The new Center for Precision Medicine at Medical University of Vienna will bear the name of Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, MD, who is a University Professor, Sagol Professor of Brain Science and co-director of Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute, as well as the founding director of the Kavli Institute for Professor of Brain Science at Columbia.

Born in Vienna in 1929, Dr. Kandel revolutionized our understanding of memory formation, earning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2000. As a child, Kandel and his Jewish family were forced to emigrate to the United States following Austria's annexation by Nazi Germany in 1939. In recent years, Vienna has sought to restore and strengthen its ties with Dr. Kandel, including by awarding him an honorary citizenship in 2009. Kandel also received the Grand Decoration of Honor in Silver with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria in 2012.

"I am extremely honored that the new Center for Precision Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna will be named the Eric Kandel Institute for Precision Medicine," said Dr. Kandel, who is also a Senior Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "The naming of the institute is a sign of Austria's solidarity with my personal history and the history of my family. I am very grateful for this recognition."

The new facility will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for up to 400 researchers exploring digital and personalized medicine, including work aiming to develop diagnostics, treatments and preventive measures tailored for an individual's unique disposition toward illness. By 2026, Austria's Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research will have invested a total of 75 million euros (about $85 million) in building the new center.

This story was adapted from an announcement by the Medical University of Vienna. You can find their full story here.