Gladstone Institutes Receives $45 Million Gift to Accelerate the Search for Cures

An anonymous Bay Area couple has committed $45 million to support transformative biomedical research at Gladstone Institutes. The largest in the organization’s 42-year history, this gift will fund high-risk, high-reward projects that leverage technologies such as CRISPR genome editing, artificial intelligence, and cellular reprogramming to cure disease.
 
“The impact of this gift is truly incalculable,” says Robert Wicks, vice president of philanthropy at Gladstone and chief executive officer of the Gladstone Foundation. “It will lead to breakthroughs with the potential to change the lives of millions and put us one step closer to overcoming disease.”

The couple hopes to inspire others to support pioneering biomedical research and cited Gladstone’s mission and ability to partner seamlessly with other leading institutions as major factors in their decision to make such an extraordinary commitment.

“The Bay Area is blessed with universities, companies, and organizations that are shaping our world,” say the donors. “Gladstone is so adept at building collaborations across all these institutions and bringing researchers together around a common problem. You can feel how special the place is the moment you walk in the door.”

“I am so honored by the trust they have placed in us,” says Gladstone President Deepak Srivastava, MD. “We are on the verge of a total paradigm shift in medicine. Rather than accepting disease and treating the consequences, we have the opportunity to actually cure some of humankind’s worst diseases. This transformative gift will enable our teams of scientists to seize the moment and fundamentally alter our approach to alleviating human suffering.”