Ludwig Grants Fund Research on Neurodegeneration

A new cohort of HMS scientists will conduct basic research on neurodegeneration with therapeutic potential

An abstract drawing of a teal brain with bright patches of color
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For the second year, the Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation has awarded grants for research on neurodegeneration through the Ludwig Neurodegenerative Disease Seed Grants Program. The foundation established the program at Harvard Medical School last year to bolster research on neurodegeneration.

This year, three researchers were each awarded just over $400,000 for their proposed projects. Through their work, the scientists will approach research on neurodegenerative diseases from new angles, applying their expertise to uncover processes that lead to neurodegeneration.

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The goal of the Ludwig program is to support HMS researchers with in-depth knowledge of basic neuroscience as they investigate and validate novel mechanisms that could be driving neurodegeneration — in particular, Alzheimer’s disease. The program strives to identify projects grounded in basic biology that have the greatest potential for translational impact.

This year’s winners include Harvey Cantor, the Baruj Benacerraf Professor of Immunology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Sichen (Susan) Shao, an associate professor of cell biology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, and Steven McCarroll, the Dorothy and Milton Flier Professor of Biomedical Science and Genetics at HMS.