“Representatives from The Scripps Research Institute’s Board of Trustees, administration and faculty are in the process of coming together to analyze and discuss the strategic future of Scripps, reviewing a broad range of thoughtful alternatives to choose the best path forward for the institution," said Dick Gephardt, chair of the TSRI Board of Trustees, and Michael Marletta, president and CEO of TSRI in a statement on the institute's website. "To facilitate the holistic nature of this review, the current nonbinding letter of intent on discussions about a broad partnership with the University of Southern California (USC) has been terminated by mutual consent of both parties.

We appreciate USC’s spirit of collaboration and look forward to continuing joint research projects among our scientists.”