Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group Announces Appointment of 10 New Honored Researchers Allen | national

"Paul 's vision and insight have been an inspiration to me and to many others, both here at the Institute that bears his name and in the myriad of other areas that made up the world. Fantasy of his interests, and we will miss him tremendously, "said Allan Jones, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Allen Institute. "We are honoring his legacy by fulfilling our mission of solving tough problems in bioscience, as evidenced by these new awards from distinguished researcher Allen."

The nine scholarships will support 10 researchers from several different research organizations in the United States, Canada and Portugal. Each scholarship awards $ 1.5 million over three years, or $ 13.5 million for lymphoma, neuroscience, immune system, aging and development research, as well as basic biology. The specific award areas were selected in 2017 through a series of in-depth workshops, guided by Allen and other science advisors.

"With this new class of distinguished Allen researchers, we are honored to champion Paul's vision of accelerating scientific discovery, and he is keenly interested in the work of these 10 best-in-class researchers and their potential to repel the limits of knowledge, "said Kathy Richmond, PhD, MBA, Director of Frontiers Group. "Our new investigators all think outside the box for great challenges and find new information about illness and health, and each of them is about to" get things done "and move forward. his fields. "

The Allen Distinguished Investigator program was launched in 2010 to fund early-stage research that is less likely to benefit from traditional funding sources, but that could significantly advance our understanding of biology. With the 2018 awards, 69 distinguished Allen investigators have been appointed since 2010.

Three fellowships were awarded to researchers studying lymphoma, a broad class of blood cancers with different treatment options and prognoses. The development of treatments for some lymphomas has progressed significantly, but many patients with these blood cancers still need better options. The three awards will focus on innovative ideas and new technologies that can catalyze a new understanding of lymphoma and stimulate new treatments.

Two awards have been awarded to researchers in nuclear biophysics, an emerging field of research that seeks to understand the special physics inside the nucleus, the cellular compartment that houses DNA. Over the last five years, there is growing understanding that DNA and other core molecules are organized in physical states that researchers consider to be a microscopic lava lamp or as different phases of a single substance, like ice and water. These physical states can affect everything from how the cell makes proteins to the development of cancer and how certain drugs work.

Two fellowships were awarded to neuroimmunology studies, another emerging field that explores important intersections between the brain and the immune system. Recent studies have shown that interactions between neurons and immune cells are extremely important for human health and disease, but researchers still do not understand all the details of this complex dialogue.

Finally, a prize has been awarded for studies on astrocytes, a type of brain cell that may play an important role in Alzheimer's disease; and a prize has been awarded to the biology of embryonic development and aging.

Meet the Distinguished Researchers Allen 2018 Chenghua Gu, Ph.D. Harvard Medical School Our brain and our immune system are intrinsically connected, but researchers do not understand the details of communication between these two complex systems. Chenghua Gu will study the brain's elaborate blood vessel system and its role in this dialogue that influences human health and brain disease by examining the specialized cells lining the blood vessels, called endothelial cells, and how they receive and transmit signals between the body's immune system. and the brain.

Baljit S. Khakh, Ph.D. University of California at Los Angeles Although almost half of our brain is made up of a type of cell called astrocytes, we know very little about how they work. Baljit Khakh aims to change that. He and his team will tackle the first systematic characterization of astrocytes, study the influence of these cells on the activity of neurons and study how astrocyte function is altered in a mouse model of the disease. of Alzheimer's, potentially revealing new therapeutic targets for this devastating neurological disorder.

Marc Kirschner, Ph.D. Marc Kirschner's lab at Harvard Medical School takes a holistic and systematic approach to understanding the biology of early development and aging, two processes that are upsetting our lives and those of all living things. In general, development and aging are studied in different areas of research, but Kirschner wants to use systems biology and machine learning approaches to discover the cellular circuits that drive them and better understand where they might overlap, using as a model the small crustacean Daphnia magna, also known as the water chip.

Clodagh O. Shea, Ph.D. Salk Institute for Biological Studies Clodagh O. Shea and her team have developed new technologies that reveal how the six-foot human genomic DNA is compacted into the body. microscopic cell nucleus by assembling with proteins in flexible chromatin chains stacked at different densities of concentration. The hypothesis of his team is that, in the nucleus regions of the cell where the chromatin chains are diluted, these are in a liquid form that allows the reading of genes in their protein products. However, if their concentration exceeds a critical density threshold, they form gels that retain the genes. locked up and "silenced". She will ask whether the chromatin state transitions between fluid and gel determine the activity of genomic DNA and ultimately the fate of cells in response to epigenetic drugs, aging, carcinogenic genes and viruses.

Michael Rosen, Ph.D. The Southwestern Medical Center of the University of Texas, Michael Rosen, will lead a project to study the behavior of liquids inside the nucleus, the storage compartment of the DNA of the cell. Recent research has shown that, just as the separation of oil and vinegar into salad dressings, the core regions separate into non-mixable liquid droplets, also called biomolecular condensates. Rosen's project will study the origin of condensates, their 3D appearance and how the defects of these mysterious liquid droplets contribute to a rare type of cancer.

Christian Steidl, MD The British Columbia Cancer Research Center and the University of British Columbia, Christian Steidl, are delving into classic Hodgkin's lymphoma, a blood cancer that typically strikes adolescents and young adults, studying the ecosystem of cancer cells and healthy cells known as the microenvironment of the tumor. Cancer cells can divert many of our bodies' natural processes to help them grow and spread. To better understand this phenomenon – and ultimately improve the diagnosis and treatment of this disease – Steidl and her team will study biopsy specimens from lymphoma patients before and after a cancer cell-by-cell relapse.

Matthias Stephan, MD, Ph.D. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington, Matthias Stephan, will lead the development of a new nanoparticle immunotherapy for lymphoma, a blood cancer that causes cancer. more than 80,000 new diagnoses every year in the United States. The genetic therapy would include instructions to reprogram the patient's own immune cells in his body to recognize and destroy the lymphoma cells. As part of this project, Stephan and his colleagues will develop nanoparticles to prepare them for clinical trials and test their safety on a large animal model.

Henrique Veiga-Fernandes, DVM, Ph.D. The Champalimaud Henrique Veiga-Fernandes Foundation pioneered studies of the interactions between the nervous system and the immune system throughout our body by identifying specialized "units" of neuro-communication. immune in the intestines, lungs, fat and skin. Now, with his research team, he will develop new techniques to measure how neurons and immune cells interact and influence each other – and our health – throughout the body.

David Weinstock, MD Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Scott Manalis, Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, David Weinstock and Scott Manalis want to convert lymphoma remissions into remedies. They aim to tackle the difficult problem of cancer relapse by studying the very small amounts of lymphoma cells left behind, also known as minimal residual disease, when patients go into remission. By better understanding what makes these few late cells resistant to treatment, their project could ultimately identify ways to prevent the return of lymphoma.

About the Frontiers Group Paul G. Allen The Frontiers Group Paul G. Allen is dedicated to exploring the scientific landscape to identify and fund pioneers with ideas that will advance knowledge and improve the world. Through ongoing dialogue with scientists around the world, the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group is looking for opportunities to expand the boundaries of knowledge and solve important problems. Programs include the Allen Discovery Centers of partner institutions for leadership-led research and compass, as well as distinguished Allen researchers for exploring boundaries with exceptional creativity and potential impact. The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group was founded in 2016 by philanthropist and visionary Paul G. Allen. It is part of the Allen Institute, an independent medical research organization 501 (c) (3). For more information, visit allenfrontiersgroup.org.

SOURCE The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group