Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute and Baszucki Group Team Up to Advance Landmark Brain Study with Metabolic Health Markers

The collaboration seeks to study gut-brain connections in neurological disorders

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Baszucki Group today announced an expanded commitment to the landmark Cleveland Clinic Brain Study. Launched in 2022, this ambitious longitudinal study plans to follow healthy individuals over a 20-year period with the goal of identifying early disease markers and therapeutic targets needed to prevent and ultimately cure neurological diseases. The commitment from Baszucki Group brings their total donation to the study to $450,000. The commitment was announced at Keep Memory Alive’s annual Summer Festival & Rodeo at Shakespeare Ranch in Glenbrook, Nevada, an event benefiting the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and hosted by Larry and Camille Ruvo, co-founders of Keep Memory Alive.

Baszucki Group’s support has expanded the scope of the Cleveland Clinic Brain Study to include biomarkers from stool samples–a key assessment that could reveal the relationship between the gut and brain and how this connection influences disease risk. This data will help researchers explore how metabolic health relates to brain function, an area of priority for Baszucki Group.

Although neurological disorders affect one in six people worldwide, a critical knowledge gap remains. Researchers and clinicians have been unable to identify the factors that determine why some individuals are susceptible to these diseases while others remain unaffected.

Principal Investigators Andre Machado MD, PhD, Chairman of the Neurological Institute and the Charles and Christine Carroll Family Endowed Chair in Functional Neurosurgery at the Cleveland Clinic and Imad Najm MD, Director of Cleveland Clinic's Epilepsy Center aim to close this gap by enrolling up to tens of thousands of healthy participants, and tracking biomarkers throughout the body over two decades. By leveraging large-scale, multi-year data, this study will dramatically enhance the potential for identifying and establishing warnings for the earliest signs of brain disorders.

“This study will generate monumental data, enabling us to uncover previously hidden ‘disease fingerprints’,” said Dr. Machado. “What makes this research unique is that it includes assessments never explored before. These novel insights could pave the way for better diagnostics and preventive treatments in the future.”

“By including these additional assessments, the Brain Study is taking a critical step towards understanding the brain within the context of the whole body,” said Jan Ellison Baszucki, co-founder and president of Baszucki Group. “This broad, holistic approach to data gathering is key, as it maximizes the possibility of revealing the underlying factors that contribute to neurological dysfunction and uncovering potential treatment options.”

At this time, the first-of-kind longitudinal study has enrolled more than 4,300 adult volunteers with no known neurological disease to undergo regular comprehensive assessments designed to detect biomarkers and causes of neurological disorders before symptoms manifest. Enrollees have come from nearly every state in the U.S. and have shown tremendous excitement to participate in this research.

To learn more about the study or enroll, visit the study site.

About Baszucki Group

Launched in 2021 by Roblox founder and Chief Executive Officer David Baszucki and best-selling author Jan Ellison Baszucki, Baszucki Group leverages private giving, impact investing, advocacy, storytelling and community building to drive foundational change. A primary objective of Baszucki Group is to transform mental health outcomes by supporting initiatives at the intersection of metabolism, psychiatry, and neuroscience. To learn more about metabolic approaches to mental disorders and brain health, including ketogenic therapy, visit Metabolic Mind, a nonprofit initiative of Baszucki Group.