#USA #Philadelphia #Pew Charitable Trusts #Innovation Fund #Biomedical Research

Pew Charitable Trusts Funds Seven New Biomedical Research Collaborations

On December 9, 2025, the Pew Charitable Trusts revealed the seven collaborative pairs of researchers selected for its 2025 Innovation Fund. This initiative emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary research in the realm of human biology and disease, spearheaded by 14 distinguished scientists from Pew's biomedical programs in the U.S. and Latin America. Through their combined expertise in key fields such as neuroscience, immunology, and cancer biology, these partnerships aim to catalyze significant breakthroughs in understanding human health.

Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew's senior vice president for Philadelphia and scientific advancement, voiced her excitement: "Many of the best scientific breakthroughs happen when researchers work together to tackle pressing problems. 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 more than four decades, the Pew Charitable Trusts has been a proponent of promoting collaboration within the biomedical science community, leading to the establishment of the Innovation Fund in 2017. The fund, supported by the Kathryn W. Davis Peace by Pieces Fund, encourages innovative and cross-disciplinary collaborations among alumni of Pew's biomedical programs. Eligible applicants include faculty members holding assistant professor positions or higher, and this year's awards are further supported by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.

The 2025 Innovation Fund Teams

1. 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)
- Project Focus: Studying how cell cooperation influences resistance to cancer therapies.

2. Juan Du, Ph.D. (2020 Pew biomedical scholar, Northwestern University)
Marco Gallio, Ph.D. (2016 Pew biomedical scholar, Northwestern University)
- Project Focus: Investigating the molecular and structural transformations of an ion channel in fruit flies that originally functioned as a bitter receptor but evolved into a dedicated heat sensor.

3. Andrew L. Goodman, Ph.D. (2013 Pew biomedical scholar, Yale School of Medicine)
Ivaylo I. Ivanov, Ph.D. (2012 Pew biomedical scholar, Columbia University)
- Project Focus: Examining whether medical drugs and gut microbes can activate antimicrobial peptides in the mammalian gut to reshape the gut microbiome.

4. 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)
- Project Focus: Exploring the molecular principles of mechanotransduction—the transformation of mechanical stimuli into electrical signals used by the brain.

5. 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)
- Project Focus: Investigating the effects of metabolic limitations on effector T cell function and identifying strategies to enhance T cell activity in challenging environments such as tumors.

6. 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)
- Project Focus: Studying how cyanobacteria manage growth and distribute resources in fluctuating environmental conditions.

7. John Tuthill, Ph.D. (2019 Pew biomedical scholar, University of Washington)
Sebastian Brauchi, Ph.D. (2006 Pew Latin American fellow, Universidad Austral de Chile)
- Project Focus: Understanding how snow flies maintain functionality in extremely cold environments.

The Pew Charitable Trusts, founded in 1948, employs data-driven approaches to address global challenges, focusing on illuminating complex issues, fostering shared understanding, and driving significant projects that yield real progress in various domains.