The Mclaughlin Research Institute For Biomedical Sciences, Inc.

The Mclaughlin Research Institute For Biomedical Sciences, Inc., doing business as Weissman Hood Institute At Touro University, is a Montana-based nonprofit biomedical research organization that acts as a federal grant recipient and subrecipient, conducting neurodegenerative disease research and providing specialized animal research infrastructure to support NIH-funded investigations.

The institute, headquartered in Great Falls, Montana, specializes in research models for neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease and prion disease. The organization operates a large mouse breeding and housing facility (approximately 6,000 cages), BSL-2 laboratory space, transgenic core capabilities including CRISPR gene editing, and imaging core facilities. All work is performed at the Great Falls location. In 2023, the institute established a collaborative partnership with Touro University's College of Osteopathic Medicine in Great Falls, expanding its reach to provide research training and translational opportunities. Recent facility investments funded by federal grants include a $190,745 NIH Office of the Director grant (awarded September 2026) for automated bottle processing equipment in the Animal Resource Center to reduce occupational strain on cage wash technicians and expand capacity, and a $380,000-plus NIH Office of the Director grant (awarded May 2025) for an APEXVIEW APX100 benchtop fluorescence microscope and slide scanner to address imaging bottlenecks in existing NIH-funded research projects.

The institute acts as a prime recipient on six grants and as a subrecipient on fourteen grant sub-awards, with prime awards accounting for 59% of the federal footprint. Funding is concentrated in National Institutes of Health programs: the National Institute on Aging (10 awards), followed by awards across NIH broadly, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (5 awards), the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (2 awards), and the Office of the Director (2 awards). The top five NIH funding sources account for 82% of recent awards. Combined federal obligated dollars across all awards total $42.2 million. The institute has grown its award volume significantly — from one award in 2022 to ten in 2024 — though this trajectory moderated to five awards in 2025. Only one award reaches ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months, presenting minimal recompete exposure in the near term.

As a prime recipient, the institute holds major NIH research grants in aging and neurological disease: a multi-year National Institute on Aging grant (awarded May 2024, completion January 2029) investigating neutrophil activation in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis in the context of APOE genotypes; a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant (awarded January 2024, completion December 2028) supporting integrated biomedical and rural health research with a focus on neurological diseases affecting rural populations, including partnerships with Touro University and Benefis Healthcare System; a National Institute on Aging grant (awarded July 2023, completion January 2029) examining lipid metabolism, antioxidant profiles, and microbiota in genitourinary syndrome of menopause; and a prior National Institute on Aging grant completed April 2024 on neutrophilic inflammation and cognitive decline. In its subrecipient role, the institute provides critical animal research infrastructure and expertise to prime grantees including The Broad Institute, Columbia University, Stanford University, Rutgers University, and the University of Virginia on projects involving herpes simplex virus infection models in transgenic Alzheimer's mice, prion disease substrate dosage studies, congenital heart defect genetics, behavioral assessments, tissue collection, and CRISPR-generated transgenic mouse lines. The institute's role as a subrecipient centers on breeding, aging, housing, behavioral phenotyping, and tissue collection for longitudinal multi-year studies, leveraging its specialized animal facility and experienced scientific staff in viral pathogenesis and immunology.