Two innovative pilot projects led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received funding from the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative to address critical challenges in the fields of neurodegeneration and neuroscience. The initiative has awarded a total of $12.8 million to more than 60 pilot projects nationwide. Each project receives $200,000 over 18 months, and successful projects will be eligible for an additional $1.6 million in funding over four years.
Felipe A. P. Ribeiro, an assistant professor of medicine, and Jonathan Kipnis, a BJC Investigator and the Alan A. and Edith L. Wolff Distinguished Professor of Pathology & Immunology, will investigate how sensory neurons in the tissue surrounding the brain — called the meninges — influence immunity and brain function to alter memory and contribute to neurodegeneration. Their findings have the potential to advance therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.