Catalyzing Collaboration: 2025 Neuroscience Seed Funding Recipients

Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences continues to foster collaboration between researchers at Henry Ford and MSU by supporting seven research projects through the partnership’s Neuroscience Seed Funding.

“The selected projects represent the best of collaborative innovation—harnessing the immense expertise of Henry Ford + MSU to tackle complex challenges in neuroscience,” said Ellen Air, M.D., Ph.D., Henry Ford + MSU Neuroscience Planning Committee chair. “From neurodegenerative disease to pain resolution and advanced imaging, these proposals highlight the power of this partnership to advance science and transform the future of healthcare.”

In March 2025, the Henry Ford + MSU Neuroscience Planning Committee announced a new seed funding opportunity. The program aimed to catalyze new connections and enhance collaborations between both institutions through joint grant applications of up to $50,000 each.

“This seed funding propels synergistic expertise into formalized neuroscience Henry Ford + MSU research partnerships,” said Caryl Sortwell, Ph.D., Henry Ford + MSU Neuroscience Planning Committee co-chair.

The submission deadline was in September 2025 and the committee received 21 promising applications. After careful review, these seven collaborative projects were selected, representing a diverse range of neuroscience-focused studies:

• Clinical Neuroimmunology of Non-Allergic Rhinitis
  Principal Investigators: Geoffroy Laumet, Ph.D. (MSU) and John Craig, M.D. (Henry Ford)
• Metasurfaces to Increase Visual Acuity in Retinal Prostheses and Validation via Spatial Transcriptomics
  Principal Investigators: Shashi Srivastava, Ph.D. (Henry Ford) and Erin Purcell, Ph.D. (MSU)
• Directional Extracellular Vesicle Release and Vascular Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease
  Principal Investigators: Yi Zhang, Ph.D. (Henry Ford) and Nicholas Kanaan, Ph.D. (MSU)
• Extracellular Vesicles Carrying Mitochondrial DNA Cargo Translate Lewy Body Pathology into Microglial Activation
  Principal Investigators: Joseph Patterson, Ph.D. (MSU) and Yi Zhang, Ph.D. (Henry Ford)
• Drivers of Fluid and Metabolite Transport in the Aging Brain
  Principal Investigators: Qingguang Zhang, Ph.D. (MSU) and Quan Jiang, Ph.D. (Henry Ford)
• Metabolic Programming of IL-10-Producing Monocytes/Macrophages During Chronic Pain Resolution
  Principal Investigators: Shailendra Giri, Ph.D. (Henry Ford) and Geoffroy Laumet, Ph.D. (MSU)
• Advancing Clinical MEG/EEG Interpretation in Epilepsy Using AI Techniques
  Principal Investigators: Farid-Ahmed Badar, Ph.D. (Henry Ford) and Saiprasad Ravishankar, Ph.D. (MSU)