Burnham Institute for Medical Research

The mission of Burnham Institute for Medical Research (“Institute”) is to conduct world-class collaborative research to cure human disease, improve quality of life, and thus create a legacy for its employees, partners, donors and community.

The Institute conducts basic biomedical research and our philosophy is grounded in the recognition that most breakthroughs in fighting human disease come from basic scientific investigations. Moreover, the emphasis on basic research, as opposed to clinically applied research, means that Institute discoveries often reveal fundamental concepts and principles of cell biology that have broad relevance in a number of diseases.

The Institute is a 501c(3) non-profit corporation, formerly the La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation, with an annual budget of approximately $80 million. Of the 725+ employees at the Institute, more than 500 are scientists, and over 200 of those are Postdoctoral Fellows. Currently the Burnham Institute has 71 faculty members. The outstanding quality of our faculty allows them to very successfully compete for research funding from various government agencies, particularly the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Federal grants make up about 80% of our operating budget. Other important sources of funding include private foundations, revenue from technology licensing, and philanthropy.

Our research activities take place in nine buildings geographically located in the heart of San Diego’s biomedical research community on Torrey Pines Research Mesa. Within a two-mile radius of our campus, our scientists enjoy collegial access to neighboring institutes, including The Salk Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, The University of California at San Diego, and San Diego’s thriving biotechnology community, the world’s fastest growing biotechnology community.

Primary Activity

Material Manufacturer