Four investigators in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS received awards funded by Simons Foundation International and administered by the Simons Foundation:
- Steven A. McCarroll, PhD, the Dorothy and Milton Flier Professor of Biomedical Science and Genetics, is using $925,000 in continued Simons support to identify age-related changes in gene expression in the human brain. This collaborative effort, spanning eight research groups, aims to pinpoint changes in gene expression within individual cells across diverse organisms as they age and identify targets for interventions that could affect brain function, from the cellular level to cognition. The effort is part of the Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain (SCPAB).
- Sandeep Robert “Bob” Datta, MD ’04, PhD ’04, a professor of neurobiology, received $600,000 for his work on a collaborative project investigating how gene mutations associated with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability affect the brain’s ability to combine visual information and movement cues—an important process for understanding direction, landmarks, and spatial scenes. As part of the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), the project will use several rat models to examine changes across development, learning, navigation, and cognitive flexibility, with the goal of identifying shared brain-based markers and potential treatment targets for autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability.
- Peter Park, AB ’94, SM ’94, SM ’00, PhD, a professor of biomedical informatics, was awarded nearly $300,000 for his SFARI project developing computational methods to detect previously overlooked mosaic chromosomal changes—chromosomal differences found in some cells or tissues but not others—in large-scale genetic data from people with autism spectrum disorder and related neurodevelopmental disorders. The project will estimate how frequently these changes occur and where they are found in the body, helping clarify their potential role in autism risk.
- Luke O’Connor, AB ’14, PhD ’19, an assistant professor of biomedical informatics, received nearly $270,000 for his SFARI project examining how newly occurring mutations in protein-coding genes contribute to autism. By combining genetic data with machine-learning-based predictions about how mutations affect gene function, the project aims to differentiate harmful mutations from those with little or no effect, improve the identification of autism-related genes, and clarify how these mutations alter biological processes in affected individuals.
For 30 years, the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Policy Leadership at Harvard University has prepared physicians to become leaders who improve health outcomes for all, with a focus on disadvantaged, vulnerable, and uninsured populations. Fellows focus on transforming health care delivery systems and promoting innovation in policies, practices, and programs that address health equity and the social determinants of health. The Commonwealth Fund renewed its support for the fellowship in 2026 with a grant of $1,136,050. This work will be carried out under the direction of Joan Y. Reede, MD, MPH ’90, SM ’92, MBA, dean for culture and community engagement at HMS.
Two assistant professors of cell biology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS received Klingenstein Fellowship Awards in Neuroscience—each worth $450,000—from the Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund, which supports early-career scientists engaged in basic or clinical neuroscience research:
- Corey Allard, PhD, will use his award to study how some animals acquire, maintain, and use cellular components from other species, and how their nervous systems control these foreign components. He hopes this work will reveal basic principles of how cells integrate unfamiliar biological materials, with potential relevance to intracellular organization, host–pathogen interactions, and future synthetic or therapeutic approaches.
- Rachel Wolfson, PhD (MIT ’17), MD ’19, will use her award to study the sensory nerve cells that detect pain in the heart during a heart attack and trace the neural circuits that carry those pain signals to the brain. Her work could advance understanding of how internal organs sense pain and help identify new treatment targets for conditions such as chest and visceral pain.
The Alzheimer’s Association awarded an $880,000 grant to a project led by Chenghua Gu, PhD, a professor of neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS. The research team will study how reduced blood flow to active brain regions affects nerve-cell activity, energy use, learning, and memory. Using genetically modified mice, including models of Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers will explore whether problems with this blood-flow response contribute to brain-cell dysfunction and accelerate Alzheimer’s-related changes. The goal is to identify how vascular problems drive cognitive decline and uncover new ways to slow or treat neurodegenerative disease.
Two assistant professors in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS each received a $400,000 Smith Family Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research. This award, administered by Health Resources in Action on behalf of the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation, will support the following research:
- Shira Weingarten-Gabbay (microbiology), PhD, will investigate how mosquito-borne viruses such as Zika and dengue use the same genetic material to produce different proteins in human and mosquito cells. By identifying these host-specific proteins and determining how they help viruses survive and reproduce, her work could reveal vulnerabilities that inform new strategies for preventing and treating vector-borne diseases.
- Qinheng Zheng (biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology), PhD, aims to develop drug-like compounds that repair the effects of a cancer-causing mutation in a cellular “switch” that regulates cell growth. The project will test whether these compounds can restore the switch’s ability to turn off abnormal signals, slow the growth of pancreatic cancer cells, and potentially offer a new treatment for patients with tumors carrying this specific mutation.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHM) is committing $800,000 to a project focused on equipping communities in urban and rural settings with the skills to treat depression using EMPOWER, a technology-driven program initiated at HMS that trains and supports community members and frontline health workers to deliver evidence-based mental healthcare. An MHM team will work with a team from the HMS Department of Global Health and Social Medicine (GHSM), led by senior research scientist John Naslund, PhD. Their joint effort will involve training members of community organizations in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley—spanning urban and rural settings—to deliver a brief intervention for depression, with support from clinical partners in the region. Together, the two teams will measure the project’s reach, its effects on participants’ depressive symptoms, implementation costs, and potential for expansion to other underserved communities.
The Kenneth Rainin Foundation believes that early support for innovative research can advance the prevention, prediction, diagnosis, and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Its Innovator Awards enable researchers worldwide to test ideas, gather and share data, and collaborate to advance understanding of IBD. The following investigators received Innovator Awards that together total $650,000:
- Rachel Wolfson, PhD (MIT ’17), MD ’19, assistant professor of cell biology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, and Jacques Deguine, PhD, scientific director of the Immunology Program at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, will study how communication between nerve cells and those connecting the gut to the brain contributes to abdominal pain in people with IBD. This work could clarify how inflammation causes pain and identify new targets for treating IBD-related abdominal pain.
- Isaac Chiu, AB ’02, PhD ’09, a professor of immunology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, and Marco Jost, PhD, an assistant professor of microbiology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, will study how chemicals produced by gut microbes affect pain-sensing nerve cells in people with IBD. Using lab-grown human sensory neurons and animal models, the researchers will identify microbial compounds that worsen or reduce intestinal pain, with the goal of developing new biomarkers and treatments.
- Jun Huh, PhD, an associate professor of immunology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, and Gloria Choi, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will study the impact of the immune signal IL-17A on intestinal and nerve cells during IBD. Using genetically modified mice designed to identify cells responding to IL-17A, the researchers will track these cells during different stages of intestinal inflammation, analyze changes in their genes, and determine how they influence the gut’s protective barrier. The findings could inform safer and more effective IBD treatments.
- Diane Mathis, PhD, the Morton Grove-Rasmussen Professor of Immunohematology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, will study how specialized cells in the thymus help train the immune system not to attack goblet cells, which line the intestine and produce its protective mucus layer. Using mice and human samples, the researchers will investigate whether failures in this process contribute to some cases of IBD in humans.
Two research fellows in microbiology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS were awarded $255,000 each from the Life Sciences Research Foundation:
- Jenny J. Seo, PhD, will study where viral proteins are made and where they travel inside human cells, examining thousands of proteins from diverse viruses. By revealing how these proteins function and influence the immune system, her work could improve understanding of virus–cell interactions and inform the development of antiviral treatments and vaccines. Seo’s award is funded by the Robertson Foundation.
- James Lawrence Warner, PhD ’25, will study how methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) develops high-level resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, including penicillin and methicillin. By identifying the genetic changes and bacterial processes that drive this resistance, the research could reveal new ways to prevent or reverse antibiotic resistance. Warner’s award is funded by Coefficient Giving.
Alexander Bates, PhD, a research fellow in neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, will use a $400,000 Warren Alpert Distinguished Scholar Award in Neuroscience from The Warren Alpert Foundation to study how hunger and other internal states influence navigation. Using fruit flies, virtual reality, neural imaging, and targeted stimulation, he will examine how the brain helps animals choose between exploring for new resources and returning to places where food was previously found.
Eric Loo, PhD, a research fellow in immunology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, has received a $300,000 Cancer Research Institute (CRI) IGNITE Award to investigate how chemical signals within tumors influence immune cell behavior and contribute to tumor immune evasion. Using engineered T cells as live sensors, he will map receptor activity within the tumor microenvironment and leverage these insights to design T cells that release immune-boosting signals, enhancing the body's ability to recognize and attack cancer. The CRI IGNITE (Inspiring Growth and Nurturing Independence Through Excellence) Award supports the transition of outstanding postdoctoral researchers into independent tenure-track investigators.
The Dutch Research Council awarded Kai Zhong, PhD, a research fellow in systems biology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, more than $300,000 for a project combining artificial intelligence with two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy. Zhong will use this approach to understand how enzymes’ three-dimensional structures change and to design new enzymes with specific functions. He hopes to develop faster, more precise tools for creating enzymes that could support sustainable manufacturing, carbon capture, and drug development.
PsySTART is a disaster-response mental health triage system that helps responders quickly identify people at the greatest risk of mental health problems after events such as wildfires, hurricanes, floods, or mass violence, so these individuals can be connected with appropriate support. A $240,000 grant from the Grodman Family Foundation supports a project led by John Naslund, PhD, senior research scientist in global health and social medicine in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, that will review evidence on the system, identify communities that could benefit from its use, and develop a roadmap for putting it into practice and evaluating its effectiveness.