Record $42.5M donation for stem-cell research at CSU

Coloradoan staff 11:20 a.m. MST December 29, 2014

Leslie and John Malone pose for a photo at Harmony Sporthorses in Kiowa on Dec. 2. The Malones recently donated $42.5 million for stem-cell research at Colorado State University.(Photo: William A. Cotton/CSU Photography)

A record $42.5 million donation will launch a new center for stem-cell and other regenerative medical research at CSU.

Colorado State University on Monday announced the donation as the largest cash gift in university history. The donation by philanthropists John and Leslie Malone will launch CSUs Institute for Biologic Translational Therapies, which will investigate new medical remedies for a variety of ailments in humans and animals.

Research at the planned institute will focus on remedies based on living cells and their products, including patient-derived stem cells, according to a university release.

We are tremendously grateful to John and Leslie Malone for their generous philanthropy, foresight and dedication to scientific discovery, CSU President Tony Frank said in a university release. In addition to being the largest cash gift in the universitys history, their commitment positions us to build on our foundation as a leader in translational medicine, where advances in veterinary medicine very rapidly move into the sphere of benefiting human health.

John Malone, who made his fortune in the cable television industry, is listed by Forbes as the 60th-richest American, with a worth of $7.4 billion. Hes the nations largest private landowner, Forbes says, owning 2.2 million acres across seven states, including Colorado.

The Malones gift comes amid a fundraising push that has seen private donations to the university outpace state funding CSU received during each of the past three years. CSU raised a record $143.3 million in fiscal 2013, and in February 2012 announced the completion of its $500 million Campaign for Colorado State effort.

Of the Malones record gift to CSU, $32.5 million will fund construction of a new building for the institute, while $10 million will fund operations. The $32.5 million gift requires a match of donations for construction.

At CSUs new institute, veterinarians will work on developing regenerative treatments for animals, working to bring new technologies to market for both humans and animals. The Malones are horse enthusiasts who own animals that have benefited from stem-cell treatments.

Here is the original post:
Record $42.5M donation for stem-cell research at CSU