A nine-figure donation is helping UCLA transform an abandoned mall into a place dedicated to world-changing scientific breakthroughs.
The California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, currently under construction about two miles south of UCLA, will occupy the site of the former popular Westside Pavilion shopping center, the university said in a press release.
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With the help of a $120 million gift from Dr. Gary K. Michelson, a billionaire philanthropist and founder and co-chair of Michelson Philanthropies, and his wife Alya, the research park will address some of the most intractable ailments that continue to affect millions of people each year.
“Immunology is the mediator of nearly all human disease, whether it’s cancer, heart disease or Alzheimer’s,” Michelson said in the press release, adding that this is the Michelsons’ largest donation in more than three decades of philanthropy. “The vision for this institute is to become a ‘Field of Dreams’ – the world’s leading center for immune system research to develop advanced immunotherapies that can prevent, treat and cure all the diseases that plague people today, and to defeat these diseases in our lifetimes.”
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The money will be used primarily for two research topics: the rapid development of vaccines and the “harnessing of the microbiome to promote human health,” the statement said.
As he told the Los Angeles Times, Michelson believes this investment will help create a cradle for biotechnology companies on the Westside.
“We will build a complete biotechnology ecosystem throughout Westwood,” he said.
University officials had high praise for the Michelsons and the potential of this new research park.
“The Michelsons envisioned an institute that would leverage UCLA’s strengths to maximize public benefit, create new knowledge that leads to better medical treatments, and reshape the study of immunology,” UCLA interim chancellor Darnell Hunt said in the press release. “The gift will change countless lives here and around the world.”
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