When San Diego鈥檚 Scripps Research Institute and Germany鈥檚 Max Planck Society came to Palm Beach County nearly 20 years ago, officials dreamed of building a biotech engine to rival the nation鈥檚 great research centers in Boston, San Diego, North Carolina and San Francisco.
The grand ambition has not been realized, even as the august institutions were joined over the years by a robust presence from Florida Atlantic University, all on the same campus in Jupiter鈥檚 Abacoa neighborhood.
To move into the next phase of recruiting scientists and building the region鈥檚 reputation, the three institutions have come together with key financial partners to proclaim a shared interest in the human brain.
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They plan to unveil the Brain Coast of South Florida, a name to conjure the focus, enthusiasm and success of Florida鈥檚 Space Coast, on Oct. 24.
鈥淵ou have to have a goal, you have to have a challenge, you have to have a mission. And with those things, good things happen,鈥� said Randy Blakely, executive director of the
Blakely and President and CEO Patrick McNamara have brought together their own institutions with the Herbert Wertheim for Biomedical Innovation and Technology, the of Neuroscience, the and the , known as SEFBHN.
Palm Health, born from the ; Stiles-Nicholson, a private foundation; and SEFBHN, which distributes state Department of Children and Families money in a five-county region, all are in the business of grant-making.
Dispelling myth, emphasizing brain health
They aim to build on three pillars:
- Deepening .
- Expanding community engagement on brain health.
- Spurring innovation to improve brain health, mental health and personal and community resilience.
They want to dispel myths, share scientific findings and instill the importance of mental well-being and resilience by fostering a culture that prioritizes brain health.
McNamara, who has headed Palm Health for seven years, said the Brain Coast concept came to him a few years ago at a Johns Hopkins symposium at The Breakers.
鈥淭hey were interviewing a guy who had early onset Alzheimer鈥檚, who was going to Johns Hopkins for the care,鈥� McNamara said in an interview he and Blakely gave to Stet News. 鈥淎nd they asked him 鈥榃hy?鈥� And he said, 鈥楤ecause, really, they have a nexus of deep brain science, and they鈥檙e very engaged with the community, and they鈥檙e innovative with their care.鈥�
鈥淎nd so, I was like, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 what we need to try to foster here.鈥欌��
The institutions already work together, with scientists taking advantage of state-of-the-art equipment. They鈥檙e building toward going beyond animal studies to humans, although there鈥檚 still no teaching hospital in north county, long considered a key to growth.
鈥淕o and look in terms of the neuroscience being done on the Jupiter campus,鈥� Blakely said. 鈥淲ith almost no exception, it鈥檚 all in molecules and animals. It鈥檚 not in human research. 鈥� It鈥檚 a clear absence.鈥�
All about the brain
The institutions will continue engagement efforts and look for ways to collaborate. Some of the ongoing efforts:
- Max Planck鈥檚 lecture series.
- 贵础鲍鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;, and program for high-schoolers.
- Cox Science Center鈥檚 , now dismantled as part of expansion of the West Palm Beach museum.
- Palm Health Foundation-supported wellness initiative and .
- UF Scripps鈥� on 鈥淗ealing the Brain鈥� and 鈥淥utsmarting Brain Cancer.鈥�
Blakely suggested the effort is still in its infancy, where the nation鈥檚 top biotech centers were 15 years ago.
鈥淚 think we turn around in a few years, and you鈥檙e going to see this area be thought of, when you say, 鈥榦h, OK, well, there鈥檚 Southern California and then there鈥檚 Boston鈥� and there鈥檚 no reason in the world why it can鈥檛 be South Florida,鈥� he said.
In the next 10 years, McNamara said, he hopes the Brain Coast is known not just nationally but worldwide.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be doing everything in our power to really continue to put South Florida on the map in all things brain-related,鈥� he said.
What鈥檚 next: The launch is scheduled for 4 pm Oct. 24 at the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, 5353 Parkside Drive, Jupiter. Reservations to attend can be made .
This story was originally published by , a 港澳天下彩News partner.
