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Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024
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Nisen Named to CEO Post at Sanford-Burnham

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute announced that the board of trustees has appointed Perry Nisen as CEO and holder of the Donald Bren chief executive chair for the institute’s La Jolla-based headquarters.

Nisen will oversee the execution of the institute’s strategic vision that was announced earlier this year, including implementing a research model that encourages innovation by aligning basic biomedical research, translational research and drug discovery and development. He will also oversee business development and fundraising initiatives.

“My first priority is to meet everybody and hear what’s working and what is not working,” Nisen said. “I want to prioritize the efforts going on here and put some extra clout into the projects that could be the most rewarding.”

Familiar With Community

Although Nisen comes from big pharma as the former senior vice president of science and innovation at GlaxoSmithKline, he is not new to the research community in San Diego. His first interaction with Sanford-Burnham was nearly 20 years ago when Nisen was heading cancer research at San Diego-based Abbot Laboratories Inc. He established a partnership with John Reed, previous CEO of Sanford-Burnham, when Reed was working with a local startup biotech company. Nisen says he has been involved in the research community in San Diego ever since.

“I was really attracted to the sense of culture here and the unfettered way they pursue research,” Nisen said. “I wanted to be part of the collaborative environment.”

Sanford-Burnham announced a record $275 million anonymous 10-year donation in January. However, Nisen said funding is always a concern for research institutes.

“There is a stark over reliance on NIH (National Institutes of Health) and philanthropic funding,” Nisen said. “We need to be thinking about the future. Expanding partnerships with pharmaceutical companies as well as creating new connections can be key. A constellation of relationships and partnerships will lead to a successful impact on human health.”

Nisen joins Sanford-Burnham from the King of Prussia, Pennsylvania office of GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK), a British multinational pharmaceutical company. At GlaxoSmithKline he provided scientific and medical leadership, counsel and governance to the company’s global organization. Nisen holds a bachelors of science from Stanford University and M.D. and Ph.D. from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University. He was formerly the Lowe Foundation professor of neuro-oncology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Crossing the Boundary

“Dr. Nisen is an experienced biomedical researcher and proven leader in therapeutics development in the pharma industry, making him a great fit to lead the institute at this pivotal point in time,” said Gregory Lucier, chairman of Sanford-Burnham’s board of trustees. “Under Dr. Nisen’s leadership, Sanford-Burnham will expand its efforts to cross the traditional boundary between academic research and commercialization.”

The former CEO of Sanford-Burnham resigned in January 2013 to take a position at Roche Holding AG, a Swiss pharmaceutical giant. The CEO position has been held in the interim by Kristiina Vuori, who is president of Sanford-Burnham and a professor in its National Cancer Institute. Vuori will continue to lead the scientific, academic and general operations of the institute.

Sanford-Burnham is a nonprofit, independent institute that employs more than 1,000 scientists and staff in La Jolla and Orlando, Florida. The institute is focused on discovering fundamental molecular causes of disease and developing therapies to treat them. Nisen hopes to recruit the next generation of scientists to lead research and development.

“I expect the institute to have a real handprint in the next generation of medicine,” Nisen said. “I hope to continue the high impact research that has been the legacy of this institute for the last 38 years.”

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