Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research Announces New Institute of Translational Research

By: Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research via Business Wire

October 09, 2024 at 12:10 PM EDT

Led by Dr. Douglas Nixon, the sixth institute will be in addition to the Institutes of Behavioral Science, Bioelectronic Medicine, Cancer Research, Health System Science, and Molecular Medicine and establish a new endowed professorship made possible by a gift from the Karches family

Northwell Health's home of medical research, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, announced today the formation of its sixth institute, the Institute of Translational Research. In collaboration with the other institutes of Behavioral Science, Bioelectronic Medicine, Cancer Research, Health System Science, and Molecular Medicine, the Institute of Translational Research will bridge the understanding of basic molecular mechanisms of chronic diseases to the development of innovative clinical therapies and interventions – those working in the institute will actualize the “bench-to-bedside” approach.

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Dr. Douglas F. Nixon, the new director of the Institute of Translational Research, stands next to Susan Karches, whose generous gift helped endow him as the Karches Family Professor in Translational Research and establish the Karches Family Laboratory. (Credit: Feinstein Institutes).

To lead the new institute, Douglas F. Nixon, MD, PhD, joined the Feinstein Institutes as director in April. A gift of $5 million from the Karches family will endow Dr. Nixon as the Karches Family Professor in Translational Research and establish the Karches Family Laboratory to support the institute’s mission.

Susan Karches has been a member of the Feinstein Institutes Board of Directors since 2007. For over two decades, the Karches family’s philanthropic partnership has provided transformational support to areas including chronic lymphocytic leukemia, cancer and bioelectronic medicine. The Karches Family Professorship in Translational Research is the third faculty position that the Karches family has endowed at the Feinstein Institutes.

“Philanthropy strengthens the Feinstein Institutes’ ability to recruit the best and brightest leaders in their fields,” said Susan Karches. “My family is proud to support this gift, which we hope empowers Dr. Nixon and his team to pioneer innovative solutions for chronic illness and disease, ultimately improving health outcomes for patients worldwide.”

“Our institute’s mission is to be a world-class hub for translational research, bridging bench-to-bedside approaches to find solutions to chronic diseases,” said Dr. Nixon. “Through this endowment and overall support, we are eager to roll up our sleeves and get to work. I am confident the collaborative efforts of our scientists and clinicians will have positive impacts on science and medicine.”

Dr. Nixon, who most recently joined the Feinstein Institutes from Cornell University, has pioneered research on human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), often referred to as part of our “junk DNA” or “dark genome,” which have an impact on neuroimmunological, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions and aging. Under his leadership, researchers within the new institute will aim to accelerate scientific advancements into much-needed treatments for patients with a wide range of diseases and conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS and other viral infections and mental health disorders. Dr. Nixon is a National Institutes of Health Merit awardee, a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and an elected fellow of the American Society of Microbiology and the National Academy of Inventors. Dr. Nixon will bring with him nine lab members to pursue this mission.

Weaving together the virological and immunological research threads from Dr. Nixon’s laboratory, the institute will collaborate with industry, government and the community in its research endeavors. This includes tapping into Northwell’s diverse patient population – a valuable resource that can accelerate and reshape medical research – to enroll in clinical trials. Additionally, under Dr. Nixon’s guidance, the new institute will help strengthen education and training in translational research through collaboration with scientists, clinicians and trainees across Northwell Health and other institutions worldwide.

“My colleagues and I welcome Prof. Nixon to the Feinstein Institutes. His leadership, and pioneering translational research strengthens our mission of ‘producing knowledge to cure disease,’” said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. “His arrival promises an acceleration of work linking the patients in need to the newest discoveries in the lab.”

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, part of Northwell Health, New York State's largest healthcare provider, is home to 50 research labs and comprises 5,000 researchers and staff across the health system. The research teams continue to achieve breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, and autoimmunity, and is the global scientific home of bioelectronic medicine – which combines molecular medicine, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering. At the Feinstein Institutes, medical researchers use modern technology to develop new device-based therapies to treat disease and injury.

In 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of a $35 million, 20,000-square-foot renovation project at the Feinstein Institutes meant to energize future breakthroughs in bioelectronic medicine and research. The state-of-the-art renovated space was finalized with generous philanthropy and financial support from New York's Empire State Development (ESD) and Dr. Nixon’s lab will occupy the new area. Additionally, Governor Hochul revealed a new $10 million ESD grant for the Feinstein Institutes to proceed with a second phase of laboratory upgrades.

About the Feinstein Institutes:

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.