The Rockefeller University
October 30, 2023
Vinogradova Lab
Photography by John Abbott
www.johnabbottphoto.com
The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub New York (CZ Biohub NY named for its founders Mark Zuckerberg, and his wife Priscilla Chan) has announced the addition of nine new investigators to its expanding team of leading researchers. The new cohort hails from prestigious institutions including Columbia University, The Rockefeller University, and Yale University.
These researchers will lead eight innovative projects aligned with CZ Biohub NY’s mission to bioengineer immune cells for the early detection, prevention, and treatment of a wide range of age-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders and aggressive cancers.
The selected projects explore cutting-edge approaches in synthetic biology, aiming to overcome limitations in current immune cell therapies. They also include advanced cellular modeling techniques designed to reveal how immune cells interact within complex cellular networks and adapt across different tissues in both health and disease.
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This announcement marks a significant step forward in CZ Biohub NY’s efforts to drive transformative breakthroughs in immunology and precision medicine, positioning the hub as a leader in the fight against age-related illnesses through next-generation immune cell engineering.
“We are excited to welcome these new investigators to our collaborative community of researchers,” said Andrea Califano, Dr, president of CZ Biohub NY and the Clyde and Helen Wu Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. “They are joining us as we pursue a complex challenge to harness the natural capabilities of our immune cells to detect and fix abnormalities in our bodies at very early stages. I look forward to their contributions and how we can shed light on biology’s hidden intricacies, making real progress toward detecting and preventing disease.”
Diseases are often diagnosed only after obvious symptoms appear, while early signals that precede disease are generally missed. Immune cells are well suited to meet this challenge, as they constantly monitor and maintain the health of organs and tissues while circulating through the blood and lymphatic systems. By deciphering the molecular language employed by these cells to report problems they’ve identified, researchers can leverage and augment the cells’ abilities to spot and even treat hard-to-detect cancers and diseases that usually evade these cells. Better understanding and measuring how immune cells monitor abnormalities also creates enormous potential to program new functions into these cells, allowing them to take therapeutic actions, such as repairing damaged cells or eliminating diseased ones.
The Investigator Program at CZ Biohub NY funds research by scientists, engineers, and technologists from Columbia, Rockefeller, and Yale, and is designed to identify and support researchers by providing them with unrestricted funding to pursue their most innovative and high-impact research projects. The nine new investigators will join a vibrant, collaborative, and supportive research community, gaining access to cutting-edge tools, expertise, and training opportunities.
The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub New York (CZ Biohub NY) is a biomedical research institute that was launched in October 2023 as the fourth member of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Network. This network is an initiative of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, which aims to solve major societal challenges in science, education, and justice and opportunity.
Mission and Focus:
CZ Biohub NY’s primary mission is to harness and bioengineer immune cells for the early detection, prevention, and treatment of a wide spectrum of age-related diseases. This includes neurodegenerative disorders and various cancers.
