Pew Funds 7 New Biomedical Research Collaborations

PHILADELPHIA-The Pew Charitable Trusts announced today the seven pairs of researchers who will make up its 2025 class of Innovation Fund investigators.

These 14 acclaimed scientists-all alumni of Pew's biomedical programs in the United States and Latin America-will collaborate on interdisciplinary research projects exploring key questions about human biology and disease. Bringing together their expertise in such specialties as neuroscience, immunology, and cancer biology, these partnerships will help accelerate discoveries and advance understanding of human health.

"Many of the best scientific breakthroughs happen when researchers work together to tackle pressing problems," said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew's senior vice president for Philadelphia and scientific advancement. "We're thrilled to welcome these talented scientists back into the Pew community as Innovation Fund investigators. Their pioneering collaborative projects will drive the next advancements in biomedical research."

For 40 years, Pew has encouraged collaboration among its community of biomedical scientists, leading to the launch of the Innovation Fund in 2017. The award, which is supported by the Kathryn W. Davis Peace by Pieces Fund, supports creative and cross-disciplinary partnerships among alumni of Pew's three biomedical programs, with those holding assistant professor positions or higher eligible to apply. This year, Innovation Fund recipients are also supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

The 2025 Innovation Fund teams are:

Carlos Carmona-Fontaine, Ph.D., 2020 Pew biomedical scholar, New York University
Piro Lito, M.D., Ph.D., 2019 Pew-Stewart scholar, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Carmona-Fontaine and Lito will join forces to study the role that cell cooperation plays in the resistance to cancer therapy.

Juan Du, Ph.D., 2020 Pew biomedical scholar, Northwestern University
Marco Gallio, Ph.D., 2016 Pew biomedical scholar, Northwestern University

Du and Gallio will dissect the molecular and structural changes by which an ion channel in fruit flies that initially functioned as a bitter receptor in taste was repurposed over time as a dedicated heat sensor-and continued to evolve with changing thermal habitats.

Andrew L. Goodman, Ph.D., 2013 Pew biomedical scholar, Yale School of Medicine
Ivaylo I. Ivanov, Ph.D., 2012 Pew biomedical scholar, Columbia University

Goodman and Ivanov will test whether medical drugs and gut microbes can activate antimicrobial peptides in the mammalian gut to reshape the gut microbiome.

Eduardo Perozo, Ph.D., 1991 Pew Latin American fellow, University of Chicago
Juan-Pablo Castillo, Ph.D., 2015 Pew Latin American fellow, Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso

Perozo and Castillo will interpret the molecular principles that underlie mechanotransduction, the process by which mechanical stimuli are translated into electrical signals that can be decoded by the brain.

Richard L. Possemato, Ph.D., 2016 Pew-Stewart scholar, New York University School of Medicine
Michelle Krogsgaard, Ph.D., 2007 Pew biomedical scholar, New York University School of Medicine

Possemato and Krogsgaard will investigate how metabolic limitation impairs effector T cell function and identify strategies to enhance T cell performance in metabolically hostile environments such as tumors.

Michael J. Rust, Ph.D., 2014 Pew biomedical scholar, University of Chicago
Suckjoon Jun, Ph.D., 2013 Pew biomedical scholar, University of California San Diego

Rust and Jun will explore how cyanobacteria regulate growth and allocate cellular resources in fluctuating environments.

John Tuthill, Ph.D., 2019 Pew biomedical scholar, University of Washington
Sebastian Brauchi, Ph.D., 2006 Pew Latin American fellow, Universidad Austral de Chile

Tuthill and Brauchi will team up to understand how snow flies continue to function in very cold temperatures.

Founded in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make a difference. Pew addresses the challenges of a changing world by illuminating issues, creating common ground, and advancing ambitious projects that lead to tangible progress.