New collaboration supports research to understand the role of microbes and the immune and nervous systems in human health and disease
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) in Israel have launched a collaboration to support joint research projects focused on understanding the role of microbes and the immune and nervous systems in human health and disease.
The new program in Microbial, Immunologic and Neurologic Disorders (MIND) is accepting joint proposals from researchers at WashU and WIS to execute collaborative research projects. The program is planning future academic conferences and opportunities for researchers at WashU Medicine and WIS to travel and conduct research at the other institution.
The program is co-directed by Jonathan Kipnis, PhD, the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology and Immunology and a BJC Investigator at WashU Medicine; Ido Amit, PhD, a professor of immunology and the Eden and Steven Romick Professorial Chair at WIS; and Ronen Alon, PhD, the Linda Jacobs Professorial Chair in Immune and Stem Cell Research at WIS.
“We want to cultivate collaborations between these two premier scientific institutions, which have so many overlapping areas of expertise and untapped potential to make discoveries that advance knowledge and ultimately improve health,” Kipnis said. “We see an opportunity to address critical questions about causes and potential treatment of human disease — particularly those such as Alzheimer’s and other neurological conditions involving interactions among microbes and the human immune and nervous systems. This program serves as a substantial source of seed funding to help researchers — especially early-career scientists — build new and innovative research programs that can attract larger grants and funding sources.”
Added Amit: “The two institutions share a similar passion for curiosity-driven basic research. Through this unique collaboration, we will combine the excellence of the WashU and WIS communities in medical research, genomics and AI to make significant progress into understanding the diverse mechanisms at play leading to neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease.”