Four University of Minnesota neuroscience researchers will get a beneficial boost to their work when the Wallin Discovery Fund awards its first grant award recipients at a ceremony in the McNamara Alumni Center later today.

The Wallin Discovery Fund is a new approach to philanthropy, and one designed to provide University of Minnesota neuroscience researchers pilot grants to launch promising research projects. Established by the late Win Wallin and his wife Maxine, the fund provides an annually-recurring $500,000 gift to the University, which in turn uses the funding to support the pursuit of novel ideas by U of M neuroscientists.

To fund their work, researchers often secure seed grants from smaller trusts or organizations, but they can be difficult to receive. Larger funding sources such as the NIH normally don’t fund research until after initial data gathering or demonstrated promise of future results, so funding start-up projects becomes a challenging cycle.

The Wallin family wants to plug that hole and stop such a cycle from impacting U of M researchers.

One researcher benefiting from the new fund, Kenneth Baker, Ph.D., has been awarded funding to support the development of new therapies to facilitate recovery from severe drug addiction. The research looks to provide help to millions of Americans currently suffering from drug addiction.

In the study, U of M researchers will examine the effects of deep brain stimulation on select portions of the brain that are most affected by drug exposure. Stimulation of these regions may reduce motivation for the drug and restore minimal functioning. Currently, deep brain stimulation is widely used to treat Parkinson’s disease.

“In addition to the quality of life implications and risks to physical health, drug addiction has substantial economic impacts, from patient rehabilitation costs and loss of workforce productity,” said Baker. “Unfortunately, current options for the treatment of addiction are limited and the risk of relapse is high even after prolonged abstinence. We’re hoping to change that.”

The Discovery Fund was an entrepreneurial leap of faith for the Wallin family, and one that continues the spirit of Win Wallin’s legacy. The family’s goal is to provide catalyst dollars that will help the University garner a larger share of federal research dollars and speed the process of moving lifesaving research from the lab to the bedside.

“Over the coming years, we hope to support dozens of projects with the Discovery Fund,” says the Wallins’ son Brad, who will help oversee the fund along with other family members. “Our father loved the idea of pulling more research money into the U of M. We want to grow annual funding substantially.”