Sanford-Burnham Gala ‘Mining For A Cure’

The 35th anniversary gala for the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute was held Saturday night at the Del Mar Fairgrounds’ Wyland Center. Guests were encouraged to mosey on down and "mine for a cure" dressed in gold, glamour, boots and denim. 

Among the guests there from La Jolla were Jackie and Patrick Carew, Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and James Whitesell, Marleigh and Alan Gleicher, honorary chairs Jeanne Jones and Don Breitenberg (of Salt Lake City and La Jolla), Sheila and Jeffrey Lipinsky, Silvana and Alberto Michan, Gretchen and William Mobley, Caroline and Nico Nierenberg, Renee Roth, Denny Sanford (he’s the Sanford of Sanford-Burnham) and Lucia Silveira, Molly Thornton, and Mary Walshok.

Also there were event chairs Jeanne and Gary Herberger, Sanford-Burnham CEO John Reed, M.D. Ph.D. and his wife Muffy Walker, and honorary chairs Pam and Marty Wygod.

Guests entered the event through a mine shaft, past several "outlaw" sorts, saloon gals and some town songs sung by Eve Selis.

Mining For A Cure featured a saloon, grub stations with cooking by Premier Event Catering, and a slew of tables for dining.

All told, at least $1.7 million was raised with John Reed leading off the fund-a-need portion with a $100,000 donation. Notable auction items included a very, very coveted, hard to get, Napa Valley French Laundry dinner. It sold twice for $20,000 each!

Life Technologies was a generous sponsor at $75,000. 

This event helps to support Sanford-Burnham’s research in cancer, diabetes, obesity, neuroscience, inflammatory diseases, rare diseases, nanomedicine, drug discovery, and more. 

Sanford-Burnham, with operations in La Jolla and Florida, is one of the fastest-growing research institutes in the country. Ranked number two nationally for producing the most patents per received grants, Sanford-Burnham utilizes a collaborative approach to medical research.

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