Courtesy/UMass
Dan and Diane Riccio.
August 2, 2022
Riccio neuroscience fund at UMass Chan lends support to four projects
Photo | Grant Welker
UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester
Following an historic $15-million pledge in February by UMass alumni Dan and Diane Casey Riccio, their eponymous neuroscience fund will support four projects in 2022.
One of the four projects is a renewal while the other three are newly supported, according to a July 25 announcement from UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester.
Those projects selected include:
- How do human microbiota determine neuronal health? By Mark Alkema, professor of neurobiology, Alexandra Byrne, assistant professor of neurobiology; Doyle Ward, associate professor of microbiology and physiological systems; and Beth McCormick, the Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research Chair, professor and vice-chair of microbiology and physiological systems and director of the program in microbiome dynamics.
- High-throughput antibody profiling of cerebrospinal fluid from multiple sclerosis patients, by Yingleong Chan, assistant professor of neurology, and Christopher Hemond, assistant professor of neurology.
- Targeting sensory neurons for the treatment of chronic itch by gene therapy, by Allison Keeler-Klunk, assistant professor of pediatrics, and John Harris, chair and professor of dermatology.
- Mechanisms and functions of gut-neural sensing, by Yang Xiang, assistant professor of neurobiology and Y. Tony Ip, professor of molecular medicine.
The school did not specify how much money was being given to each project.
When the Riccios announced their $15-million gift in February, $10 million was to be set aside to support the Riccio ALS Accelerator Initiative, with $5 million earmarked to expand and endow the Riccio Fund for Neuroscience, which had been established in 2017 with a $1 million gift from the couple.
Dan Riccio works as vice president of engineering at Apple, Inc. and graduated from UMass Amherst with an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering in 1986. Diane Riccio received her doctorate from UMass’ Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 2003 and works with the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California and Northern Nevada, where she serves on the board of directors.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments