The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center received a $710.5 million philanthropic gift from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ parents, Jackie and Mike Bezos.
Fred Hutch President and Director Dr. Thomas Lynch Jr. anticipates this gift will spur Seattle’s entire life sciences ecosystem, much like a previous gift from the Bezos couple did with cancer immunotherapies in 2014.
This year’s donation is the largest in the Seattle research institution’s 47-year history and will support several initiatives over the next 10 years. The dedicated funding includes $300 million for recruiting lab leaders, $225 million for research facilities, $36 million to research expansion at Fred Hutch’s Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center, and $149.5 million for clinical research infrastructure.
“Science, particularly cancer and virus research, is at such a pivotal point right now,” said Mike Bezos in a statement. “We hope our investment in the Hutch leads to answers for the most pressing medical questions. We also hope this inspires others to join us now in pursuing scientific and medical breakthroughs.”