Nomis Foundation's $6.5 million gift supports research in Immunobiology; Salk ends fundraising year above $31-million mark

June 28, 2010

Nomis Foundation’s $6.5 million gift supports research in Immunobiology; Salk ends fundraising year above $31-million mark

June 28, 2010

LA JOLLA, CA—A $6.5 million gift received today from the Swiss-based Nomis Foundation caps a strong fundraising season for the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, which raised more than $31 million from foundations and private philanthropists in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

The latest donation from the Nomis Foundation brings its total contribution to $18 million. The Foundation’s $11.5 million gift two years ago helped launch the Salk’s Nomis Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis (NCIMP). The Center takes a multi-pronged approach to research on the pathophysiology of diseases that develop from chronic infections, including HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis.

Two million of the latest $6.5 million gift will establish the Nomis Foundation Chair, a senior scientist endowed chair that will be awarded to the Center’s director, Prof. John A. T. Young, Ph.D. The fund will be augmented by an additional $1 million in accordance with the Joan Klein Jacobs and Irwin Mark Jacobs Senior Scientist Endowed Chair Challenge. Launched in 2008, the Challenge is designed to create 10 new permanent chairs in support of senior faculty members.

An additional $2.5 million of the most recent Nomis gift will fund a comprehensive fellowship program to train and support 10 promising scientists to become leading researchers in the field. The remaining $2 million will establish an endowment to fund the purchase of cutting-edge technology and equipment to ensure the NCIMP remains at the forefront of research in Immunobiology.

Nomis is the European foundation established by former Salk Trustee G.H. “Heini” Thyssen. “We are enormously grateful for the Nomis Foundation’s continued commitment and generosity toward this vital area of biological research,” said Salk Executive Vice President Marsha A. Chandler.

Salk President William R. Brody observed that “the work supported as a result of this latest contribution will help scientists decipher the underpinnings of immunological deficiencies and the inflammatory process associated with major acquired disease. And the endowed chairs created through the Jacobs Chair Challenge ensure that the Institute will retain some of the world’s most accomplished senior scientists.”

During this fiscal year, the Institute raised more than $7 million from national foundations that funded various areas of research with applications in diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disorders, aging and cancer.

Bequests from planned giving totaled $6 million, most of which went to the General Fund, which provides a pool of unrestricted monies that can be applied to the Institute’s immediate financial needs.

“We are very pleased with this year’s fundraising achievement, and are deeply appreciative of our donors’ recognition of the Salk basic science mission,” said EVP Chandler.

关于萨尔克生物研究所
索尔克生物学研究所是世界顶尖的基础研究机构之一，其国际知名的教职员工在一个独特的、协作和富有创造性的环境中，致力于探索生命科学的基本问题。索尔克科学家们既专注于科学发现，也致力于培养下一代研究人员，通过研究神经科学、遗传学、细胞生物学和植物生物学及相关学科，为我们理解癌症、衰老、阿尔茨海默病、糖尿病和心血管疾病做出了开创性贡献。.

学院取得了许多成就，获得了包括诺贝尔奖和美国国家科学院院士在内的无数荣誉。该研究所由脊髓灰质炎疫苗先驱 Jonas Salk 博士于 1960 年创立，是一家独立的非营利组织和建筑地标。.

索尔克研究所为基础研究领域的卓越科学成就而自豪地庆祝了五十周年。.