A gift from Tatyana and Alan Forman names Dr. Kevin Tracey’s lab to further bioelectronic research

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, the global scientific home of bioelectronic medicine, has received a transformational gift from Tatyana and Alan Forman to continue its cutting-edge research. The bioelectronic medicine lab, run by Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes, has been renamed the Tatyana and Alan Forman Family Laboratory of Biomedical Science.

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Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes’ lab is now called the Tatyana and Alan Forman Family Laboratory of Biomedical Science. (Credit: Feinstein Institutes)

“Science, and particularly the exciting field of bioelectronic medicine, is the future of health care,” said Mrs. Forman. “Our support will provide Dr. Tracey and his team of scientific innovators with the resources they need to make progress on new ideas that hold the promise of transforming the lives of millions of patients across the globe.”

“Additionally, this gift will help recruit top scientific talent to Dr. Tracey’s nationally and internationally recognized laboratory and aid in their endeavors and cure disease through novel technology,” added Mr. Forman.

Bioelectronic medicine explores electronic devices to treat disease and injury through the body’s nervous system instead of traditional pharmaceuticals. The growing field intersects with molecular medicine, neuroscience and bioengineering. The goal of bioelectronic medicine is to identify neural targets that can be selectively turned on or off when needed to control the function of specific organs. Through the Formans’ investment in bioelectronic medicine research will help support extraordinary researchers and their novel – often unfunded – work within Dr. Tracey’s lab, bridging the gap between biomedical research and patient care.

“The Forman family’s generous and visionary support enables us to expand the promise of bioelectronic medicine to treat patients using electronic devices targeting specific molecular mechanisms,” said Dr. Tracey, the Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. “The Forman Family Lab at the Feinstein Institutes is committed to producing new knowledge to treat disease and alleviate suffering.”

Heralded as the founding father of bioelectronic medicine for his early discoveries, Dr. Tracey and his colleagues within the Feinstein Institutes’ Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine are looking to understand better how the brain and body communicate, particularly with a focus on the vagus nerve. Through vagus nerve stimulation, scientists can deactivate the body’s inflammatory response, which, if uncontrolled, could lead to novel therapies to treat diseases like Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis.

A recent discovery from Dr. Tracey and his lab was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), which showed the ability to use light (optogenetics) and neuronal genetic deletion to turn on/off the proteins released by neurons that control inflammation.

The Formans have been supporters of the Feinstein Institutes for more than two decades. Their generosity helps Northwell’s seven-year, $1 billion Outpacing the Impossible fundraising campaign to fuel innovation to advance health care and support Northwell’s promise to the people it serves. The campaign – which supports capital projects, improves hospitals and clinical programs, advances research and funds endowment for teaching and research initiatives – was publicly launched in October 2018 and to date, has raised more than $870 million. To learn more about Northwell and the Outpacing the Impossible campaign, visit https://give.northwell.edu/campaign.

About the Feinstein Institutes

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Home to 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health innovations and outcomes, and molecular medicine. We make breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.

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