Five Scripps Research professors have received funding from the Bachrach Family Foundation for projects ranging from tuberculosis to autoimmune disease research.

The recipients include Assistant Professor Danielle Grotjahn, PhD, and Scripps Fellow Raphael Park, PhD, both of the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology; Assistant Professor Giordano Lippi, PhD, of the Department of Neuroscience; Assistant Professor Joseph Jardine, PhD, of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology; and Scripps Fellow Shannon Miller, PhD, of the Department of Chemistry.

The Bachrach Family Foundation was established by Ed Bachrach, retired chairman and CEO of Bachrach Clothing, Inc. The foundation aims to support and enable the development of medical and scientific discoveries that wouldn’t otherwise find success through traditional funding mechanisms. Recently, Associate Professor Michael Bollong received a grant from the foundation for his work to develop novel therapeutics for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Funding from the Bachrach Family Foundation will go toward supporting the research and development of each recipients’ project and milestones to completion. The projects include:

Grotjahn received $465,000 for her project “Molecular Archeology: Unveiling the Identity of a Microscopic ‘Volcano.’” Her lab focuses on researching the structural intricacies of the mitochondria, and how the “powerhouse of the cell” changes shape and activity in response to various mechanisms that dictate cell fate.

Park received $449,999 for his project “Revolutionizing Tuberculosis Treatment: Exploring Phage-Mycrobacteria Interactions for Phage Therapy.” During his doctoral studies, he developed a high-throughput, cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) pipeline to study how pathogens create niches within hosts, and how the immune system neutralizes these invaders.

Lippi was granted $400,000 for his project “Manipulating Micro-RNA Target Interactions to Correct Protein Levels in Disease.” His lab is focused on research of microRNAs, which are the regulatory molecules that control brain development—particularly miR-218, which has been linked to epilepsy and cognitive impairment.

Jardine was given $300,000 for his research titled “Engineering Antibodies and Soluble T cell Receptors Against Autoimmune Disease Targets.” His research focuses on studying immunology and protein engineering in order to better understand how the adaptive immune system identifies viral threats. He also works with Calibr-Skaggs scientists to investigate therapeutic targets.

Miller received $525,000 for her project “Development of Safe and Effective Methods for Biomolecule Delivery.” Her research focuses on creating new strategies for the development of gene therapies to address conditions ranging from hereditary blindness to blood disorders.