A nine-figure donation is helping UCLA turn an abandoned shopping mall into a site dedicated to world-changing scientific breakthroughs.
The under-construction California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, located about two miles south of UCLA, will occupy what formerly was the popular Westside Pavilion mall, the university said in a news release.
Utilizing a $120 million commitment from Dr. Gary K. Michelson, a billionaire philanthropist and founder and co-chair of Michelson Philanthropies, and his wife, Alya, the research park will take aim at some of the most stubborn ailments that continue to impact millions every year.
“Immunology is the mediator of nearly all human diseases, whether we’re talking about cancer or heart disease or Alzheimer’s,” Michelson said in the release, which added 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 the study of the immune system to develop advanced immunotherapies to prevent, treat and cure all of the diseases that afflict people today and to end these diseases in our lifetime.
The money will be used primarily for two research topics: rapid vaccine development and “harnessing the microbiome to advance human health,” the release said.
As he told the Los Angeles Times, Michelson sees this investment helping create a cradle for biotechnology companies on the Westside.
“We’re going to build out an entire ecosystem of biotech all through Westwood,” he said.
University officials were effusive in their praise for the Michelsons and the potential this new research park has.
“The Michelsons envisioned an institute that would leverage UCLA’s strengths for maximum public good, create new knowledge leading to better medical treatments, and reshape the study of immunology,” UCLA interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt said in the release. “The gift will change countless lives here and across the globe.”
