The Beckman Institute, through its people and facilities, was one of the key players in the creation of the new Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory, the first-ever interdisciplinary nutrition and cognition research center. The center and the funding supporting its efforts means researchers can now play a greater role in an area that is increasingly seen as key to cognitive health: nutrition.
An agreement between global nutritional company Abbott and the University of Illinois led to the announcement in December of the Center for Nutrition, Learning, and Memory (CNLM), and of an annual “Grand Challenge” competition funded by Abbott to support research in this area. Beckman researcher Neal Cohen was chosen as the Illinois Director for the new center.
Cohen said the center and the Grand Challenge will provide a new source of funding, but also a chance for campus researchers to make a difference in the area of human health.
“It’s an opportunity to do applied or translational work that can do some real good,” Cohen said. “It emphasizes areas that already exist as strengths (neuroscience and nutrition) on campus and gives them a new venue in which to operate.”
That venue isn’t limited to neuroscience or nutrition researchers, or those who are affiliated with Beckman.
“For the rest of our colleagues the attraction would be to have truly team-based work, create partnerships among people with lots of different expertise, and have a strong industrial partner where the work we’re doing can translate into something tangible that could help people,” Cohen said. “That’s the opportunity we are being given.”
The creation of the Center for Nutrition, Learning and Memory involved four campus units and their directors: the Beckman Institute, the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB), the Division of Nutritional Sciences and the Neuroscience Program. Cohen, who is also Director of the Neuroscience Program, is the Illinois Director of the Center for Nutrition, Learning and Memory, while Keith Garleb, Director of Global Discovery Research at Abbott Nutrition, is the Abbott Director.
Abbott has had research ties to Illinois for more than 20 years and has a site at the Research Park on south campus, but the new center has its origins in visits by company officials to Beckman and IGB facilities, and talks with the directors of those two premier interdisciplinary campus research centers.
Beckman Institute Director Art Kramer and former IGB Director Harris Lewin had initial talks with Abbott about creating a research center on campus for nutrition, learning, and memory. Later, current IGB Director Gene Robinson joined in the efforts, along with Division of Nutritional Science faculty members Rod Johnson and Sharon Donovan. Johnson and Donovan have worked over the years with Abbott Nutrition, a division of Abbott, on individual projects.
Kramer said the company is providing not just funding opportunities for researchers at Beckman and on campus, but also a chance to expand the role of science in its business.
“Abbott Nutrition wants to be known as the company that takes science seriously,” he said. “They are not required to; it’s not like new drugs where you have to go through FDA trials. You don’t have to do that in nutrition.
“I think, and rightly so, they want to be known as the company that takes science seriously in everything they develop. We’ll do some of the basic research and some of the translational research that will help them do that. So it is a partnership.”
Kramer agreed with Cohen that the new center will benefit both Beckman and its faculty members who take part in the research.
