The Allen Discovery Center for Multiscale Systems Modeling of Macrophage Infection, a new center at Stanford, has received $10 million to research salmonella poisoning, according to a Food Safety News article.

Named after its benefactor Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, the Allen Discovery Center will examine processes through which salmonella bacteria infects immune cells. The center is one of several funded by the nonprofit Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, which aims to incite groundbreaking research through partnerships with universities. The group’s centers, including one at Tufts University, are expected to receive $20 million each over eight years.

Salmonella is responsible for more than 100 million infections annually, including typhoid fever. By hiding in immune cells called macrophages, the pathogen overtakes the cells’ metabolism. The center will research the interaction between cells, with the ultimate goal of developing effective treatment for infections.

“The application of engineering and computational techniques to solving the hardest problems in biomedicine is one of the most exciting and promising research directions,” President John Hennessy said in a Stanford news release.

The center will be directed by Markus Covert, associate professor of bioengineering. Co-investigators at the center will be Denise Monack and K.C. Huang, associate professors of bioengineering and of microbiology and immunology.

Contact Fiona Kelliher at fionak ‘at’ stanford.edu.