11 Yale Projects Receive Awards from the Colton Center for Autoimmunity in 2024
The Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale is pleased to announce the eleven 2024 Yale projects selected for their promising research in autoimmunity and allergic diseases. In addition to grant funding, Colton Center awardees receive mentorship, access to industry expertise, and feedback on their potential commercialization.
Prof. Joseph Craft, Paul B. Beeson Professor of Medicine and Professor of Immunobiology, and Scientific Director of the Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale, praised the awardees for their groundbreaking research, stating, "This year’s eleven impressive projects supported by the Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale have the potential to transform our understanding and treatment of autoimmune and allergic diseases, which affect about 23.5 million Americans. We are proud to support these scientists whose translational work has the potential to make significant impact in the field."
Established in 2019 by a generous gift from philanthropists Judith and Stewart Colton and managed by Yale Ventures, The Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale is bridging gaps between research and innovation. These awards are designed to support promising research overcoming obstacles in their journey to commercialization due to a lack of funding for proof-of-concept and validation studies needed to demonstrate commercial potential.
“The Colton Center Awards recognize innovative Yale research in autoimmunity and allergic diseases, focusing on advancing therapeutic and diagnostic approaches to improve patient outcomes,” said Makoto Yoshioka, Director of The Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale. “We are excited to support translational research for diseases with unmet needs, such as ANCA-associated vasculitis, antiphospholipid syndrome, asthma and allergies, age-related macular degeneration, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, cystic fibrosis, and systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis" said Makoto Yoshioka, Director of The Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale.
The 2024 awardees are:
Development Award:
- Demetrios Braddock, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pathology
- Project: Targeted Biologic Ttherapy for Autoimmune Disease Associated with DNAse1L3 Deficiency
Pilot Awards:
- Andrew Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Internal Medicine (Rheumatology) and Noah Palm, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Immunobiology
- Project: Understanding the Therapeutic Potential of a Novel IgE Receptor
- Jaime Grutzendler, M.D., Dr. Harry M. Zimmerman and Dr. Nicholas and Viola Spinelli Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience
- Project: Therapeutic Targeting of Thromboangioplasticity in Autoimmune Antiphospholipid Syndrome
- Craig Wilen, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Immunobiology and Laboratory Medicine
- Project: Development of Therapeutic Bispecific Antibodies for Tuft Cell Associated Allergic Disease
- Ruslan Medzhitov, Ph.D., Sterling Professor of Immunobiology
- Project: Rationally Designed Allergy Vaccines
- Paul Turner, Ph.D., Rachel Carson Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Project: Developing Inhaled Phage Therapy with Anti-Inflammatory Effects
- David Spiegel, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry
- Project: Small Molecule Strategies to Induce Antigen-Specific B Cell Tolerance
- Ellen Foxman, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Immunobiology
- Project: Identifying Modifiers of Rhinovirus-induced Pathological Inflammation to Combat Asthma
- James Hansen, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Therapeutic Radiology
- Project: Inhibiting NETosis with Nuclear-penetrating Antibodies
- David van Dijk, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine) and of Computer Science; Rahul Dhodapkar, Ph.D., Research Affiliate; Brian Hafler, M.D., Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science and of Pathology
- Project: AI-Simulated In Silico Humans: A New Paradigm for Modeling Autoimmunity
- Christine Bakhoum, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatric Nephrology; Mathieu Bakhoum, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science; Dennis Moledina, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Nephrology
- Project: Profiling Urine Methylation in Lupus Nephritis
Applications for the 2025 application cycle will open on September 3, 2024. Learn more here.
About The Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale
The Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale is part of a larger Colton Center Consortium. Yale joins Colton Centers at the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and Tel Aviv University to build a coalition dedicated to advancing autoimmunity research internationally. These awards underscore the Colton Center's commitment to fostering cutting-edge research and advancing the fight against autoimmune and allergic diseases globally.
About Yale Ventures
Launched by Yale University in 2022, Yale Ventures seeks to foster and accelerate a vibrant entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem that increases support, resources, and opportunities for Yale innovators as they translate their ideas and discoveries into new ventures that will positively impact the world's greatest challenges. Yale Ventures operates across four core functional areas: innovation training and startups, IP & licensing, corporate strategy, and innovation community. By providing comprehensive support across these areas, Yale Ventures empowers the university's community to drive meaningful impact through groundbreaking innovations. For more information, visit ventures.yale.edu.