Exploring the neural/immune interface

The Weizmann Institute of Science is delighted to announce a pledge from Larry and Andi Wolfe to establish the Andrea L. and Lawrence A. Wolfe Family Center for Research on Neuroimmunology and Neuromodulation—a pillar of Weizmann’s neuroscience flagship, the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences.

The brain is considered the final frontier of human biology. The immune system serves as the body’s guardian, vigilantly patrolling for invading pathogens and toxins to destroy. The interface between these systems is of tremendous importance, as malfunctions in either can have devastating consequences. Understanding the neural/immune interface and learning how to manipulate or modulate brain activity are scientific and clinical goals lying at the farthest edge of that final frontier.

The Institute gratefully acknowledges the extraordinary commitment of Larry and Andi Wolfe to establish this new center, which will support the use of innovative tools and technologies to study interactions among neurons, neural tissue, and immune cells. The Center will establish a platform for Weizmann neuroscientists to investigate brain development, disease, and degeneration, with the aim of understanding and modulating the neural/immune interface to enhance healthy brain function.

Prof. Eran Hornstein from the Department of Molecular Genetics—and head of the new Department of Molecular Neuroscience—will lead the Center. “Philanthropy is about making an impact, and we know that supporting the Weizmann Institute is an investment that will fuel extraordinary progress in this critical area of research for gene- rations to come,” said Andi and Larry Wolfe. “Neuroimmunology holds the vast potential to change and save so many lives, and we are thrilled the Center will be in the talented hands of Prof. Eran Hornstein and his team of fellow Weizmann scientists.”