This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can. (January 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links, and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view. (June 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (June 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience
The Institute in August 2012
Established2010 (2010)
ChairDr. David Fitzpatrick
AddressOne Max Planck Way
Jupiter, Florida 33458 USA
Location
John D. MacArthur Campus, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida
Websitewww.mpfi.org

The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI), is a research facility located in Jupiter, Florida. Its research focuses on brain function and neural circuits, using techniques to visualize microscopic molecular processes. It is the first institute established by the Max Planck Society in North America.[1]

Research

The focus of the research at this institute is to better understand the structure, function,[2] and development of neural circuits. It is a basic research institute.

Scientific Directors

The current Scientific Director of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience is David Fitzpatrick.[3] David Fitzpatrick was named CEO and Scientific Director of MPFI in 2011. Previously, Fitzpatrick was the James B. Duke Professor of Neuroscience at the Duke University School of Medicine and was the Founding Director of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences. Fitzpatrick's professional awards for his research accomplishments include the Alfred P. Sloan Research Award, the Cajal Club Cortical Discoverer Award, and the McKnight Neuroscience Investigator Award. Dr. Fitzpatrick has also served on many scientific advisory boards including the Searle Scholars Program, the German Research Foundation (DFG), the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology, and the National Institute of Health (NIH). Dr. Fitzpatrick also served as a Senior Editor for the Journal of Neuroscience, among other scientific publications.[1]

Ryohei Yasuda was named Scientific Director of MPFI in 2012. He has a PhD in physics from Keio University Graduate School of Science and Technology in Yokohama, Japan. From 2000 to 2005, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and was an assistant professor of Neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center from 2005 to 2012. Yasuda also served as an Early Career Scientist at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute from 2009 to 2012. Yasuda's professional awards for his research accomplishments include the Career Award at the Scientific Interface from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, the New investigator Award from the Alzheimer's Association, and the Research Award for Innovative Neuroscience from the Society for Neuroscience.[1]

Discoveries

CentA1

In 2013, a research study led by MPFI's Scientific Director, Dr. Ryohei Yasuda, discovered a signaling protein involved in the neuronal dysfunction seen in Alzheimer's Disease. This study showed that reduction in production of the protein, centaurin-1 (CentA1), using RNA silencing techniques led to amelioration of Alzheimer's-related symptoms in neurons.[4]

Facilities

The Florida campus of the Max Planck Institute for Neuroscience opened their new 3-story, 100,000-square-foot (9,300 m2) research facility on the John D. MacArthur Campus of the Florida Atlantic University's Honors Campus in Jupiter, Florida in 2012. Almost 58,000 square feet (5,400 m2) of the building is dedicated laboratory space, including guest labs for visiting scientists. The building also includes a 100-seat auditorium.

The MPFI building was designed by the Washington, D.C. architectural firm, ZGF Architects LLP and built by DPR Construction. The building meets the requirements of the US Green Building Council's LEED-NC accreditation program and has incorporated laboratory-specific energy-use reduction recommendations from the US Department of Energy's Lab 21 environmental performance criteria.[5] Features of the building include:[1]

The building is also designed to provide high levels of stiffness and vibration isolation for sensitive imaging technologies.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience Website". mpfi.org. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Study highlights the importance of sensory connections in fear learning". News-Medical.net. 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  3. ^ "Boards". mpfi.org. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  4. ^ Szatmari, Erzsebet; Ana F. Oliveira; Elizabeth J. Sumner; Ryohei Yasuda (March 2013). "Centaurin-α1-Ras-Elk-1 Signaling at Mitochondria Mediates β-Amyloid-Induced Synaptic Dysfunction". The Journal of Neuroscience. 33 (12): 5367–5374. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2641-12.2013. PMC 3866502. PMID 23516302.
  5. ^ Brinkmann, Paul (2012-12-20). "Green building: South Florida now has 200 LEED projects". South Florida Business Journal.

26°53′02″N 80°06′53″W / 26.8839°N 80.1148°W / 26.8839; -80.1148

Categories