Mount Sinai is launching a new regenerative medicine institute with three distinct focuses as part of a concerted effort to translate the stream of research coming out of the New York-based healthcare organization into new medicines.
The new outpost launched Monday, aptly named the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, is composed of three wings: the Alper Center for Neural Development and Regeneration, the Center for Epithelial and Airway Biology and Regeneration and the Center for Advancement of Blood Cancer Therapies.
The institute will coordinate research and training related to regenerative medicine across Mount Sinai’s clinical departments, with the goal of spurring new treatments based on the hospital’s research. A spokesperson for Mount Sinai said the institute as a whole is being funded by the Icahn School of Medicine but is looking for additional financing opportunities while the Alper Center for Neural Development and Regeneration would be funded in part by a donation from the Alper Family Foundation.
The Alper Center for Neural Development aims to apply research on how the brain develops to spur treatments for conditions such as autism, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease, among others. The epithelial and airway biology arm plans to disperse pilot grants for new research projects, with the intention being that the findings would be converted into clinical applications.
Last but not least, the Center for Advancement of Blood Cancer Therapies will hone in on the connection between the formation of blood cells and leukemia and the use of stem cells and gene editing as potential tools. The new center will also house the Black Family Stem Cell Institute, which launched 18 years ago to break new ground in stem cell research.
Elevating regenerative medicine research is not a new concept in drug development or academia. Colleges including Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Washington and Texas A&M have launched regenerative medicine institutes over the years, as has the state of California.
The institute’s overarching ambition—to turn novel research into products—is not unfamiliar territory for Mount Sinai, either. In August, the health system unveiled CastleVax, a new biotech based on the vaccine-producing platform from a trio of scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine. The company is aiming the platform at infectious diseases, the first of which is COVID-19.