An interdisciplinary center for molecular and genetic medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine was proposed in the 1980s by Paul Berg,[2]Arthur Kornberg,[3]Donald Kennedy[4] and others. Berg has said, "At the time, our goal was to focus on the molecular and genetic basis of disease as the starting point for new forms of medicine... We wanted to improve the process by which studies at the most fundamental level could be translated into medical practice."[1] This type of "bench-to-bedside" approach has since been termed translational medicine.[1][5][6][7]
The center was privately funded.[8] Paul Berg obtained the support of philanthropists Arnold O. Beckman (1900-2004) and his wife Mabel (1900-1989), which was critical to establishing the center.[8] The Beckmans agreed to donate $12 million over 5 years, approximately 1/5 of the cost of the new center, through the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. In addition, Beckman promoted the project to others who contributed an approximately equal amount.[9]: 336–339 As of 2004[update] the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine is one of five institutions which receive support from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation on an ongoing basis.[10] The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, headed by Donald S. Fredrickson was also a major supporter of the center.[11][12]
Paul Berg, who had received a Nobel Prize in 1980, was appointed as the first director of the center in 1985.[2] In addition to the existing Department of Biochemistry, two new departments were created within the center: Molecular and Developmental Biology and Molecular and Cellular Physiology.[8] The Howard Hughes Medical Institute Unit of Molecular and Genetic Medicine was also included in the Beckman Center.[11][13] Establishment of the center enabled Stanford to substantially expand its faculty, creating 20 new positions in the Beckman Center in addition to those already in the medical school.[14] To connect the various departments and researchers, Berg officially established the Program in Molecular and Genetic Medicine as a unified program "for all those interested in molecular and genetic approaches to biological question, and to provide access to funding, facilities, and teaching opportunities."[2]
Many of the faculty have received important awards for their work. Brian Kobilka was a co-recipient of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the mechanisms of G protein–coupled receptors. Thomas C. Südhof was a co-recipient of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering how vesicles release their contents when nerve cells communicate with one another in the brain.[7]
At a 25th anniversary symposium, entitled "Innovation in the Biosphere", speakers spoke of the importance of the center's collaborative multidisciplinary environment. Director Lucy Shapiro emphasized information transfer:[15]
What has changed so dramatically is our understanding of how the biological world codes, decodes, and uses information in time and space to create and maintain life on this planet. And almost everything we do comes down to mining information and dealing with not only vast amounts of data but very small molecules and small circuitry. The bedrock of what it means to be a living entity is an understanding of how a cell or tissue functions as an integrated system.
Paul Berg, Director emeritus, served as director from 1985-2000[17][18]
Faculty
The Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine has included at least two Nobel laureates and 12 members of the National Academy of Sciences among its faculty.[1] Over 200 faculty members from the university are members of the Program in Molecular and Genetic Medicine.[19]
Research Fellowships
The Beckman Fellow program at Stanford was established in 1999 to support young researchers.[20]
Research services
The Beckman center has developed several core "service centers" whose resources can be utilized by associated researchers. These include a Computer Services and Bioinformatics Facility (CSBF), a Cell Sciences Imaging Facility (CSIF), a Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting Facility (FACS), and a Protein and Nucleic Acid Facility (PAN).[21]
^"Translational medicine". Manchester 1824. University of Manchester, Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
^ abcdConger, Krista (2015). "25 years of innovation, discovery and collaboration at the Beckman Center". 2014 BCMGM Annual Report. Stanford, CA: Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine. pp. 8–16.
^ abc"History". Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine. Stanford School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
^ abArnold Thackray & Minor Myers, Jr. (2000). Arnold O. Beckman : one hundred years of excellence. foreword by James D. Watson. Philadelphia, Pa.: Chemical Heritage Foundation. ISBN978-0-941901-23-9.
^"Management". Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine. Stanford School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
^"Programs We Support". Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine. Stanford School of Medicine. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
^"Beckman Fellowships". Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine. Stanford School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
^"The Beckman Service Centers". Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine. Stanford School of Medicine. Archived from the original on 18 October 2013. Retrieved 3 August 2015.