Back
UCLA brings together experts in diverse fields to focus on crucial questions. A perfect example is the UCLA Institute for Precision Health, which unites scientists and physicians to improve healthcare’s ability to provide customized treatment for each patient.
Their efforts just got a major infusion of support with a $29 million gift to establish the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Center for Precision Genomic Medicine at the institute. The center will capitalize on researchers’ unique expertise and strong partnerships to study the role of genetics in disease and develop personalized therapies that improve patients’ lives.
Jumpstarting Genetic Research
“Launching the Ginsburg Center is a milestone in our work to bridge cutting-edge genetic research and direct patient care with individually targeted treatments,” says Dr. Daniel Geschwind, who heads the institute. “We have been building toward this moment at UCLA, helping to lead the way in genetic therapies and advancing genetic research and treatments. The extraordinary generosity of the Ginsburgs propels us to a new level of discovery that will benefit patients from all walks of life.”
Genes carry the biological instructions for life — but also factor into human disease. To better understand and identify genetic risks, the Ginsburg Center will leverage large data sets and innovative genomic technologies to improve diagnosis and treatment of a variety of genetic disorders, from cardiovascular disease and cancer to Alzheimer’s and autism. UCLA also plans a new one-stop patient clinic for genetic and genomic medicine, a Ginsburg Research Fellowship, and an annual symposium. Across these activities, health equity is a top priority for UCLA, which considers its most vulnerable populations at every stage of the continuum from basic science to translational research to clinical application.
Pushing the Future Forward
The Ginsburg Center will build momentum for the Institute for Precision Health, which launched in 2016. Leading up to their gift, the Ginsburgs corresponded closely with Geschwind about the institute’s progress and priorities, and they were eager to continue UCLA’s quest for knowledge that advances the human condition.
“Charlotte and I believe strongly that science must inform policy and clinical care, and that future generations must be provided tools and mentors to push discovery forward,” Allen Ginsburg says. “We are thrilled to support UCLA’s impressive trajectory in precision health research aimed at individualized patient care equitably available to all patients.”
To learn more, contact
Published March 2021
Dr. Allen Ginsburg and Charlotte Ginsburg
The Ginsburg Center will leverage large data sets and innovative technology to improve diagnosis and treatment of genetic disorders.
