assets
June 30, 2012
(With Summarized Comparative Information at June 30, 2011)

2012 2011

A s s ets
Cash $ 703,309 $ 2,595,991
Grants and contributions receivable, net 7,488,949 8,792,951
Accounts and interest receivable 42,909 74,744
Investments and investments held in trust 14,652,485 16,801,847
Notes receivable 477,752 246,393
Charitable remainder trusts receivable 817,422 799,091
Deposit and other assets 504,189 737,257
Bond issuance costs, net 1,099,695 1,141,726
Property and equipment, net 108,693,786 86,854,073
Total assets $ 134,480,496 $ 118,044,073

Li a bi lit i e s
Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 4,752,829 $ 5,196,166
Deferred revenue 4,892,500 2,671,098
Accrued interest payable 6,719 72,285
Notes payable 6,616,299 3,630,820
Bonds payable 80,600,000 80,600,000
Total liabilities 96,868,347 92,170,369

Commitments and contingencies

N et as s e t s
Unrestricted 33,249,612 22,723,410
Temporarily restricted 4,268,417 3,055,904
Permanently restricted 94,120 94,390
Total net assets 37,612,149 25,873,704
Total liabilities and net assets $ 134,480,496 $ 118,044,073

Increases in Grant Revenue

(in $millions)
$39.7
$40
$15.6
$35
$28.3 CIRM Infrastructure
$30
Revenue
$4.9
$25
$23.4 $24.1
$20 $21.4
$17.8 $18.9
$15
Grant Revenue
$10 without CIRM

$5

0
FY2008 FY2009 FY2010 FY2011 FY2012

46  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

Statement of Activities and Changes in Net Assets
Year Ended June 30, 2012
(With Summarized Comparative Information for the Year Ended June 30, 2011)

Total
Temporarily Permanently
Unrestricted Restricted Restricted 2012 2011

O pe rat i n g r eve n u e s, ga i n s, an d
ot h e r s u p p or t
Allocation from the Buck Trust $ 5,689,335 $ - $ - $ 5,689,335 $ 5,764,910
Grant revenues 39,659,898 - - 39,659,898 28,298,550
Contributions 1,591,820 2,002,117 - 3,593,937 3,013,044
Interest and investment income 55,998 - - 55,998 78,753
Other income 244,538 - - 244,538 129,516
Net assets released from restrictions 808,205 (808,205) - - -
Total operating revenues, gains,
and other support 48,049,794 1,193,912 - 49,243,706 37,284,773

O p e rat i n g e x pe n s e s
Research 24,726,376 - - 24,726,376 23,434,857
General and administrative 9,568,513 - - 9,568,513 8,365,916
Fundraising 1,991,585 - - 1,991,585 1,907,013
Bond interest and related costs 1,237,118 - - 1,237,118 1,440,821
Total operating expenses 37,523,592 - - 37,523,592 35,148,607
Change in net assets from operations 10,526,202 1,193,912 - 11,720,114 2,136,166

N on-ope rat i n g activiti e s

Change in value of split-interest agreements, net - 18,601 (270) 18,331 129,436
Total non-operating activities - 18,601 (270) 18,331 129,436
Change in net assets 10,526,202 1,212,513 (270) 11,738,445 2,265,602

N et as s ets
Beginning of year 22,723,410 3,055,904 94,390 25,873,704 23,608,102
End of year $ 33,249,612 $ 4,268,417 $ 94,120 $ 37,612,149 $ 25,873,704

Operating and Capital Revenue for FY2012 Operating Expenses for FY2012

Foundation and Fundraising 5% Bond Interest and

Other Grants 8% Corporate Research Related Costs 3%
Agreements 4%
Contributions 7%

Interest and
Other 1%
Federal
and State General and
Government Buck Trust Administrative
Grants 37% 12% 26%
Research 66%

CIRM Infrastructure
Grant 31%

  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  47

Honor Roll of Donors
The Buck Institute gratefully acknowledges the following donors for their generous contributions.
$1,000,000 +
The S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation
Glenn Foundation for Medical
Research
Ellen and Douglas Rosenberg
Foundation
Rowe Family Foundation*
$500,000–$999,999
Michaela and Jay Hoag
Catherine H. Munson § *
$250,000–$499,999
Gensler Family Foundation § *
$100,000–$249,999
Larry L. Hillblom Foundation
Mericos Foundation
Marylin P. Wanlass*
$50,000–$99,999
Patricia L. and John Cahill Jr.*
Mary and Bill R. Poland § *
$10,000–$49,999
Hussam Abu Issa*
Tarek AbuZayyad*
Cinzia and Ylias Akbaraly*
James A. Aleveras Jr.*
Mikhail Batin*
Marjorie E. Belknap*
Robert B. Buck
Lynn M. and Najib S. Canaan*
Cloud Nine Foundation*
Joey and Warren C. Conklin
Jess and A. Crawford Cooley*
Mark N. Cutis*
48  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report
Mazen Darwazeh*
Helene and Russell Ellison §
Darla Flanagan*
James Harpel*
Ambassador Fay Hartog-Levin §
and Daniel E. Levin
Magaret E. Haas Fund*
Linda Hothem
Dato Fawziah Abdul Karim*
Brenda and Brian Kennedy
Lady Jamileh Kharrazi*
The Konigsberg Family Trust
Ellen and Charles S. La Follette § *
Elisabeth R. Levy*
Lycera Corp.
Mary McEachron
Barbara H. Morrison §
Susan Ohrenschall*
Laura and David Perry §
Diane L. and Edward A. Powell §*
Mary and Lew Reid § *
Barbara C. and Richard M.
Rosenberg §
Rosenberger Family Fund §
Sangamo Biosciences/Edward
Lanphier*
Mary C. Sauer § and Robert Doris
SENS Foundation
Rashid Skaf *
Elizabeth M. Stevens
Liz Wallerstein*
Thomas D. Weldon*
David Wetherell*
Winifred Johnson Clive
Foundation
William E. Wolf*
(§ Board of Trustees Member; *Buck Advisory Council Member)
$5,000–$9,999
Deborah and Arthur Ablin Family
Fund*
Affymetrix, Inc.
Aida and Dale E. Bredesen
Gunnel and Larry Dingus*
Barbara and David Elias*
Genentech, Inc.
JK Capital Management, LLC
Marin Independent Journal
Virginia M. Melvin and Ralph
O’Rear
Gwen and Thomas Price
King and Bruce Sams
Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz and
Gary Pomerantz
US Bank
Judy C. Webb*
Buck Institute Members
$250–$4,999
A and P Moving, Inc.
Beth and Joseph Aaron
Mohammed Abalkhail
Jamal Abu Issa
Alfa Tech
Yaisa Andrews-Zwilling
Patsy F. and R. Howard Annin Jr.
Joyce D. Applen
Wissam Issam Ariss*
Ruth L. and Anthony Arnold
Elizabeth and James Austin
Barbara and Larry Babow
Betsy Babson and Massoud
Dehdashti
Chris Balagtas
Bank of Marin
Chad L. Barber
Carole Bennett and Norman
Ciampi
Antoinette and Tom Benoit
Rosemary and Bill Bergin
BioSpherix, LTD.
Jack Bissinger
Elaine and Lyman Black
Kerry and Clark Blasdell
Will Block
Rosalind and David S. Bloom
Helen Bodington
Nancy and N. Edward Boyce
Ute and John Brandon
Cecilia and Larry Bridges
Ruth Broady
Mary Jo and Henry J. Broderick
Jean and Stuart Brown
Diane and O. Davis Brown
Anders Brunmark
Barbara A. Buck
Sally Buehler
Building and Construction Trades
Council of Marin County
Maria Cabreira-Hansen
Helen K. and John E. Cahill Fund
Jeanne J. Cahill
Cahill/Otto Construction JV
Joan Capurro
Huguette Carleton-Lenz and
Dieter Lenz
Jeanne Carley
Rosario Carr-Casanova and
Richard E. Levy
CaterMarin
Wallace Chick
Honor Roll of Donors
Shankar J. Chinta
Carolyn S. Ciampi
Carter Cliff
Codding Foundation
Toast and George Coley
Jackie W. Collins
Karen Collins
Patricia Conway and
James L. Patten
Pamela A. Cook and Paul Gietzel
M. Aline Cornelius and Alan Estes
Corning Life Science
Stone Coxhead
Judith D. and Robert K. Creasy
Katherine Culligan
Arleen Curry
Shahla Davoudi
Dibble & Dibble
Noel W. and Donald R. Dickey
Christine Dohrmann
Marjorie and Jeron Donalds
S. Malvern Dorinson
Catherine and Robert Doyle
Tedi Dunn and William H. Svabek
Elke Neumann Dwelly and
Vernon I. Dwelly
Courtney Easley-Neal
Dianne M. Easton
Judy and James M. Edgar §
Ginger and David Egan
Delia F. Ehrlich
Elaine Ellerton
Audrey and Kenneth Ellingsen
Maryann and John Elloway
Elizabeth Enemark
Lois B. Epstein
Sally-Ann and Ervin Epstein
Jacqueline L. and Christian P.
Erdman
Phyllis M. Faber
Carolyn and Branwell Fanning
(§ Board of Trustees Member; *Buck Advisory Council Member)
Francine Farouz
Neghmeh and Shahab
Fatheazam § *
Marjorie Feder
Carmen M. and Ronald Ferguson
The Florence S. Mahoney
Foundation
Judi and Fredric Finkelstein
Isabelle and Denis Finney
Adrian Flierl
Helen Fong
Frank Howard Allen & Co.
Barbara and E.W. Fredell
Friends of Marin Hadassah
Dolores Fruiht
Peggy and Robert Fujimoto
Alison Fuller
John D. Furber
Betty E. Gandel
Elizabeth and David Ganz
The Geistlinger Family Trust
Gary Giacomini
Ruth Noah Giusto and Albert S.
Giusto
GlobalStem
Joanne Gordon
Nancy Gorsich
Elizabeth and Joseph Greenberg
Frank and Barbro Greene
Charitable Fund
Sara G. and Richard M. Griffith
Peter L. Grossman
Margie and David Guggenhime
Althina and Charles Halfmann
Donna and James Halow
Hilary and Chris Hansen
Ethlyn Ann Hansen
Gay D. and Wyman C. Harris
Stephen L. Hauser §
Wanda R. Headrick and Hans
Adler
Kay Heigel
Rebecca and Robert Henn
Jessica Herritt
Patricia Hess
Marion and Jorgen Hildebrandt
Y. Anne Huang
Deborah Huber
Judy Hunt
Lander R. and William Hynes
Ann and Joseph Imhoff
Gabriella and Glenn Isaacson
ISEC
Barbel and Gordon Jacobs
Helene and Stephen N. Jaffe
Arnie J. Kahn
“I feel privileged to occupy a front-row
seat on cutting-edge science.”
— Vernon Dwelly, Buck Institute docent and donor
Denise Kalos
Roseanne and Raja Kamal
Aileen A. and Daniel F. Keegan
Janice and Bill Kerr
Norma King
Mildred N. King
Johanna Knoferle
Verna and Jack Krout
Nancy and Richard Kuhn
Jacqueline and Carl Kuhn
Elinor A. and James E. Lacy
Ron Landes*
Mary J. Lang
Almon E. Larsh Jr.
Ragnhild and Knut Larssen
Marsha and Michael Lasky
Sumana Laye
Sarah Leach and Kenneth Drexler
Sharon Leach
  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  49
Judy and Robert Leet
Mardi Leland
Sharon L. and Kenneth M. Levien
John Levinsohn
Patricia and Lyle E. Lewis
Linda Liscom
Janis R. MacKenzie and Dennis
Conaghan
Delphine and Dennis Mangan
Francine and John R. Manis
Nancy E. Martin
Robert Mathison
Marlyn and Larry McClaskey
Shirley B. McDonald
Catherine D. McKown
James W. Meakin
Deborah and Al Meckler
Jane Miller
Raymond Moore
Karen and William Morgenstern
Carol Mowbray
Kari E. and Hans J. Mueller
Lillian J. and Bernie F. Mulaskey
Lynn Jurich and Bradford Murray
Rita and Herbert H. Myers §
Laurie Nardone
Jeanette F. Nichols
E.M. Nomura
Jeremy Norman
Tom Novak
Frances K. and Louis D. O’Brien
On Point Productions, Inc.
The P&G Company
PAE Consulting Engineers
Honor Roll of Donors

Steve Page
Mandy and Samuel Parke
Barbara Patton
Lynn and Richard A. Payne
Gail Perin
Grace and Roland Perkins
Steven Perlmutter
Donna and Jerry Peters
Constance Peterson
Ken Petron
Virginia and Don Pierce
Kelley Baer and Louis R. Pozzo
Melissa Prandi
Lois Prentice
ProMab Biotechnologies, Inc.
Janet and Rudy C. Ramirez
Phyllis and Steven Reinstein
Joan Ring
Karen Ring
Carma Rose
“My late husband, S. William Levy, MD, was a consultant
to the Buck Institute since its inception. He immediately
Virginia and William Schultz Trison Construction, Inc. Under $250
Mary Barbara Shultz Turck, Inc. AA Electric SE Inc.
Jackson Scott UnionBank Judy and Paul Archambeau
Michele E. Scott Charlotte S. and Donald F. Urban Linda D. and Ted N. Baker
Nancy and Robert Sellers Ron Viner Lois Ball
Christopher S. Semler Aaron Vollrath Susan T. Ballinger
Susan Severin Lorraine and Vartan Voskanian Kenneth Bauman
Shamrock Materials, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. J.D. Warren Neil Bauman
Brenda Shank Evelyn Warren Shirlyn and David Bauman
Ingrid Sheets Martha A. and Douglas A. Watt Patricia and Donn Bearden
Colleen and John Silcox Ann and Mark Weinstock Marie Cressey Belden
Sybil Skinner Susan Wheeler Randi and Robert Belshe
Don and Jean Smith Ellen White and Ronald F. Gaines Marjorie L. Bertolino
Jenifer and John Smyth Kay C. and Rick White Josephine and George Blagden
Helmut Sommer Svetlana and Tommie Whitener Janet A. Blasi Hayssen
Cherie and Gideon Sorokin Peggy and Charles Wilson Mark Brandt
Donna and David Spilman Shannon Wilson and Janine Guillot Helen V. and Frederic L. Brenlin
Rodney Stock Pat and John Withers Barbara C. Carter
Ed Stolman Judy V. and Donald E. Wolf Chi-Hui Chai
Vi and Dick Strain Gerold C. Wunderlich Richard Chan
Elaine and Ken Chew
Patricia and Melford Chudacoff
Janet and Stanley Clark

recognized the importance of such a research facility. Nancy Coit

Now we, the family, carry on his legacy and give continued Carolyn Collins
support to this important endeavor.” Anne Corwin
—Elisabeth Levy Cosmos
Cotati Terminal

Linda Rosen Dawna and J. Dietrich Stroeh Gloria and Peter Yu Janice and Richard Cotton

Rutherford & Chekene Pauline L. and John G. Stuber Merla Zellerbach and Lee Munson Robert B. Crankshaw

Renee Rymer and Tony Clementino Sunrun Careen Zelli and Joseph Antoun Cross Stitch Cupboard

Samer Salty Irving and Marilyn Tallman Virginia Cunningham

Nancy Marsh Sangster-De Haan Tony Tamer Janet Daveiro

and Robert De Haan Nancy L. and Raul G. Diez
Beverly Tanner
Reva Saper Amy Flannigan Dittmer
Nancy Thomson
Betsy and John Scarborough Diane Dorfman
Roxanne Thornton
Hermann E. Schnabel Jean and Kevin Dowling
Three Swallows Foundation
Gail Schroeder Carrie A. Driscoll
Sally Tilbury
Birgitt Schuele Charles A. Dunkel
Berit Tisell
Andrea Schultz Ann Eckelhoff
Ruthellen Toole

50  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report (§ Board of Trustees Member; *Buck Advisory Council Member)
Honor Roll of Donors
Eckhoff Accountancy Corporation
Charmaine Eng-Ngin
Letty and Orville Erringer
A.S. Erwin
Kathleen and Dick Eschleman
Kristi Evans
Kit Everts
“I have had the privilege of supporting the Buck Institute
from its modest beginnings. With outstanding leadership
and planned expansion, it has become not only a nationally
recognized research organization, but a unique resource and
treasure to those of us who live in Marin County.”
George L. Fernbacher
Don Ferrell
Elizabeth and Robert Finer
Poppy H. Finston
Graham Forder
Helen and Jacob J. Foster
Sally J. and Thomas A. Freed
Madelon and Roger R. Fross
Clara Pearl Fusco
Solange and Andre Gabany
Gail S. and Marc Goldyne
Patricia and Joseph A. Gryson
Ilse Gudehus
Evelyn and Leo Gurevitch
Douglas Hamilton
BJ and Steve Hansen
Glenne Harding
Anita M. and William Dennis
Hassler
Elizabeth and Jack R. Heinz
Helen A. Heitkamp
Helen Hennessy
Gloria and Donald Herzog
Ann L. Heurlin
Barbara Hoffman
(§ Board of Trustees Member; *Buck Advisory Council Member)
Mary M. and John R. Hofmann Jr.
Helyse Hollander
Lillian B. Jarvis
Betty and Gene Jemail
Ruth Kagan
Joyce Kami
KB Electronics
Rae and Robert B. Keating
Diana and Milt Kelly
Claire and John P. Killeen
Marion and William Kleinecke
Leslie Ann and William Thomas
Knapp
Betty Ann Kniesche
Barbara Kraus
K. and G. Krone
Maria Kuester
Alexander Kwan
Anna and Martin Lackner
Helen L. LaHaye
Mary J. Lang
Pamela and John Larson
Brian Lepsis
Ellen and Victor Levin
Beverly Z. and Myron J. Levy
Jane Luckoff
Julia R. Marquette
Ed McCooey
Johanna McMichael
Joanne and Bob Millum
Dona Moberly and John P. Taylor
Katherine B. Mohr
Phyllis and John Mueller Molly A. Susag and Edward A.
Walker
Scott Nelson
Watcharin Tararattanakorn
Karla Noyola
Eva Teller
Ann W. Ocheltree
Sandra M. Teller
Opperman & Son
Michael A. Thompson
Betty H. Palkowski
Sally Tilbury
Claire A. Pass
Donald N. Tornberg
Judy Tsou and David Carlson
Ewa Uding
Beverlie M. Vandre
Marjorie Walter
Joyce B. Wells
Phyllis and L. Warren Welsh
—Marjorie E. Belknap, MD
Gloria D. Wilson and Edward
Dermott
Susan and Ian R. Wilson
Angelo Pastorino
Patricia Wong and Ronald E. Lok
Peter Pelham
Vera M. Young
Neil B. Peterson
Nancy and Robert Praetzel
Boyd Quinn
Vida Ray and Ted Freeman
Red Lion Controls
Carol Ross
Yvonne Roth
Moe Rubinstein
Lois Model Rukeyser
Dixie J. Ruud
Deborah and Paul Sagues
Joan M. Shannon
Mary Richards Yort Shattuck
Fumio Shibata
Lydia B. and Charles A. Sloan
Smith Ranch Homes
Phyllis and Peter Sommer
Geoffrey Spellberg
Kathy and Bob Steinbaugh
Sucherman Consulting Group, Inc.
Douglas W. Sullivan
Shirley A. Sullivan
  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report  51
Buck Staff As of June 30, 2012

B r ian K e nn e dy , P h D M ary M c E ach ron , JD R aja K amal , P h D

President & Chief Executive Officer Chief Administrative Officer Senior Vice President for
& General Counsel Institute Relations

N ancy D e r r K r i ste n G ate s , E d D R e my G ross III D e n i s e K alos

Vice President, Finance & Director, Postgraduate Education Vice President, Business Development Vice President, Wellness Programs
Chief Financial Officer & Technology Advancement

K evi n K e nn e dy R alph O’R ear B lai r W i nn

Director, Vice President, Director,
Information Technology Facilities & Planning Resource Development

Rowena Abulencia Benjamin Blackwell Darcy Davis Robert Guempel Desmond Kelly Jonathan Manning
Emmeline Academia Akilah Bonner Sonnet Davis Lisa Gurney Amit Khanna Xiao Mao
Pooja Agrawal Martin Brand Francesco De Giacomo Bachir Hadid Bo Khanrasa Karla Mark
Kazutaka Akagi Dale Bredesen Marco Demaria Jeong-Hoon Hahm Demetris Killian Alex Matalis
Silvestre Alavez Regina Brunauer Olivier Descamps Chong He Yong-Hwan Kim Richard Maxwell
Alexander Alleavitch Libbie Butler Seana Doughty Karen Hein Janet King Thomas McBride
Mahru An Francis Byrnes Guiping Du Jason Held Ida Klang Mark McCormick
Julie Andersen Gabriellee Cailing Carlotta Duncan Dillon Hench Marysia Kolipinski Cary McDonald
Suzanne Angeli Timothy Camarella Lisa Ellerby Justin Hill Jennika Krisa Linda McDougal
Arieanna Anies Judith Campisi Shiena Enerio Victoria Hogue Jeff Kroyer Matthew McGee
Joseph Antoun Bernadette Castro Richard Fay Jennifer Holcomb Jitendra Kumar Marie McKinney
Robert Archuleta Lise Castro James Flynn Lynnette Hollins Remi-Martin Laberge Simon Melov
Nathaniel Areceneaux Greg Ceniceroz Juliette Gafni Katherine Hughes Deepak Lamba Eduardo Meza
Deepthi Ashok Di Chen Abirami Ganesan Robert Hughes Joann Lassak Jackson Miller
Audrisz Asuncion Shankar Chinta Thelma Garcia Henri Jasper Matthew Laye Kylie Mitchell
Tracy Barhydt Brent Clegg Brittany Garrett Shelly Jennings Judith Lewis Olga Momcilovic
Ricardo Barrera Cindee Crawley Theo Garrett Lori Jensen Jay Lewis-Kraitsik Judith Montoya
Lakisha Barrett Julie Creighton Akos Gerencser Varghese John Biao Li Justine Montoya-Sack
Leslie Belingheri Danielle Crippen-Harmon Bradford Gibson Darci Kane Wai Li Shona Mookerjee
Christopher Benz Evelyn Crivello Olivia Gorostiza Pankaj Kapahi Chen-Yu Liao Sean Mooney
Dipa Bhaumik Steven Danielson Jill Graham Subhash Katewa Christopher Lieu Anne Neill
Adrian Bivol Albert Davalos David Greenberg Shana Katzman Chandani Limbad Ryan Ng
Gordon Lithgow David Nicholls
Staff Origins map Qiuyue Liu Robert O’Brien
Su Liu Shannon O’Hare
Daniel Lockshon Monique O’Leary
Vicky Loel Michelle Ohlson
Renee Lontz Adam Orr
Tamara Loomis Lisa Palma
Allison Lorenzi Dorina Papanikolaou
Mark Lucanic Kyungchae Park
Victoria Lunyak Alexander Patent
Gregory MacIntosh Oliver Pedersen
Alex Madias Ophelia Pedersen
Julie Mangada Jun Peng

52  Buck Institute 2012 Annual Report

 Buck Staff

Juniper Pennypacker Rammohan Rao Melissa Sarantos Molly Susag Andrew Vinson Ningzhe Zhang
Irina Perevoshchikova Matthew Rardin Birgit Schilling Anna Swistowska Catherine Vitelli Qiang Zhang
Theodore Peters Maryanne Ravano Gary Scott Brandon Tavshanjian Alicia Wallace Yiqiang Zhao
Clare Peters-Libeu Kris Rebillot Chester Seligman Veena Theendakara Darrain Waters Ying Zou
Christopher Place John Reeder Atossa Shaltouki Jonathan Thompson Adrianne Williamson Artem Zykovich
Robert Place Lorri Reinders Tong Shi Janita Thusberg Joy Wilson
Todd Plummer Brandon Reitzel Masha Shifs Marc Ting Kathleen Wilson-Edell
Chris Pobre Joseph Reynolds Almas Siddiqui James Tollervey Justin Winstead
Jordan Poinsett Armelle Richard Mara Sinats Cendrine Tourette Tobias Wittkop
Karen Poksay Ilan Riess Joanna Sitzmann Shih Yin Tsai Sun Won Kim
Deborah Post Christine Robbins Renuka Sivapatham Mitsuhiro Tsuchiya Lin Xie
Milena Price Jennifer Rodrigues Dylan Sorensen Scott Tsuchiyama Bridget Yates
Casey Quinlan Aric Rogers Patricia Spilman Stelios Tzannis Hoi Sze Yau
Subramanian Rajagopalan Tal Ronnen Oron Steve Spusta Joanne Van Kampen- Mariya Yevtushenko
Arvind Ramanathan Daniel Rothschild Tara Srinivasan Johnsen Khan Zafar
Anand Rane Alex Sabogal Tom Starr Miguel Vargas Chris Zambataro
Padma Rao Richard Safreno Joel Sunga Michael Velarde Xianmin Zeng
Design: Tobi Designs; Writing: Virginia Kean; Photography: Richard Morgenstein, Robert Vente, Dan Dry, Kristen Gates, and Martin Klimek;
p. 1 neuron image by Ludovic Collin/Wellcome Images
Buck Institute
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Novato, CA 94945
Tel: 415-209-2000
Fax: 415-899-1810
E-mail: info@buckinstitute.org
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