About Us

Over the past fifty years, the various incarnations of the Santa Rosa Institute have had one thing in common: a desire to push the boundaries of science and make the impossible possible. Though the challenges facing us today are greater than ever, it's easy to find seeds of inspiration in the past.

Beginnings

The Santa Rosa Institute was born in 1950, at a time when the field of genetic engineering was truly in its infancy. Over its first three decades, the Institute played host to a series of watershed discoveries. In 1953, Institute scientists discovered that genetic information was carried by DNA, not proteins, as was commonly thought. Among the important Institute breakthroughs in the Sixties was the discovery that DNA replication is made possible through the complex nature of the molecule. In the Seventies, Institute scientists won the Nobel Prize for the discovery of regulator genes, which control the timing and output of structural genes.

New Challenges

In 1986, the Institute began its next great undertaking: the Methuselah Project, which seeks to prolong the human life span through genetic therapy. Taking a cue from its storied progenitor, the Institute has spared no expense in attracting the finest scientific minds in the world to New Mexico, including 11 Nobel laureates. In addition to its vital research, Santa Rosa is renowned as an institution of higher learning, with undergraduate internships and postdoctoral fellowships available to qualified students.

Science is the Institute's highest priority. The Institute invests more than half of its annual budget in Research and Development. This emphasis on research means that our scientists have the best of both worlds: the intellectual stimulation of an academic setting combined with the facilities and resources of an established company. Our DNA and protein sequencing services, media preparation and synthetic production capabilities are unmatched in the biotechnology industry.

The Institute's employees work in the shadow of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they enjoy over 300 sunny days a year and easy access to numerous recreational opportunities. Our new employee center, currently under construction, will include a 10,000-square-foot fitness facility and a full-service restaurant.

Published Materials

At the Institute, we encourage our scientists to share their work with the scientific community via publication in journals and magazines. That encouragement helps us publish a remarkable average of 250 papers a year. The Institute has a working structure that allows scientists the freedom to focus on research without writing grants or handling excessive administrative responsibilities.

Meetings, Conferences and Programs

Scientists at the Institute are also encouraged to attend outside meetings and present their original data. The Institute sponsors a number of its own scientific meetings and conferences as well as a weekly research seminar series. We also manage an active postdoctoral program with more than 20 postdoctoral fellows.

The Vision

The underlying vision behind the science at the Santa Rosa Institute is the belief that the keys to unlocking the mysteries of immortality are at our fingers, and that with a concerted effort we can open these doors. This belief in the ability of science and teamwork to break through the limitations of what is possible is the most important element of the Santa Rosa vision.

Integral to that vision is the Institute belief in helping to provide a balanced life for its employees through excellent compensation and benefits, including medical/dental/vision coverage, child care facilities and health club membership. We are only as good as our employees.

People. Technology. Tradition. These three pillars of the Santa Rosa Institute give us every reason to feel confident as we continue our assault on the last frontiers of human biology.