Spotlight
A new Stanford Medicine study, partly supported by the Blavatnik Family Fellowship Fund at the Stanford University School of Medicine, suggests that age-related memory decline may be influenced not only by changes in the brain, but also by changes in the gut. Published in Nature, the study found that shifts in the gut microbiome of older mice can trigger gastrointestinal inflammation, disrupting signals sent through the vagus nerve to the hippocampus, a brain region central to memory formation. When young mice were exposed to older microbiomes, they showed declines in memory and navigation; when researchers restored gut-brain communication in older mice, memory performance improved. The findings identify a pathway linking gastrointestinal aging, immune response, vagus nerve activity, and hippocampal function. Although the research was conducted in mice, it points to new ways of understanding cognitive decline through the gut-brain connection.
The V&A will take highlights from the David Bowie Archive on a national tour, expanding public access to one of the most significant collections related to the artist’s life and work. The archive, now housed permanently at the David Bowie Centre at V&A East Storehouse, was acquired with support from Warner Music Group and the Blavatnik Family Foundation. More than 100 objects will travel to venues in Dundee, Blackpool, County Durham, Hull, and Bristol between 2026 and 2028, marking the first opportunity to see these materials outside London on this scale. The touring exhibition will include costumes, instruments, photography, and previously unseen items that illuminate Bowie’s creative process across music, performance, film, television, and visual identity. Organized in thematic sections, David Bowie: On Tour reflects the V&A’s commitment to sharing national collections with audiences across the UK.
Harvard Medicine profiles Rachel Wilson, the Joseph B. Martin Professor of Basic Research in the Field of Neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, whose work with fruit flies is advancing understanding of how nervous systems produce behavior. For more than two decades, Wilson has helped pioneer techniques that allow researchers to observe activity in individual neurons as fruit flies sense, move, and navigate their environments. Her lab’s research has revealed important principles of sensory processing, internal navigation, and the neural circuits that help animals understand where they are and where to go next. At the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, Wilson is also contributing to the field of connectomics, using detailed maps of the fruit fly nervous system to study how distributed neural networks give rise to coordinated action. Wilson was also a 2014 Laureate in Life Sciences in the inaugural Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists. Her work reflects the Foundation’s commitment to supporting exceptional scientists and institutions pursuing fundamental discoveries about biology, behavior, and human health.
New York City Ballet’s 2026 Fall Fashion Gala will take place on October 1, continuing the Company’s annual celebration of new choreography and costume design. The program will feature world premieres by Jennifer Archibald, Alysa Pires, and NYCB Resident Choreographer Justin Peck, pairing leading choreographers with designers Robert Wun, Viktor&Rolf, and Simone Rocha. Since its founding in 2012, the Fall Fashion Gala has raised more than $37 million for New York City Ballet, supporting the Company’s artistic work and future programming. The 2026 event will be chaired by a distinguished group including Founding Chair Sarah Jessica Parker, Visionary Chair Emily Blavatnik, and Event Chairs including Laila Blavatnik, Georgina Bloomberg, Andy Cohen, Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy, and others. Justin Peck’s world premiere, with costumes by Simone Rocha, is made possible by Emily Blavatnik and the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
Providing many of the world's best researchers, scientists, and universities with support, and funding to discover breakthroughs that solve humankind's greatest challenges.
The Foundation contributes to renowned institutions that showcase the breadth of arts and culture, including performance, exhibition and education.
The Blavatnik Archive is a nonprofit foundation dedicated to preserving and disseminating materials that contribute to the study of 20th-century Jewish and world history, with a special emphasis on World War I, World War II, and Soviet Russia.
