Scripps Research mourns passing of pioneering scientist Richard Lerner Lerner made major scientific contributions and built Scripps Research into a world-renowned hub of innovative science and medicine.
December 04, 2021
LA JOLLA, CA Richard Lerner, MD, a scientific pioneer who developed technologies that had a major impact on science and medicine, and who played a critical role in shaping Scripps Research and San Diego's burgeoning life sciences sector, passed away on December 2, 2021. He was 83 years old.
Richard had a tremendous influence on science, the institute, and the lives and work of many of us at Scripps Research, says Peter Schultz, PhD, President and CEO of Scripps Research and a long-time collaborator with Lerner. He was truly a giant and his vision, leadership and passion for science will be deeply missed.
A Stanford-trained physician-scientist, Lerner served as Director and President of Scripps Research from 1987 through 2012. During his tenure, Scripps Research established a Florida campus and launched the institute's bi-coastal graduate school, now named the Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences. With its interdisciplinary research focus, the school soon ranked among the top 10 graduate programs of its kind in the U.S.
Richard's fearlessness and bold ideas propelled Scripps Research to its current stature as one of the world's leading biomedical research institutes, says Schultz.
Paul Schimmel, PhD, a professor in the institute's Department of Molecular Medicine, says Lerner infused the institute with an esprit de corps that invigorated the science. We felt we were with him on a non-stop adventure, says Schimmel, like pioneers of the old west, who would transform medical research and its associated graduate education.
Lerner also recruited an impressive cadre of scientists to La Jolla in fields ranging from structural and computational biology to immunology and molecular medicine, and also established the institute's now top ranked Department of Chemistry.
Scripps Research chemistry professor Barry Sharpless, PhD, who Lerner recruited in 1991, says Lerner provided a remarkable environment for the institute's researchers. He just hired us and said I will support you, do your thing, says Sharpless, who won the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. That was something rare in a leader.
Lerner was known as a highly creative and interdisciplinary scientist and his lab produced numerous impactful discoveries and technologies. Among more than 400 published works, his achievements include the development of synthetic peptide vaccines, catalytic antibodies, and combinatorial antibody and DNA-encoded chemical libraries innovations that are used by academic and industry laboratories worldwide.
His work paved the way to widely used novel therapeutics including the arthritis drug Humira and the lupus treatment, Benlysta. He was a visionary, says Sharpless. He saw what chemistry could do for medicine and biology.
Highly entrepreneurial, Lerner was an early advocate of pushing new basic research discoveries and technologies toward their useful and practical applications in the marketplace. He cultivated relationships between academia and industry at a time when such partnerships were unusual. His boundary-crossing ideas helped establish Scripps Research and the entire San Diego science sector into the global hub for translational research and entrepreneurship that it is today.
Originally from Chicago, Lerner received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University in 1959 and his medical degree from Stanford's School of Medicine in 1964. After finishing medical school, he interned for a year at Stanford Hospital, then accepted a postdoctoral fellowship in 1965 in the Department of Experimental Pathology at Scripps Research, known at the time as the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation. After his fellowship, he joined the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia where he conducted research for a year before returning to Scripps Research as a faculty member in 1970.
In 1987 Lerner was named President of the institute. He served in that position for 25 years, during which time the institute's research operations grew substantially, including nearly tripling its laboratory space. Scripps Research attracted some of the world's top scientific talent during his tenure, including several Nobel laureates.
In 2012, Lerner was appointed as the Founding Director of the Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies at Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai, China. In this capacity he recruited world scientific leaders to implement the institute's strategic focus, as well as directed research in his own laboratory.
He received numerous honors over his career, including the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, California Scientist of the Year Award, the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize, the Windhaus Medal, and the Prince of Asturias Award. He was an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and received honorary degrees from Oxford University, Ben-Gurion University, Northwestern University, Karolinska Institute, and Florida Atlantic University.
He held positions on many boards of directors, including Kraft Foods, Sequenom, and OPKO Health, Intra-Cellular Therapies and Teva Pharmaceuticals, and served on the scientific advisory boards of 5AM Ventures, Bay City Capital and Sorrento Therapeutics.
Lerner also served on the editorial boards of high-impact scientific journals, including the Journal of Virology, Molecular Biology and Medicine, Vaccine, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters, Drug Targeting and Delivery, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, Molecular Medicine, Catalysis Technology, and Angewandte Chemie.
A long-time resident of La Jolla, Lerner is
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
Scripps Research mourns passing of pioneering scientist Richard Lerner Lerner made major scientific contributions and built Scripps Research into a world-renowned hub of innovative science and medicine.
