Recognizing that the best science is achieved through collaboration, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Neuroscience Initiative at the Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York have come together to create the Center for Glial Biology, a multidisciplinary research and clinical program dedicated to the study of glial cell development and function.
At a time when glial cells—traditionally considered “support cells”—are beginning to take center stage as major players in health and disease mechanisms, our joint initiative is advancing the important work both Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and ASRC had independently been undertaking in this field. By pooling the resources of both groups, our Center is merging the talents of world-class researchers, the power of cutting-edge technologies, and the creativity of new ideas from both institutions in the pursuit of novel insights and innovations.
This initiative, which is the first of its kind in New York City, is designed to foster the growth of robust research programs striving to unlock new understandings of how the brain works. Through this synthesis of talent and technology, the Center for Glial Biology is uniquely positioned to make significant contributions to the field of neuroscience research and ultimately to the lives of patients hoping to overcome a range of neurological disorders.
Led by Directors Patrizia Casaccia,MD, PhD, and Anne Schaefer, MD, PhD, the mission of the Center is to integrate innovative basic research, enhance interdisciplinary interactions, develop novel cutting-edge technologies, share information, and apply our findings to advance drug discovery to promote human health.