History of Stark Neurosciences Research Institute

an exterior shot of the neurosciences research building Neuroscience research has a long history of excellence at the Indiana University School of Medicine. This legacy is exemplified by the discovery of the biological role of glycine as a spinal cord inhibitory neurotransmitter in the 1960s by Morris (Mori) Aprison, PhD, an IU Distinguished Professor Emeritus, member of the Institute of Psychiatric Research and a faculty member in the Departments of Psychiatry and Biochemistry. In the 1980s, Sidney Ochs, PhD, emeritus professor of physiology and biophysics, known for his groundbreaking work on axoplasmic transport, showed how materials move through the axon of the nerve cell. His research conducted at the IU School of Medicine was published in more than 300 scientific publications; Ochs also published three books about his discoveries.

Members of the Institute of Psychiatric Research at the IU School of Medicine — dating back to the 1950s — have made many notable contributions to neuroscience research, including defining autism as a neurodevelopmental disorder, studying the genetics of bipolar disorders, alcoholism and autism and developing the first animal model of alcoholism. In the mid-to-late 2010s, dozens of investigators at the IU School of Medicine spearheaded a comprehensive research program into Alzheimer's disease, spanning basic, translational and clinical research. This resulted in several large National Institutes of Health grants to study patient symptoms, the biology of the disease and potential drug targets. The rich tradition of neuroscience discovery continues to this day at the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute.

Development of Prozac

1970s-1980s

Paul Stark, PhD, the visionary force behind Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, served the IU School of Medicine as a faculty member in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. He was also the leader of the clinical team at Eli Lilly and Company that developed Prozac, the most widely prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor for the treatment of depression. In 1984, Stark founded the International Clinical Research Corporation, the first company to design and coordinate clinical drug trials and the forerunner of current firms such as Quintiles International.

Endowed professorship

1993

In the first of their many generous contributions to the IU School of Medicine, the Stark family endowed the Paul Stark Professorship in Pharmacology.

Multidisciplinary neurosciences research institute

2000

With the support of their family, Paul Stark and his wife Carole provided the IU School of Medicine with a $15 million bequest to endow a multidisciplinary neurosciences research institute. Additionally, they gave $1 million to endow a fellowship program for graduates and medical training in neuroscience research. Their goal was to enable rigorous investigations of normal and abnormal function in the central nervous system using the most advanced technologies and to apply the resulting discoveries to the treatment of devastating neurological disorders. Gary Oxford, PhD, was recruited as the first director of the Paul and Carole Stark Neurosciences Research Institute and a professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

Dedication of the institute

2003

The Paul and Carole Stark Neurosciences Research Institute was officially dedicated on Sept. 12, 2003, in its original home, the Research II Building on the IU School of Medicine campus, also known as the Joseph E. Walther Hall.

Move to the Neurosciences Research Building

2014

Stark Neurosciences Research Institute moved to the Indiana University Neurosciences Research Building, a five-story, 138,000-square-foot research building, located near 16th Street and Senate Avenue. The state-of-the-art research building adjoins, and on three floors is connected to, Goodman Hall, the ambulatory care and imaging facility of the IU Health Neuroscience Center. The resulting 408,000-square-foot center provides a modern, expertly designed space for collaboration and innovation by physicians and researchers that is rare, if not unique. It also offers important opportunities for educating future scientists and physicians.

A new era of neuroscience research

2016

Dean Jay Hess recruited Bruce Lamb, PhD, from the Cleveland Clinic as the new executive director of Stark Neurosciences Research Institute in 2016. The institute has expanded its research interest groups to addiction, advanced imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, neurodevelopment, neuroimmunology, ocular neurobiology, pain, psychiatric disorders, spinal cord and brain injury, and stem cell. Lamb, an expert in Alzheimer's disease research, is a principal investigator on two federal grants focused on Alzheimer's disease research, which has resulted in more than $162 million to the IU School of Medicine since 2016.