The Metrodora
Foundation

Catalyzing scientific collaboration and discovery to find cures for neuroimmune axis disorders.

Our Focus

Neuroimmune axis disorders impact hundreds of millions of people globally.

These conditions are caused by dysregulated communication between the nervous, immune, endocrine, and gastrointestinal systems. Neuroimmune axis disorders simultaneously affect multiple body systems, resulting in complex chronic illnesses that are difficult to diagnose and treat. Today, there are no cures for these conditions, and treatment options remain severely limited.

The Metrodora Foundation exists to accelerate paths to novel therapies and cures for these debilitating diseases.

14 %

Only about 14% of original research actually impacts clinical practice.

17 Years

It takes 17 years for original research to be implemented into patient care.

90 %

Close to 90% of clinical trials fail to lead to approved therapeutics.

Neuroimmune Axis Disorders: A Growing Health Crisis

Today, there are no cures for these conditions, and treatments remain limited. The Metrodora Foundation exists to accelerate the path to cures.

40%

Of adults live with at least one chronic illness due to dysregulation of the neuroimmune axis.

10%

Of adults have an autoimmune disorder.

6 Million

People in the U.S. have an autonomic nervous system disorder.

65 Million

People around the world are impacted by long COVID and individuals infected by SARS-CoV-2 are more than twice as likely to develop an autoimmune or autonomic nervous system disorder

80%

Of individuals affected by a neuroimmune axis disorder are women

Neuroimmune axis disorders include many conditions that fall under the following umbrellas:

There are currently no cures for neuroimmune axis disorders, and treatments are limited.

We need a new, more collaborative approach to basic and translational research that will drive necessary discoveries.

The Challenge

Understanding the biological mechanisms of neuroimmune axis disorders has not been prioritized.

This is due to the complexity of these illnesses and the siloed nature of our medical and research systems. Biobanks focused on neuroimmune axis disorders do not exist, further hindering research. Finding new therapies and cures for these life-altering conditions requires integrating research across multiple scientific disciplines and industries

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Metrodora’s Vision

Activating a broader ecosystem to unlock cures.

The Metrodora Foundation’s mission is to accelerate scientific discoveries that will lead to breakthrough diagnostics, therapeutics and cures for people living with neuroimmune axis disorders.

 

Neuroimmune axis disorders are some of the most biologically complex conditions in medicine. Finding solutions to these diseases will require true collaboration across multiple scientific disciplines, as well as with industry. The Metrodora Foundation is breaking down barriers to scientific progress by facilitating collaboration between patients, clinicians, and researchers.

 

The Metrodora Foundation is funded by philanthropic donations, enabling us to aggressively pursue the most promising scientific research and respond in real-time to new discoveries.

 

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  • The Metrodora Foundation's Research Model

    Accelerating the speed of funding & furthering science. Translating discovery into cures.

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    Biobank and Data Repository

    The Foundation is partnering with the Metrodora Institute to build the first high-density biobank and data repository focused on neuroimmune axis disorders. Biological samples collected at the Institute are tied to genetics, multi-omics, immune profiling, biometrics, and clinical data to generate the comprehensive datasets required to drive scientific discovery.

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    Inverted Granting Model

    The Metrodora Foundation employs an innovative granting mechanism to accelerate the speed at which we fund and further scientific research. Our scientific advisory board identifies key research priorities and pathways for discovery that will dramatically impact our understanding of the neuroimmune axis. We partner with innovative scientists with leading technologies and provide them with access to domain experts, biological samples, deeply phenotyped clinical data, and funding to successfully drive breakthroughs.

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    Metrodora Scholars Program

    The Metrodora Foundation funds exceptional early career scholars focused on neuroimmune axis disorders. The program provides support for research, education, and mentorship.

    Our Research Roadmap

    Prioritizing imperative research areas with the greatest impact potential.

    Genetic contributions to neuroimmune axis disorders

    Many neuroimmune axis disorders appear to have a heritable component. We are using whole genome sequencing and epigenetics to accelerate the discovery of how genetic interactions are associated with these complex and likely polygenic diseases. This will change the landscape of how these neuroimmune axis disorders are characterized and diagnosed.

    Biomarker discovery and validation

    Biomarkers play fundamental roles in identifying disease and tracking disease severity. We are using genomics, multi-omics, and deep immune profiling to determine stratification biomarkers for neuroimmune axis disorders, providing insight into disease mechanisms.

    Characterization of immune dysfunction

    The gastrointestinal tract is the largest interface of the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. We are just starting to understand the molecular and cellular details of how these systems interact. Deep immune profiling of innate and adaptive cells, immune mediators, and metabolites using high-resolution cytometry and multi-omics approaches will deepen our understanding of mucosal immunology and help determine how immune dysregulation leads to disease.

    Gastrointestinal microbiota-neuroimmune axis interactions

    Microbes play important roles in health and disease. Understanding how the microbiota modulates the neuroimmune axis will lead to new classes of therapeutics. We are using revolutionary tools to three-dimensionally map microbiota-host interactions at the single-cell level along the length of the GI tract. This will provide unprecedented insights into the biological mechanisms driving GI symptoms in neuroimmune axis disorders.

    If successful, in the next ten years we will have identified new diagnostics, therapies, and cures for several neuroimmune axis disorders — and have demonstrated a scalable scientific research model that can be replicated across other disease spaces.

    Be part of finding the first cures.

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  • Our Board Members

    Fidji Simo

    President, Metrodora Foundation, Co-founder, Metrodora Institute, CEO, Instacart

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    Marc Berger

    COO, Ascertain

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    Sam Huang

    Managing Partner at Checkpoint Capital L.P.

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    Carol Suh

    Partner at ARCH Venture Partners, Co-founder, Neumora

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    Scientific Advisory Board

    Oved Amitay

    Former President and CEO, Solve ME/CFS Initiative

    Mark Bouzyk, PhD

    President, CSO & Co-Founder, AllaiHealth Inc.

    Michal “Mikki” Caspi Tal, PhD

    Principal Scientist, MIT Department of Biological Engineering Associate Scientific Director, MIT Center for Gynepathology Research

    Steve Gardner, PhD

    CEO, PrecisionLife Ltd.

    Linda G. Griffith, PhD

    Departments of Biological and Mechanical Engineering Director of Center for Gynepathology Research Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Rohit Gupta

    Chief Executive Officer & Head of Innovation and Research, Metrodora Institute

    Steven Hicks, MD, PhD

    Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine

    Holden Maecker, PhD

    Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and Director of the Human Immune Monitoring Center, Stanford University

    Anthony Philippakis

    General Partner, GV, Institute Scientist, Broad Institute

    Peter Rowe, MD

    Professor of Pediatrics, Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

    Julia Fridman Simard, ScD

    Associate Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health, Medicine in Immunology and Rheumatology, Obstetrics ad Gynecology in Maternal Fetal Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine

    Leadership

    Amy Rochlin

    Executive Director

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