Mclaughlin Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences

During fiscal year 2022, the Institute scientists and staff continued their efforts to better understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease processes through innovative genetic approaches in murine models while expanding the program of translational Research to supplement treatment advances and education through community engagement with student internships. The Research focused largely on the mechanisms behind the propagation of protein misfolding in diseases such as frontotemporal dementia, alzheimer's and prion diseases, as well as novel treatment approaches. Such work included partnerships with up to ten collaborators and 25 projects among investigators with partnerships extending nationally to new york, Massachusetts, north carolina, Washington state and California which resultant subawards contributed to $346,000 of nih grant fund support and $470,000 in Research contracts. Efforts continued towards understanding huntington's disease in collaboration with investigators from western Washington university and the cure huntington's disease foundation; alzheimer's disease with partners at columbia university and wake forest university; as well as making strides on investigator-led studies and future funding opportunities with the national institutes of health. Investigators continued critical work with newtreatment development screening through ongoing collaboration with pharmaceutical companies and welcomed new collaborations with curedrpla. The Institute continued the efforts of the nih funded grant (awarded march 2018) in the amount of $405,000/year for five years to gain insight on neurotransmitters electrophysiology in neurodegenerative diseases. With the start of the new director in 2021, additional nih funds of $347,700 with $351,000 carryover was received through transfer. These funds supported the ongoing investigation of transcriptional networks of human primordial germ cells and Research education. Both of which totaled $997,000 Research support. The Institute received $5,213,823 in contributions that included an unprecedented gift of $5,000,000 unrestricted funds. These funds were split between investments for future Research support and current growth by recruiting two new scientists and a clinical Research director as well as fundamental infrastructure support.

The Institute resumed the summer internship program which was postponed the previous year due to the covid-19 pandemic. A total of $6,500 was awarded to two local high school interns that worked over the summer investigating animal behavior assessments and working daily with the animal resource center director.