THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE
I 0 6 6 6 N O R T H T O R R E Y P I N E SR O A D
LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA 920]7
619455-9100
For information:
Robin B. Goldsmith
(619)ss4-8r34
# 06t093
Prominent Scientist to Join The Scripps ResearchInstitute
La Jolla, CA. June 10, 1993-- A nationallyprominentscientist,recognizedfor making
fundamentaldiscoveriesthat led to the identificationof oncogenes,or cancer-causing
genes,that control cell growth and differentiation,will join the staff of The Scripps
ResearchInstitute(TSRI) as of June 14, 1993.
A memberof the NationalAcademyof Sciences,PeterK. Vogt, Ph.D., has servedas
HastingsDistinguishedProfessorof Microbiologyand Chairman,Departmentof
Microbiology at the University of SouthernCaliforniaSchoolof Medicine, a positionhe
hasheld since 1980. He joined the staff of USC's Schoolof Medicinen 1971,.
"Dr. Vogt is truly one of the preeminentfiguresin the field of virology in the world
today," saidRichardA. Irrner, M.D., TSRI President."He hashad a highly productive
career.of importantfindings and insightsin cancerresearch,virology, cell biology and
genetics."
At TSRI, Vogt will heada new Division of Oncovirologywithin the Departmentof
Molecular and ExperimentalMedicine. Accordingto ErnestBeutler,M.D., Chairman
of the Departmentof Molecularand ExperimentalMedicine, "Dr. Vogt brings to our
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Peter Vogt Joins The Scripps ResearchInstitute
departmenta broadcomprehension
of the control of cell growth. I am certainthat his
experienceand his insightswill help us in our goal of a betterunderstanding
and
ultimately bettertreatmentof a variety of diseases,including,but not limited to cancer."
Vogt expressedhis enthusiasmfor his new appointmentin this way, "A big attractionfor
me in joining The ScrippsResearchInstitute is their extraordinarystrengthin the areaof
structuralbiology, particularlyx-ray crystallography,and DNA and protein structure. I
look forward to a productivecollaborationwith the Institute'sdistinguishedfaculty that
will enableme to branchout into new areasof investigationwhile maintaininga focus
on my work in the studyof control of cell growth and cancer."
The work for which Vogt is well known beganat UC Berkeleymore than 30 yearsago,
when as a doctoral student,he showedthat the Rous sarcomavirus -- common in
chickens-- containeda portion of DNA that he later identifiedas the src oncogene,a
substanceresponsiblefor cell transformationfrom normalto cancerous.
This later led to his discoveryof the jun oncogene,which servesas a switchthat
activatesand shutsdown a numberof humangenesand therebybeginsthe cell
transformationthat results in malignancy.
In 1988he and his colleaguesdiscoveredthat this and anotheroncogeneinteractto
control the function of other genes,therebyregulatingtheir expression.Thesefindings
are nuclearoncogenes.They code
are particularly importantbecausethe two oncogenes
are
for proteinsthat act directly on geneswithin the cell nucleus,whereall life processes
regulated.
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Peter Vogt Joins The Scripps ResearchInstitute
The control of geneexpressionand regulationis centralto oncogenesis,
the origin and
developmentof cancer. It determineswhetherthe normal order of the body's
communityof cells will prevail or whetherdisorderwill allow unbridledand potentially
harmful cell growth. It is believedthat by discoveringthe interactionof two oncogenes
so closely involved in geneticregulationthe possibilitiesfor understanding
the molecular
geneticsof cancerare great$ enhanced.
appearsto control a collectionof
The geneticswitch formedby the two oncogenes
genes,possibly 100 or more, with somefunctionhavingto do with cell growth and cell
occur in humansand animalsand can producetumors. A goal
division. Both oncogenes
of future researchis to identify within the group a specific geneor genesimportant in
oncogenesis.
Prior to his appointmentat USC Medical School,Vogt held faculty appointmentsat the
University of WashingtonSchoolof Medicinein Seattleand the University of Colorado
Schoolof Medicinein Denver. He receiveda Ph.D. from the University of Tubingen,
at the Max-Planck-Institut,
Germany,in 1959and completedpostdoctoral'training
Tubingen,Germany,and the Universityof California,Virus Laboratory.
In addition to his academicappointmentsVogt has servedas Vice Chairman, Chairman
and Councilor, Virology Division, AmericanSocietyof Microbiology; and hasbeen
appointedto numerousboardsand committees,includingGeneralMotors Cancer
ResearchFoundation;SwissInstitutefor ExperimentalCancerResearch,Scientific
Committee;GermanCancerCenter,Committeeof ScientificAdvisors,CancerSpecial
ProgramReview Commiffee,NationalCancerInstitute;Council for Researchand
Clinical Investigation,AmericanCancerSociety;Virology Task Force, U.S. Deparftnent
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Page 4 -- Peter Vogt Joins The Scripps ResearchInstitute
of Health, Educationand Welfare; and the Boardof ScientificConsultants,Sloan
Kettering Institute for CancerResearch.
He has or continuesto be on the editorialboardsof Virology, Journalof Virology,
Current Topics in Microbiology, Virus Research,Intervirologyand Comprehensive
Virology.
Vogt has beenthe recipient of numerousprestigiousawards,including the Ernst Jung
Pfize for Medicine; the WaterfordBiomedicalScienceAward; the Paul Ehrlich and
Ludwig DarmstaedterPrue; the RobertJ. and Claire PasarowAward; the Bristol Myers
Award; the Howard Taylor RickettsAward, Universityof Chicago;and the CharlesS.
Mott Prize, GeneralMotors CancerResearchFoundation.
He has publishedextensivelyand is the author of more than240 scientific articles.
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