NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Washington University in St. Louis today announced that it has received a $25 million endowment from James and Elizabeth McDonnell for The Genome Institute at its medical school.
The gift will fund research in the genetic origins of diseases like autism and cancer as well as diagnosis and treatment for those diseases, the school said in a statement. Washington University will rename the institute The Elizabeth H. and James S. McDonnell III Genome Institute.
"Libby and Jim McDonnell have championed the medical school for many years and this gift demonstrates their exceptional dedication to ensuring our success in many important areas," Larry Shapiro, dean of the School of Medicine, said in a statement.
The McDonnells previously endowed a professorship and provided funding for a pediatric research building at Washington University.
The Genome Institute played a key role in the Human Genome Project and today is one of three large-scale genome centers in the US funded by the National Institutes of Health.