Benaroya Research Institute Explained

Benaroya Research Institute
Established:1956
Type:Basic (non-clinical), clinical and translational research
Research Field:Immune system and autoimmune disease
President:Jane H. Buckner, MD[1]
City:Seattle, Washington
Address:1201 Ninth Avenue
Affiliations:Virginia Mason Health System

Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) is a Seattle, Washington, non-profit organization that conducts medical research on 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 understand how immune cells function and why they malfunction to cause disease.[3] [4] BRI researchers has studied on how immune cells contribute to rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and other diseases.[3] [4] BRI uses translational research and clinical trials.[5]

History

BRI was founded in 1956 as the Virginia Mason Research Center.[6] [7] [8] In 1985, Gerald Nepom became BRI's director and established its immunology research program.[4] [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.[9] The building was named the Benaroya Research Institute in honor of donations from the Benaroya family.[10]

In the late 1990s, William Kwok and Nepom developed MHC class II tetramer technology that helps researchers find and study antigen-specific T cells.[11] These tetramers are customized (using different HLA combinations) for use to study how the immune system responds to diseases and pathogens, including influenza, human papillomavirus, allergies, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.[11]

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.[12] The ITN is directed by Nepom. BRI's Carla Greenbaum is chair of Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet.[13] [14]

In 2016, Jane Buckner took over from Nepom and became BRI's president.[15] [16] Nepom remained at BRI as a researcher and faculty member.

In March 2019, Margaret McCormick, PhD, became BRI’s Executive Director after their previous director, Homer Lane, retired.[17]

In early August 2020, BRI and Seattle Children’s announced a licensing deal with biotech startup GentiBio. The partnership aims to use engineered regulatory T cells to treat autoimmune and allergic diseases.[18]

Research

BRI studies immune cells and immunotherapies that reprogram those cells; these therapies could inform treatments and cures for type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.[4] [19] BRI's uses its biorepositories of blood and specimens from individuals with autoimmune diseases and other disorders, and from healthy individuals to conduct research.[20] BRI has eight biorepositories that contain samples dating back to the year 2000.[21]

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 trigger asthma attacks.[22] The collaboration includes researchers from BRI, UW Medicine and the Seattle Children's Research Institute. Later, Buckner and her colleagues received $1 million from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to investigate ways to change "attacker" cells into cells that stop disease.[23] In 2017, the Helmsley Trust awarded the researchers an additional $2 million to continue testing the edited cells in the lab.[24]

In 2017, BRI's Erik Wambre and his colleagues identified a type of cell, called Th2A, that appears to drive all allergies.[25] Th2A cells could also be used as biomarkers, or indicators to show whether a person has an allergy or is responding to therapy.[26] In 2018, BRI's Emma L. Kuan and Steven F. Ziegler discovered that a protein called thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) helps breast cancer tumors survive and spread. They also showed that blocking this protein in laboratory models significantly inhibited the growth of breast cancer tumors.[27] [28]

In 2018, BRI researchers found that many infants sleep for longer when they start eating solid foods. In the study, half the babies subsisted entirely on breast milk until six months of age, while the other half started eating solid foods at three months of age. Compared to babies who were solely breast-fed, infants who ate solid food slept for two more hours per week and woke up two fewer times per night. The findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics, and the study was led by Gideon Lack.[29] [30]

In 2018, BRI's Bernard Khor was awarded an NIH grant to investigate why nearly 50 percent of people with Down syndrome have autoimmune diseases.[31] In June 2019, BRI and Type 1 Diabetes TrialNet showed that an immunotherapy drug called teplizumab delayed T1D for a median of two years for those at high risk for the disease.[32] This is the first time scientists have been able to use a therapy to delay type 1 diabetes.[33] In May 2019, they received a grant from the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, JDRF, and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to study why some checkpoint inhibitor patients develop an autoimmune response that resembles type 1 diabetes.[34] In September 2019, BRI received a $4.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute.[35]

In December 2019, BRI launched the Sound Life Project.[36] In March 2020, BRI launched a Gut Immunity program that is composed of three scientists: Adam Lacy-Hulbert, James Lord, and Oliver Harrison, who study different aspects of diseases that impact the gut.[37]  

In July 2020, BRI announced that the National Institutes of Health had awarded them over $5.8 million to study COVID-19.[38] In late August 2020, BRI researchers discovered a new pathway that can help protect cells from viruses including COVID-19 and Ebola.[39] They found that one gene, CIITA, can help human cells resist the virus by activating another gene, CD74 p41 splice variants. When activated, the second gene stops the virus from infecting your cells. They used transposon-mediated gene activation to pinpoint which genes prevent infection.[40] In fall 2020, BRI became a testing site for the Pfizer vaccine Phase III trial.[41] About 100 people are participating in this two-year trial. BRI’s team collected data about whether the vaccine prevented COVID-19 infections[42] and side effects participants experienced and is continuing to monitor participants.[43]

Funding and growth

BRI has received United States federal grants for research for a wide variety of research projects, including research on autoimmune diseases,[44] allergies[45] and asthma.[46]

In 2010, BRI became the main beneficiary of the annual Boeing Classic golf tournament.[47] The Boeing Classic has raised more than $6 million from 2005 to 2017 for BRI and other charities.[48]

In 2015, BRI ranked third in National Institutes of Health funding among Washington State research institutions.[49]

In 2016, BRI's annual budget was approximately $70 million.[50] Approximately 71 percent of BRI's 2016 research was supported by government research grants and contracts. The remaining revenues came from philanthropic donations, pharmaceutical studies, foundation grants and other sources.

In December 2020, Jessica Hamerman was awarded a $200,000 research grant from the Lupus Research Alliance.[51]

Notes and References

  1. News: Seattle Times Staff. Casa Latina selects Marcos Martinez as executive director. 11 May 2016. The Seattle Times. 1 February 2016.
  2. News: Smith. Rob. Marriage of Virginia Mason, Yakima Memorial is official. 2016-05-12. Puget Sound Business Journal. Puget Sound Business Journal. 2016-01-06. ID.
  3. News: Apfel. Amelia. Cancer Cure Inc.. 29 July 2016. Seattle Business Magazine. December 2014.
  4. News: Apfel. Amelia. Why BRI is a Global Leader in Immune System Research. 29 July 2016. Seattle Magazine. August 2015.
  5. News: Allison. Karmel. On the Trail of Autoimmunity: Dr. Jane Buckner. 1 August 2016. A Sweet Life: The Diabetes Magazine. 2 September 2010.
  6. News: Longtime Benaroya Research Institute Boss to Step Down. 4 August 2016. Puget Sound Business Journal. 22 July 2015.
  7. News: Reedy. Justin. UW Medicine Honors Outstanding Alumni. 4 August 2016. UW Today. 22 May 2008.
  8. Web site: Washington Life Science History. washingtonlifescience.com. Info Resource Inc.. 4 August 2016.
  9. News: Flynn. Mike. Triumph for Virginia Mason. 23 September 2016. Puget Sound Business Journal. 19 Sep 1999.
  10. News: Pemberton-Butler. Lisa. Virginia Mason Names Building For Diabetes-Study Benefactors. 26 September 2016. The Seattle Times. 13 September 1997.
  11. Nepom. Gerald. MHC Class II Tetramers. Journal of Immunology. 15 March 2012. 188. 6. 2477–2482. 10.4049/jimmunol.1102398. 22389204. 27 September 2016. 3297979.
  12. News: Bauman . Valerie . 23 Jan 2014 . Benaroya Research Institute wins grant to lead international immune research effort . 23 September 2016 . Puget Sound Business Journal.
  13. News: Azevedo . Margarida . 4 April 2016 . TrialNet Researchers Develop Type1 Diabetes Classification . 23 September 2016 . Diabetes News Journal.
  14. News: 7 March 2016 . Earlier intervention for type 1 diabetes sought with new staging classification . 23 September 2016 . Medical Xpress.
  15. News: Smith. Rob. Longtime Benaroya Research Institute boss to step down. 16 August 2016. Puget Sound Business Journal. 22 June 2015.
  16. News: Fox. Maggie. Feeding kids peanuts prevents allergies long-term, study shows. 16 August 2016. Today.com. 4 March 2016.
  17. Web site: Margaret McCormick: Executive Director at Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason . 2020-01-03 . www.bizjournals.com.
  18. Web site: 2020-08-06 . New biotech startup GentiBio lands $20M, inks licensing deals with Seattle Children's and BRI . 2021-03-03 . GeekWire . en-US.
  19. News: Apfel. Amelia. Cancer Cure Inc.. 22 August 2016. December 2014. Seattle Business Magazine. December 2014.
  20. News: Garnick. Carol. People in research: Dr. James Lord takes 17,000 steps toward a cure. 23 September 2016. Puget Sound Business Journal. 3 June 2016.
  21. Web site: BioMed USA Directory of North American Biorepositories. biomedusa.org. BioMed USA. 23 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160924022931/http://biomedusa.org/north-american-biorepositories-5/. 24 September 2016. dead.
  22. News: McGrane. Clare. New solutions for allergies and asthma? Seattle collaboration lands $8M grant to research treatments. 29 September 2016. GeekWire. 23 August 2016.
  23. News: Researchers Work Toward New Type 1 Diabetes Therapies For Patients Like Juliana On the Pulse. 2016-03-22. On the Pulse. 2018-03-20. en-US.
  24. Web site: Kurs . Lindsay . 13 December 2017 . Immunotherapy, Gene Editing Advances Extend to Type 1 Diabetes . 2018-03-24 . On the Pulse . Seattle Children's.
  25. News: Got allergies? Scientists may have finally pinpointed the cells that trigger reactions. 2017-08-02. Science AAAS. 2018-03-20. en.
  26. News: Doughton . Sandi . 2017-08-02 . Got allergies? Seattle discovery could improve treatment — and possibly lead to cure . 2018-03-20 . The Seattle Times . en-US.
  27. News: A Breast Cancer Breakthrough In Seattle. March 21, 2018. Kiro7.com. March 6, 2018.
  28. Web site: New Strategy to Stop Breast Cancer. January 19, 2018. Virginia Mason. January 3, 2020.
  29. News: Feeding your baby solids early may help them sleep, study suggests. Davis. Nicola. July 9, 2018. The Guardian. March 6, 2019.
  30. August 6, 2018. Association of Early Introduction of Solids With Infant Sleep. JAMA Pediatrics. 172. Jama Network.
  31. Web site: Researching a Link Between Down Syndrome and Autoimmunity. October 25, 2018. King5. January 3, 2020.
  32. Web site: Groundbreaking Immunotherapy Delays Diabetes. Falcon. Melanie. November 2019. January 3, 2020.
  33. Web site: Groundbreaking Immunotherapy Can Delay Onset of Diabetes for 2 Years. NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. 7 October 2019 . en-US. 2020-01-03.
  34. Web site: Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, JDRF and the Helmsley Charitable Trust Form Cancer and Diabetes Research Initiative. 2019-05-29. Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. en-US. 2020-01-03.
  35. Web site: Benaroya Research Institute Receives $4.5 Million Grant to Predict Which Cancer Patients will Benefit from Immunotherapy. odoyle. 2019-10-29. Benaroya Research Institute. en. 2020-01-03.
  36. Web site: Allen Institute launches new immunology division with $125M from its late founder. 2018-12-12. GeekWire. en-US. 2020-01-03.
  37. Web site: Virginia Mason Health System. 2020-02-04. A Message from the President and Executive Director. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191211163122/https://annual-report.virginiamason.org/bri-leadership-message . 2019-12-11 .
  38. Web site: 2020-07-14. Benaroya Research Institute awarded $5.8M from NIH for immunology-related COVID research. 2021-03-03. GeekWire. en-US.
  39. Bruchez. Anna. Sha. Ky. Johnson. Joshua. Chen. Li. Stefani. Caroline. McConnell. Hannah. Gaucherand. Lea. Prins. Rachel. Matreyek. Kenneth A.. Hume. Adam J.. Mühlberger. Elke. 2020-10-09. MHC class II transactivator CIITA induces cell resistance to Ebola virus and SARS-like coronaviruses. Science. en. 370. 6513. 241–247. 10.1126/science.abb3753. 0036-8075. 32855215. 7665841. 2020Sci...370..241B. free.
  40. Web site: 2020-08-27. Researchers discover new avenue for fighting COVID-19, Ebola and other viral diseases. 2021-03-03. GeekWire. en-US.
  41. Web site: Operation Warp Speed. 2021-02-07. Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Trial Participant Locations. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200921200034/https://wenstrup.house.gov/uploadedfiles/20.9.8_ows_vaccine_trial_locations_moderna_and_pfizer.pdf?utm_source=2019+House+GOP+Staff+List&utm_campaign=51242bd3b2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_01_31_08_56_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a8407dc016-51242bd3b2-147391317 . 2020-09-21 .
  42. Web site: Pfizer. 2021-02-07. PFIZER AND BIONTECH CONCLUDE PHASE 3 STUDY OF COVID-19 VACCINE CANDIDATE, MEETING ALL PRIMARY EFFICACY ENDPOINTS. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20201118120352/https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-conclude-phase-3-study-covid-19-vaccine . 2020-11-18 .
  43. Web site: Sun. Deedee. WA Pfizer vaccine trial participants share experiences for the first time. 2021-03-03. KIRO. 17 December 2020.
  44. Web site: Benaroya Research Institute gets $2.2M grant . . bizjournals.com . 31 August 2010 . 15 September 2011.
  45. Web site: Benaroya Research Institute gets $5.3M grant to study allergies . . bizjournals.com . 20 February 2008 . 15 September 2011.
  46. News: 23 August 2016 . EXCLUSIVE: Benaroya Research Institute receives $8M to research new asthma treatments . 29 September 2016 . Puget Sound Business Journal.
  47. Web site: Boeing Classic golf event changes charity beneficiary. January 2010. Puget Sound Business Journal.
  48. News: A Look Back at the 2017 Boeing Classic. Heidi. Eng. Abby. Luschei. September 2017. King5.com. March 19, 2018.
  49. News: Garnick. Carol. Exclusive: NIH fixes database error, and Washington state's research grant tally shrinks. 22 September 2016. Puget Sound Business Journal. 8 June 2016.
  50. Web site: The 2017 Leaders in Health Care Awards: Achievement in Medical Research. 2017-02-02. Seattle Business Magazine. en. 2020-01-03.
  51. Web site: LRA's 2020 LMTA Grantees Focus on Finding Targets for New Lupus Drug Development . 2021-03-03 . www.ktvn.com.

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