Paul Allen—Microsoft co-founder, tech titan, and Seattle mogul—passed away almost exactly two months ago at the age of 65. But the legendary entrepreneur’s legacy is living on with a major contribution from his estate to study the body’s disease-fighting agents.
In what’s being billed as the first major philanthropic gift from the estate following Allen’s death, the Allen Institute announced this week a $125 million gift meant to help establish the Allen Institute for Immunology, which will be centered on studying diseases related to the immune system.
“Understanding the human immune system in detail and figuring out what goes wrong in disease is an incredibly complex but solvable problem. I’m thrilled to see us launch into this new area of complexity in biology with a real opportunity to directly impact human health,” said the Institute’s CEO, Allan Jones, in a statement.
The organization will initially focus on the blood cancer multiple myeloma and melanoma, as well as more widespread immune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
Some prominent names will be powering the new immunology center—including longtime Lilly Research Laboratories vet Thomas Bumol.
The Allen Institute generally is focused on advancing the life sciences, including through its existing arms centered on brain and cell science.
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