Morgridge Institute for Research

Morgridge Institute for Research is a private, nonprofit biomedical research institute located in Madison, Wisconsin, and affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The institute was established through a donation from John and Tashia Morgridge, Microsoft's former Chief Information Officer and his wife, a philanthropist and University of Wisconsin–Madison Alumni Association member. The institute is part of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, a Research park that also includes the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Department of Biomedical Engineering. The institute collaborates with other research institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, Stanford University, and the University of California, Berkeley.

● History

The Morgridge Institute for Research was founded in 2008 with a donation of $50 million from John and Tashia Morgridge, Pewaukee, Wisconsin natives and University of Wisconsin–Madison Alumni Association members. The institute is named after the Morgridge family, who have a long history of Philanthropy in Wisconsin, including donations to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Marquette University, and the Milwaukee Art Museum. The institute's founding director was Thomas "Rock" Mackie, a medical physicist and University of Wisconsin–Madison professor, who previously worked at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and the National Institutes of Health. The institute has also collaborated with other research institutions, including the Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Oxford.

● Organization

The Morgridge Institute for Research is led by a team of scientists and administrators, including the director, Paul Ahlquist, a virologist and University of Wisconsin–Madison professor, who previously worked at the National Institutes of Health and the Scripps Research Institute. The institute is organized into several research centers, including the Regenerative Biology center, the Virology center, and the Imaging and Analysis center, which collaborate with other research institutions, including the California Institute of Technology, Columbia University, and the University of Chicago. The institute also has a number of core facilities, including a Genomics facility, a Proteomics facility, and a Bioinformatics facility, which provide research support to scientists at the institute and other institutions, including the University of Michigan, Duke University, and the University of California, Los Angeles.

● Research Areas

The Morgridge Institute for Research focuses on several key research areas, including regenerative biology, virology, and imaging and analysis. The institute's researchers use a range of techniques, including stem cell biology, gene editing, and cryo-electron microscopy, to study diseases such as Cancer, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. The institute collaborates with other research institutions, including the National Cancer Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization, to advance our understanding of these diseases and to develop new therapies. The institute's researchers also work with scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, and the Broad Institute.

● Facilities and Resources

The Morgridge Institute for Research is located in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery building, a research park that also includes the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Department of Biomedical Engineering. The institute has a number of state-of-the-art research facilities, including a Genomics facility, a Proteomics facility, and a Bioinformatics facility, which provide research support to scientists at the institute and other institutions, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Minnesota, and the University of Washington. The institute also has a number of core facilities, including a Microscopy facility, a flow cytometry facility, and a animal research facility, which are used by researchers at the institute and other institutions, including the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

● Partnerships and Collaborations

The Morgridge Institute for Research collaborates with a number of other research institutions, including the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Stanford University, and the University of California, Berkeley. The institute also partners with Biotechnology companies, such as Promega Corporation and Epic Systems, to develop new therapies and diagnostics. The institute is a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, and collaborates with other research institutions, including the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Wellcome Trust. The institute's researchers also work with scientists at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the National Institute of Mental Health.

● Education and Outreach

The Morgridge Institute for Research is committed to education and outreach, and offers a number of programs for students and teachers, including internships, fellowships, and workshops. The institute also partners with schools and community organizations to promote science education and science literacy, and collaborates with other research institutions, including the National Science Foundation, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Science Education Partnership Award. The institute's researchers also work with scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Category:Research institutes in the United States