Even modest grants can reap rich rewards when every funded project has the potential to transform global health. PBBR comprises just 0.5 percent of UCSF’s overall research budget, but its projects have had an outsized impact, generating more than $1.4 billion in follow-on funding. This work has also led to over 3,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications, almost 90 patents, $347 million in indirect cost recovery, and more than 300 National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants.
Our Impact
The Real-World Benefits of UCSF's Basic Science Research
Investments in basic science have the potential to transform the world’s understanding and treatment of human disease.
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Basic Science Breakthrough |
Transformative Impact on Human Disease |
|---|---|
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Recombinant DNA technology |
Launched the biotechnology industry, leading to the invention of new drugs for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, and more |
|
The cellular origin of the oncogene |
Transformed cancer therapy by revealing the genetic basis of cancer and innumerable targets for lifesaving drugs |
|
The prion |
Revealed a new, unsuspected mechanism for the cause and spread of brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s |
|
The role of pulmonary surfactant |
Confirmed that synthetic surfactants can rescue premature newborns from lethal respiratory distress |
The telomerase enzyme |
Identified associations between telomere length and diseases of the heart, cancer, and diabetes |