Benaroya Research Institute

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

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

Much of BRI's research aims to uncover how immune cells function and why they malfunction to cause disease.[3][4] BRI researchers have illuminated how immune cells contribute to rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other diseases.[3][4]

BRI uses translational research and clinical trials to carry its discoveries from the lab to the clinic, improving how physicians diagnose and treat disease.[4][5]

History

BRI was founded in 1956 as the Virginia Mason Research Center."[6][7][8] In 1985, Gerald Nepom, MD, PhD, became BRI's director and established its immunology research program.[4][9][7]

In 1999, BRI moved into a new, 100,000 square-foot building at the corner of Seneca and 9th Avenue, in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood.[10] The building was named the Benaroya Research Institute in honor of donations from the Benaroya family.[11]

In the late 1990s, BRI's William Kwok, PhD and Gerald Nepom, MD, PhD, developed MHC class II tetramer technology that helps researchers find and study antigen-specific T cells.[12] These tetramers are customized (using different HLA/peptide combinations) for use by researchers to study how the immune system responds to many different diseases and pathogens, including influenza, human papillomavirus, allergies, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.[12]

In 2016, Jane Buckner, MD, took over from Gerald Nepom, MD, PhD and became BRI's president.[9][13]" Nepom remained at BRI as a researcher and faculty member.[9][13]

Research

BRI actively studies immune cells and immunotherapies that reprogram those cells; these therapies could prevent or stop type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.[4][14]

BRI's research is fueled by its biorepositories of blood and specimens from individuals with autoimmune diseases and other disorders, and from healthy individuals.[15] BRI is home to eight biorepositories that contain samples dating back to the year 2000.[16]

In 2014, BRI was awarded a seven year, $27 million per-year grant to become headquarters of the Immune Tolerance Network (ITN), a clinical research consortium with more than 200 research sites around the world.[17] The ITN investigates how to retrain the immune system to tolerate organ transplants and reduce the effects of allergies, autoimmune diseases and other health issues.[17][18] The ITN is directed by BRI's Gerald Nepom, MD, PhD.[17]

BRI's Carla Greenbaum, MD is chair of Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet.[19] TrialNet is an international research network that is pursuing new ways to identify, slow the progression of and ultimately prevent type 1 diabetes.[20]

In 2016, BRI received a five-year, $8 million NIH grant to lead a collaboration that studies how the immune system responds to allergens in the lungs, and how those allergens trigger asthma attacks.[21] The collaboration includes researchers from BRI, UW Medicine and Seattle Children's Research Institute.[21] Their work could lead to new therapies for allergies and asthma.[22]

BRI is also pursuing immunotherapies that cure type 1 diabetes. In 2016, Dr. Buckner and her colleagues received $1 million from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to investigate ways to transform "attacker" cells into cells that stop disease.[23] This grant enabled the researchers to isolate the cells that mount autoimmune attacks, and then "reprogram" them by editing their genes.[24][25]

In 2017, the Helmsley Trust awarded the researchers an additional $2 million to refine their methods and continue testing the edited cells in the lab.[25]

In 2017, BRI's Erik Wambre, PhD, and his colleagues identified a type of cell, called Th2A, that appears to drive all allergies.[26] This discovery could change the trajectory of allergy research and treatment by opening the door to therapies that target this common enemy.[26][27] Th2A cells could also be used as a biomarkers, or indicators to show whether a person has an allergy or is responding to therapy.[27][26]

Funding and growth

BRI has received United States federal grants for research for a wide variety of research projects, including research on autoimmune diseases,[28] allergies[29] and asthma.[22]

In 2010, BRI became the main beneficiary of the annual Boeing Classic golf tournament.[30] The Boeing Classic has raised more than $6 million from 2005 to 2017 for BRI and other charities.[31]

In 2015, BRI ranked third in National Institutes of Health funding among Washington State research institutions.[32]

In 2016, BRI's annual budget was approximately $75 million.[33] Approximately 71 percent of BRI's 2016 research was supported by government research grants and contracts.[33] The remaining revenues came from philanthropic donations, pharmaceutical studies, foundation grants and other sources.

References

  1. ↑ Seattle Times Staff (1 February 2016). "Casa Latina selects Marcos Martinez as executive director". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 Smith, Rob (2016-01-06). "Marriage of Virginia Mason, Yakima Memorial is official". Puget Sound Business Journal. Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
  3. 1 2 Apfel, Amelia (December 2014). "Cancer Cure Inc". Seattle Business Magazine. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Apfel, Amelia (August 2015). "Why BRI is a Global Leader in Immune System Research". Seattle Magazine. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  5. ↑ Allison, Karmel (2 September 2010). "On the Trail of Autoimmunity: Dr. Jane Buckner". A Sweet Life: The Diabetes Magazine. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "Longtime Benaroya Research Institute Boss to Step Down". Puget Sound Business Journal. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  7. 1 2 Reedy, Justin (22 May 2008). "UW Medicine Honors Outstanding Alumni". UW Today. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Washington Life Science History". washingtonlifescience.com. Info Resource Inc. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Smith, Rob (22 June 2015). "Longtime Benaroya Research Institute boss to step down". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  10. ↑ Flynn, Mike (19 Sep 1999). "Triumph for Virginia Mason". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  11. ↑ Pemberton-Butler, Lisa (13 September 1997). "Virginia Mason Names Building For Diabetes-Study Benefactors". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  12. 1 2 Nepom, Gerald (15 March 2012). "MHC Class II Tetramers". Journal of Immunology. 188: 2477–2482. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1102398. PMC 3297979. PMID 22389204. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  13. 1 2 Fox, Maggie (4 March 2016). "Feeding kids peanuts prevents allergies long-term, study shows". Today.com. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  14. ↑ Apfel, Amelia (December 2014). "Cancer Cure Inc" (December 2014). Seattle Business Magazine. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  15. ↑ Garnick, Carol (3 June 2016). "People in research: Dr. James Lord takes 17,000 steps toward a cure". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  16. ↑ "BioMed USA Directory of North American Biorepositories". biomedusa.org. BioMed USA. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 Bauman, Valerie (23 Jan 2014). "Benaroya Research Institute wins grant to lead international immune research effort". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  18. ↑ Thompson, Dennis (4 March 2016). "Supervised Exposure Therapy for Peanut Allergy Lasts, Study Finds". Health Day. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  19. ↑ Azevedo, Margarida (4 April 2016). "TrialNet Researchers Develop Type1 Diabetes Classification". Diabetes News Journal. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  20. ↑ "Earlier intervention for type 1 diabetes sought with new staging classification". Medical Xpress. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  21. 1 2 McGrane, Clare (23 August 2016). "New solutions for allergies and asthma? Seattle collaboration lands $8M grant to research treatments". GeekWire. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  22. 1 2 "EXCLUSIVE: Benaroya Research Institute receives $8M to research new asthma treatments". Puget Sound Business Journal. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  23. ↑ "Researchers Work Toward New Type 1 Diabetes Therapies For Patients Like Juliana | On the Pulse". On the Pulse. 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  24. ↑ Garnick, Coral (20 December 2017). "Seattle Children's receives $2 million in search for Type 1 diabetes immunotherapy cure". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 2018-02-24.
  25. 1 2 Kurs, Lindsay (13 December 2017). "Immunotherapy, Gene Editing Advances Extend to Type 1 Diabetes". On the Pulse. Seattle Children's. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  26. 1 2 3 "Got allergies? Scientists may have finally pinpointed the cells that trigger reactions". Science | AAAS. 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  27. 1 2 Doughton, Sandi (2017-08-02). "Got allergies? Seattle discovery could improve treatment — and possibly lead to cure". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  28. ↑ "Benaroya Research Institute gets $2.2M grant". bizjournals.com. Puget Sound Business Journal. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  29. ↑ "Benaroya Research Institute gets $5.3M grant to study allergies". bizjournals.com. Puget Sound Business Journal. 20 February 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  30. ↑ "Boeing Classic golf event changes charity beneficiary" (PDF). Puget Sound Business Journal. January 2010.
  31. ↑ Eng, Heidi; Luschei, Abby (September 2017). "A Look Back at the 2017 Boeing Classic". King5.com. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  32. ↑ Garnick, Carol (8 June 2016). "Exclusive: NIH fixes database error, and Washington state's research grant tally shrinks". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
  33. 1 2 "BRI 2016 Annual Report". www.benaroyaresearch.org. Retrieved 2018-03-20.

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