The Burnham Institute

The Burnham Institute is an independent, nonprofit, public benefit organization dedicated to basic biomedical research. Founded in 1976, the Institute was originally known as the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation, and is located near the UCSD campus. Since 1981 the National Cancer Institute has designated the Burnham Institute a Cancer Center for basic research, of which today there are only ten. Forty-three faculty lead the research effort, which includes training of Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows. There are approximately 420 individuals employed on the 220,000 square foot Burnham campus, including 250 individuals with doctoral degrees.

The research program at the Institute focuses on cancer. Aging studies, including research on neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Lou Gehrig's diseases, and muscular dystrophies have developed into another major research effort as the Del E. Webb Center for Neuroscience and Aging Research at the Institute.

The Institute operates on an annual budget of about $37 million. These funds are derived primarily from federal grants. Other important sources of funding include private foundations and philanthropy. Various branches of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide about 85 percent of The Burnham Institute's budget. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the largest source within the NIH. The remaining funds come from philanthropy and corporate funding.

The Burnham Institute website