Renowned Researchers Seeking Link With UCSD

A prestigious international cancer research institute is making a bid to establish itself at UC San Diego as its first research program in the United States.

Under a proposed agreement submitted to the UC Board of Regents, who are meeting in Los Angeles today and Friday, the Switzerland-based Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research would move a team of scientists to the campus to study the molecular biology and genetics of cancer--an action that officials expect would greatly enhance research efforts.

“We’re very excited about the possibility,” said Wayne Kennedy, a University of California, San Diego vice chancellor for administration. “It’s a significant move because this is the first research activity Ludwig will sponsor in the U.S., and it will provide a complement to our ongoing research.”

Joining UCSD School of Medicine scientists this August, the team of Ludwig Institute researchers would tackle such questions as: What triggers a malignant cancer? What makes a cancer malignant?

“This is an area of growing interest in the cancer research community because ultimately, the real solution to treating and curing cancer lies in the genetics,” said UCSD spokeswoman Leslie Franz.

The proposal, the culmination of seven months of serious negotiations, calls for the Ludwig Institute to pay for all operating costs of the research and to share in the profits of any material sold as a result of that research.

If approved, Ludwig would move a team of about 14 scientists to UCSD from McGill University in Canada. Ludwig researchers, who would be eligible for faculty appointments, will work at UCSD’s Cellular and Molecular Medicine Building.

Under the agreement, Ludwig would establish a six-year affiliation with the university, beginning Aug. 1, with options to extend that contract for 12 years. The agreement also calls for the splitting of any proceeds that result from the research. The two institutions would share royalties 50-50 on all projects developed jointly.

In the case of a project developed solely by Ludwig scientists, the institute would take 75%, giving 25% to the university.

But UCSD officials expect virtually all the research to be conducted on a joint basis, Kennedy said. “It will be very cooperative.”

Daniel Keith Ludwig, a 93-year-old retired shipping executive, established the nonprofit institute bearing his name in Zurich in 1971.