Led by an internationally renowned cell researcher, the Burnham Institute for Medical Research has established an affiliation with UC Santa Barbara. Erkki Ruoslahti, M.D. and Ph.D., will maintain his primary appointment as distinguished professor with La Jolla-based Burnham, the campus and the institute announced last month, as he joins UCSB’s Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology as an adjunct distinguished professor.

At Burnham-UCSB, Ruoslahti has opened the Vascular Mapping Center, which will focus on developing applications for vascular “zip codes,” based on technology discovered in his laboratory. Vascular zip codes are molecular signatures in blood and lymphatic vessels that are specific to individual tissues and disease sites.

Dr. Ruoslahti has discovered ways to target drugs selectively to tumor blood vessels in mice and suppress the growth of those tumors. He has also found a way to target selectively the lymphatic vessels in tumors. The hope is that this specific delivery of therapeutics to such vessels will increase the efficacy of cancer therapies and decrease side effects.

Peptides discovered in Ruoslahti’s laboratory are providing the platform for integrating nanotechnologies into the design of new therapies for cancer and heart disease. “Nanotechnology is an expanding emphasis in my research,” he said. “The opportunity to work more closely with our collaborators at UCSB was a key consideration in choosing this location for our Vascular Mapping Center.”

A partnership of 25 scientists, primarily from Burnham and UCSB, has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology with a $13-million grant to design nanotechnologies that detect, monitor, treat, and eliminate “vulnerable” plaque, the probable cause of death in sudden cardiac arrest.

“It is a tremendous advantage to UCSB to have a scientist of Ruoslahti’s caliber here,” said Martin Moskovits, dean of mathematical, life and physical sciences. “We feel the Burnham Institute will extend our medical research capability and greatly enhance our students’ experience here.”

Added Dennis O. Clegg, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology: “It’s really exciting to welcome Dr. Ruoslahti as a member of the MCDB faculty. He brings a rich tradition of cell biology research along with vigorous, new interdisciplinary investigations of cancer biology that include many collaborations with UCSB scientists.”

Dr. Ruoslahti joined Burnham in 1979 and served as its president and CEO from 1989 through December 2001, at which time he was appointed distinguished professor.