Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital is planning to use a $100 million gift to create a new institute to study inflammation and immunology.
Gene Lay, the gift of biotechnology entrepreneur Gene Lay, is the largest in the history of the hospital, tracing its origins to 1832.
BioLegend Inc., the founder and CEO of San Diego-based BioLegend Inc., said it has always been obsessed with the immune system's ability to heal the body.
As part of this gift, I am bringing together the best scientific minds I know to translate research discoveries into treatments for immune-mediated diseases rooted in chronic inflammation.
The Gene Lay Institute of Immunology and Inflammation's primary areas of research will include basic knowledge of immune-mediated diseases, aging and cancer, with the goal of developing novel immunotherapies, the hospital said.
Dr. Vijay Kuchroo, an immunologist and principal investigator at Brigham and Women's, will serve as the director of the institute, in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Kuchroo said chronic inflammation is a root cause of numerous diseases, such as allergies, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases.
BioLegend, established in 2002, develops and makes antibodies and proteins and other reagents required for research and diagnosis.
Boston and Women's is a founding member of the Massachusetts General Brigham Health Care nonprofit, a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School.