Come Check Out Our New Digs

The will celebrate the opening of its new Regenerative Medicine Research Center on Saturday, April 14. The public is invited to attend an open house from 1-4 p.m. that day at an event that marks a major expansion of the nation’s first independent research institute focused on extending healthspan — the healthy years of life.

The 65,708 square-foot three-story structure, built at a cost of $36.5 million, is the third of five buildings approved in the Institute’s master campus plan. It will have space to house up to 12 laboratories and will initially be home for scientists utilizing various stem cell technologies to develop treatments for age-related conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and macular degeneration, and to conduct other studies aimed at promoting longevity to extend healthspan.

“This event celebrates a new era in aging research at the Buck Institute and affirms our commitment to apply the full promise of stem cell research to our efforts to detect, delay, prevent and treat age-related conditions, ” said Brian Kennedy, PhD, Buck Institute President and CEO. “We are very grateful to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for helping to fund this CIRM Center of Excellence — one of 12 stem cell facilities approved for funding throughout the state. We hope you will join us for this special occasion.”

The afternoon program will begin with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony in the courtyard at 1 p.m.. The event will feature a series of exhibits for adults and interactive science activities for kids such as an opportunity to learn about and see water bears, microscopic creatures that are used in aging research.  Children will be able to play with glow-in-the-dark worms and everyone will be able to sample liquid nitrogen ice cream, as well as view Mentos soda bomb mini-explosions at a safe distance (at 1 and 3 p.m.). A Passport Map Adventure for children will enable them to have their passports stamped at each venue and be eligible for a prize after participating in each activity and tour.

There will be a stem cell music video produced by a group of San Marin High School students, as well as opportunities to learn from the Buck Institute’s Summer Scholars as they present their project posters. High-powered microscopes will allow visitors to see objects and organisms at the highest magnification.

The open house will also include an inaugural exhibition of “SILVER: A State of Mind,” a photo portrait series featuring 40 x 48-inch prints of 52 women who have let their hair go gray.

Free offsite parking and a shuttle service will be provided to and from the building at 777 San Marin Drive to the Institute.  Take the Atherton Avenue and San Marin Drive exit off Highway 101. Proceed west on San Marin Drive.  The Fireman’s Fund Insurance parking lot is on your right.  Look for the shuttle bus at the passenger transit stop.

About the Buck Institute for Research on Aging
The Buck Institute is the first and foremost independent research organization in the U.S. devoted to Geroscience – a discipline focused on the connection between normal aging and chronic disease. The Buck is dedicated to extending ”Healthspan,” the healthy years of human life.  It does so utilizing a unique interdisciplinary approach involving laboratory scientists studying the mechanisms of aging. Buck scientists strive to discover new ways of detecting, preventing and treating age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration, diabetes and stroke. In their collaborative research, Buck scientists are supported by the most recent developments in genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics.  For more information, go to www.thebuck.org.