UCSF News Office - Overview

UCSF OVERVIEW AND ACHIEVEMENTS

UCSF OVERVIEW

UCSF is one of the world's premier health sciences universities, a leader in biomedical research, patient care, higher education and public service.
18,000 faculty and staff
Annual budget about $1.9 billion
San Francisco's second largest employer

RANKINGS

The National Research Council ranks UCSF's doctoral programs in biochemistry and molecular biology first nationally. The genetics program ranks second, cell biology third and the neurosciences program fourth.
The UCSF School of Dentistry and the School of Pharmacy rank first in NIH research funding, the School of Nursing ranks second, and the School of Medicine ranks fourth nationally in NIH funding. Grants fuel research in such fields as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, HIV, pediatric illnesses, diabetes and other auto-immune diseases.
Two UCSF patented inventions account for two-thirds of the top five income-earning patents of the entire University of California system, and one of these - the hepatitis B vaccine - is the system's top-earning patent.
UCSF is renowned for its excellence in educating and training students in the health professions. Its Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy and the Graduate Division all rank among the nation's most prestigious advanced study programs in the health sciences.
UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Children's Hospital rank among the top 10 hospitals in the nation. According to the July 2003 U.S. News and World Report survey, UCSF Medical Center was named the seventh best hospital, making it the highest ranked medical center in Northern California. Among pediatric care centers, UCSF Children's Hospital was ranked tenth, making it the highest-ranked children's medical service in California. Many UCSF clinical specialties are ranked in the US News "honor roll."
Thirty four UCSF faculty scientists are members of the National Academy of Sciences, three have won Nobel prizes and 16 are investigators in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

FEDERAL RESEARCH SUPPORT

UCSF was the fourth largest recipient of National Institutes of Health research dollars in 2004, receiving a total of $438.8 million.

PRIVATE RESEARCH SUPPORT

During a time of generally declining philanthropy, UCSF's donors have been generous. Private gifts and grants, principally from foundations and individuals, to support UCSF research have more than doubled in the last three years, from about $50 million to more than $100 million.
Not yet included in the annual totals are the awards of $28 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support research on AIDS prevention among African women, and a $5 million matching grant from Intel chairman Andy Grove to support a new program in stem cell biology research and translation of the research into clinical practice.

UCSF MISSION BAY: THE LARGEST BIOMEDICAL UNIVERSITY EXPANSION IN THE COUNTRY

UCSF has received about $200 million from private companies, foundations and individual philanthropists for the development of the new 43-acre UCSF Mission Bay campus.
This second UCSF campus for research and teaching is expected to double the university's research space and speed the pace of biomedical discovery.
An $800 million budget funds the first phase of construction. In the first phase, three research buildings, a community center, housing and landscaping are transforming an undeveloped area south of downtown San Francisco.
The UCSF campus is expected to attract a range of public and private enterprises - not only businesses to serve the university community, but also life-science companies drawn to UCSF's research expertise.

UCSF GENENTECH HALL: SCIENTISTS MOVE IN JANUARY-MAY, 2003

The largest single gift for the Mission Bay program is $50 million from Genentech, for the naming of the first Mission Bay research building, UCSF Genentech Hall. The building was designed to encourage interaction between scientists in related disciplines.
The fifth floor brings chemists and chemical biologists together to combine new strengths in order to tackle complex problems. UCSF Genentech Hall supports the largest concentration of chemists in any medical-pharmacy school building in the country.
Research in structural and chemical biology, molecular, cell and developmental biology is already underway here.

DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY, GENETICS AND NEUROSCIENCE BUILDING: NEXT AT MISSION BAY

The next Mission Bay research building is slated for occupancy in November 2003.

INSTITUTE FOR QUANTITATIVE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH (QB3)

The fall of 2004 will see completion at UCSF Mission Bay of the new headquarters for QB3, one of the California Institutes for Science and Innovation developed at the initiative of Governor Gray Davis. A partnership between UCSF, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, QB3 brings the expertise and tools of the physical sciences and mathematics to biomedical research in order to understand biological systems at all levels of complexity - from atoms and protein molecules to cells, tissues, organs and the entire organism. This long-sought integration will allow scientists to attack problems that have been simply unapproachable before, leading to fundamental new discoveries, new drugs and new technologies for the benefit of human health.

UCSF RESEARCH AND CLINICAL MILESTONES

UCSF, a pioneer in the field of human embryonic stem cell research, is one of only two academic institutions in the nation that derived human embryonic stem cells that qualified for inclusion on the National Institutes of Health Stem Cell Registry (2001). The University is now making these cells available to scientists around the world for studies on the potential of embryonic stem cells for treating such diseases as diabetes and heart disease.
Three UCSF scientists have won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine:
- In 1997, Stanley Prusiner, MD, won the prize for his discovery of the prion, a novel infectious pathogen that causes a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow" disease. The discovery could lead to insights into more common neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's diseases.
- In 1989, J. Michael Bishop, MD and Harold Varmus, MD, won the prize for the discovery of proto-oncogenes, normal genes that they showed had the potential to convert to cancer genes. The discovery transformed the way that scientists look at cancer and is leading to new strategies for detection and treatment.
In 1997, UCSF scientists discovered that gene activity can be manipulated to alter lifespan, evidenced by research showing that changes in a singe gene in the roundworm more than doubled the creature's life span.
In 1985, UCSF scientists co-discovered telomerase, a novel enzyme now a central focus of study as a target for treating cancer and age-related and degenerative disorders.
In 1983, UCSF scientists co-discovered HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS.
In 1981, UCSF scientists conducted the first successful corrective procedure on a baby still in the mother's womb, pioneering the clinical specialty of fetal diagnosis and in utero treatment.
In 1980, UCSF scientists developed an artificial lung coating called surfactant, revolutionizing treatment for premature infants, thereby significantly reducing infant mortality rates.
In 1979, UCSF scientists cloned the gene for human growth hormone, setting the stage for genetically engineered human growth hormone.
In 1979, UCSF scientists developed a cochlear implant device that enables the deaf to hear.
In 1977, UCSF scientists isolated the gene for insulin, leading to the mass production of genetically engineered insulin to treat diabetes.
In 1977, UCSF scientists developed liposomes, microscopic sacs that can safely transport drugs within the body.
In 1976, UCSF scientists developed an improved magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device for detecting and monitoring disease.
In 1976, UCSF scientists developed prenatal tests for sickle-cell anemia and thalassemia.
In 1974, UCSF scientists co-discovered recombinant DNA techniques, the fundamental first step in the creation of the biotechnology industry.