Listen to this articleThe Manhasset-based Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health’s research arm, has formed the Institute of Translational Research, the organization’s sixth research institute. A $5 million gift from the Karches family is endowing Dr. Douglas Nixon to serve as the Karches Family Professor in Translational Research and establishing the Karches Family Laboratory to support the institute’s mission.
Working with the organization’s other institutes – including in behavioral science, bioelectric medicine, cancer research, health system science and molecular science – the new institute is designed to advance the development of innovative therapies for diseases, bridging research with patient care.
The endowment marks the third faculty position made possible by the Karches family at Feinstein. The family has also supported research in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, cancer and bioelectronic medicine.
“Philanthropy strengthens the Feinstein Institutes’ ability to recruit the best and brightest leaders in their fields,” Susan Karches, member of the Feinstein Institutes Board of Directors since 2007, said in a news release about the most recent endowment.
“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,” Karches added.
“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,” Nixon said in the news release.
“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,” Nixon added.
Nixon previously served at Cornell University, and is known for his research on human endogenous retroviruses, often referred to as part of our “junk DNA” or “dark genome,” which have an impact on neuroimmunological, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions and aging.
A national Institutes of Health Merit awardee, Nixon will lead researchers, aiming to accelerate advancements into treatments for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS and other viral infections and mental health disorders.
Nixon is 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. He will bring with him nine lab members to support the mission of the new institute.
Weaving together the virological and immunological research threads from Nixon’s lab, the institute will be designed to collaborate with industry, government and the community in its research. This includes tapping into Northwell’s diverse patient population, which experts say can accelerate and reshape medical research, to enroll in clinical trials.
Under Nixon’s leadership, the new institute will aim to foster education and training in translational research through collaboration with scientists, clinicians and trainees across Northwell and other institutions worldwide.
“My colleagues and I welcome Prof. Nixon to the Feinstein Institutes,” Dr. said Kevin Tracey, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research, said in the news release.
“His leadership, and pioneering translational research strengthens our mission of ‘producing knowledge to cure disease,’” Tracey added. “His arrival promises an acceleration of work linking the patients in need to the newest discoveries in the lab.”
The Feinstein Institutes comprises 50 research labs and 5,000 researchers and staff across the health system. In 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the completion of a $35 million, 20,000-square-foot project at Feinstein, to support its work in bioelectronic medicine and research. The renovated space was finalized thanks to donors as well as financial support form the Empire State Development (ESD). Nixon’s lab will occupy the new area. A new $10 million ESD grant will support a second phase of lab upgrades at Feinstein.