A new biomedical research hub is coming to New York City, with the ultimate goal of bioengineering immune cells capable of stopping a disease in its tracks.
The research hub is a collaborative effort between the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Columbia University and the Rockefeller University — both based in New York City — and New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University.
Researchers at the CZ Biohub NY will focus on the development of new technologies and aim to bioengineer immune cells to detect, prevent and treat disease in the earliest stages, according to an Oct. 19 news release. The state of New York and the city will each contribute $10 million to the research hub.
"Right now, diseases such as cancer and Parkinson's are often diagnosed after the onset of obvious symptoms, making them harder or even impossible to treat," Priscilla Chan, MD, former pediatrician and co-founder and CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, said in a statement. "To change that, researchers and engineers at the New York Biohub will bioengineer immune cells to scout, report, and repair damage to our cells before it leads to serious illness."