The Broad Institute has named Edward Scolnick as a member of the Institute’s core faculty. One of nine core members, Scolnick will continue his pioneering work at the institute to understand and discover novel treatments for psychiatric diseases.
“Ed was one of the leading biomedical scientists in the 20th century, having made extraordinary contributions to molecular biology, cancer research and pharmaceutical development. Now, at the Broad, he is having a huge impact on the 21st century by bringing psychiatric disease research into the molecular age," said Broad Institute Director Eric Lander. “I'm thrilled to have Ed as a core member.”
Scolnick came to the Broad in 2004 to spearhead a major research effort in psychiatric disease. Psychiatric illnesses, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression, affect over one quarter of the adults in this country, yet the biological roots of these conditions are poorly understood. Moreover, the current arsenal of drugs to treat psychiatric diseases is woefully inadequate: treatments are ineffective, and often come with an array of unwanted side effects.
Scolnick sought to change that. He set out to revolutionize not only what is known about the causes of psychiatric disease, but also the tools and approaches used to study them. As director of the Broad’s Psychiatric Disease Program as well as its Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Scolnick has worked to unite researchers from different institutions and scientific backgrounds and pursue an array of important collaborative projects.
“The Stanley Center was launched in 2007, and that was a milestone in getting us off the ground,” said Scolnick. “We were able to really scale up our efforts in chemistry, biology and genetics, and build a successful program.”
Since that time, one of the most significant accomplishments, Scolnick said, is a deeper understanding of the genetic basis of psychiatric disease. “There have been a number of discoveries now in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder of genes that confer risk, as well as some beginning insights into biology,” he said. “Although there is still much more work to do, the field has really changed drastically in the last three or four years.”
In addition to his groundbreaking work on psychiatric disease, Scolnick has a remarkable record of achievement in biomedical research and drug discovery. He served for 17 years as President of Merck Research Laboratories, the company’s top research post. During that time, he led the discovery, development and introduction of 29 new medicines and vaccines. Prior to joining Merck, he worked at the National Cancer Institute, where he demonstrated the cellular origin of sarcoma virus oncogenes in mammals and defined specific genes that cause human cancer. He also worked at the National Heart Institute, where his work defined the stop signals in the genetic code and the biochemical mechanism that produces the stops.
“Through his deep commitment to pursuing medical advances by revealing the molecular basis of disease, Ed has helped transform how many illnesses are treated,” said Broad core member Stuart Schreiber. “His decision to come to the Broad to take on the most daunting of all medical challenges — diseases of the brain — is both awe-inspiring and deeply motivating. It is a true privilege to be his colleague as a core member of the Broad.”
