The Sastry Foundation’s Continuing Support of Neuroscience Research

Sindgi Dattu Sastry, Ph.D. and Pushpa Sastry have been instrumental in advancing research

into the causes and treatment of various neurodegenerative disorders, with a particular emphasis on Parkinson's Disease. They have donated over $2 million to the Department of Neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine, establishing the Sastry Foundation Endowed Research Fund, the Sastry Foundation Imaging Laboratory, and the Sastry Foundation Endowed Chair in Neurology.

In 2012, the Sastry Foundation Endowed Research Fund was established and augmented with funding to purchase an Optical Coherence Tomography instrument for the Sastry Foundation Imaging Laboratory. In 2018, the Sastrys established an Endowed Chair in Neurology to recruit and support an internationally-recognized clinician-scientist specializing in Parkinson's Disease. The goal of this position has been to accelerate progress toward effective treatments for this disorder. Professor Peter LeWitt M.D., M.Med.Sc., who has been a member of the Wayne State University School of Medicine faculty since 1987, was chosen for the endowed chair. In addition to major contributions for the Department of Neurology, the Sastry Foundation has also established named endowed scholarships for the Wayne State University School of Medicine and for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

About the Sastry Foundation

In 1984, Dr. Sastry, and his wife founded Jogue Inc., one of the nation's largest developers and producers of flavors and fragrances for food and other products. A trained chemist, Dr. Sastry has served as the company’s vice president. Jogue Inc. has facilities in Michigan (Plymouth, Northville and Detroit) as well as additional locations in California and Florida. The Sastrys have two sons: Ashok Sastry, M.D., a graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine, and Anil Sastry, J.D., a graduate of Wayne State University Law School, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Jogue Inc. Dr. Sastry, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease over two decades ago, expressed his family's goal to give back to the community through the Sastry Foundation's gift by funding research in neurology. He believes that neurology has been a "black box" and hopes that the fund will promote more research at Wayne State University to develop new therapies. Mrs. Sastry also hopes that their donation will encourage others to contribute to research efforts and to help the common good.