BOSTON, Oct. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School today announced the expansion of its research leadership with the appointment of four world-class scientists: Core faculty members Dr. Marco Colonna and Dr. Francisco J. Quintana and Institute Members Dr. Howard L. Weiner and Dr. Jun R. Huh. The newly appointed members underscore the Institute’s commitment to advancing human health by cracking the code on how immune-organ system communication shapes tissue health and disease.
“The addition of these exceptional scientists marks an exciting new chapter for the Gene Lay Institute,” said Dr. Vijay Kuchroo, Director, The Gene Lay Institute. “Drs. Colonna, Quintana, Weiner, and Huh bring remarkable records of discovery, innovation, and collaboration to our team. Their diverse perspectives and expertise in neuroimmunology, mucosal biology, innate immunity, host-microbiome interactions, and translational medicine will strengthen our community, open new avenues for discovery, and help accelerate our shared goal of turning important scientific breakthroughs into treatments that can improve patients’ lives.”
By uniting cross-disciplinary research, human-relevant models, and advanced analytical technologies, the Gene Lay Institute works alongside the broader scientific community to convert biological data into functional knowledge on how the immune and other organ systems work together to influence overall health, and support the development of targeted, immune-based therapies. This appointment brings on two new Core Faculty Members:
- Dr. Marco Colonna joins as a Core Faculty Member from Washington University in St. Louis, holding joint affiliations with Massachusetts General Hospital (a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system), Harvard Medical School, and the Broad Institute. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, he has made seminal discoveries in innate immunity, including innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), plasmacytoid dendritic cells, and TREM/LILR receptors. His current work on microglial biology and neuro-immune interactions directly advances the Institute’s cross-system research on aging and neurodegeneration.
- Dr. Francisco J. Quintana, a foundational investigator since the Institute’s inception, serves as a Core Faculty Member and Leader of the Program on Aging and Immunity. A Professor of Neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system), Harvard Medical School, and the Broad Institute, he investigates how metabolism, environmental factors, and the gut microbiome control neuro-inflammation. His breakthrough insights into the AHR pathway led to the FDA-approved drug Tapinarof, exemplifying the Institute’s drive to turn biological insights into real-world medicine.
And two new Institute Members:
- Dr. Howard L. Weiner joins as an Institute Member, bringing decades of translational leadership in neuroimmunology and mucosal immunity. He is the Robert L. Kroc Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Brigham Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center, and Co-Director of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases. As the founder of the 20-year Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis (CLIMB) cohort tracking 2,300 MS patients, Dr. Weiner is pioneering nasal anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody therapies in clinical trials to dampen microglial inflammation in MS, Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and Multiple System Atrophy (MSA).
- Dr. Jun R. Huh joins as an Institute Member, strengthening the Institute’s focus on mucosal immunology, host-microbiome interactions, and neuroimmune communication. An Associate Professor of Immunology at Harvard Medical School and Faculty Co-Advisor of the Gnotobiotic Core Facility, Dr. Huh investigates how immune cytokines such as IL-17 and gut bacteria-derived metabolites modulate neural circuits and gut inflammation – work that reveals how organ systems communicate across tissue boundaries. He is also developing novel tools for dissecting the flow of information between the immune and nervous systems.
For more information about the Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, please visit www.genelayinstitute.org.
About the Gene Lay Institute
Founded in 2023 with a historic gift given by biotech entrepreneur Gene Lay, the Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation convenes leading scientists, clinicians, and bioinformaticians from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. By combining cross-system immunology, human-relevant research, and advanced analytical technologies, the Institute decodes how the immune system interacts with other organ systems to accelerate novel therapies for complex diseases. To learn more, visit genelayinstitute.org and follow the institute on LinkedIn.
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