The Jackson Laboratory (Jax) said today it will match a $5 million initial donation by trustee and technology investor David Roux and his wife Barbara, with the intent of advancing genomic medicine research.
The resulting $10 million will be used in part to create a new Center for Genomics and Computational Biology to be named for the benefactors' family, and based at the Laboratory’s locations in both Maine and Connecticut. Earlier this month, Jax opened the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, a $111 million permanent facility in Farmington, CT.
Jackson Lab also plans to use some of the funds to endow new faculty positions and increase funding for disease research.
“This remarkable research is transforming the world’s understanding of disease and the search for personalized and precise cures. We are privileged to help support these efforts,” David Roux said in a statement.
According to the Jackson Lab, the Roux Family Center for Genomics and Computational Biology will enable scientists to analyze the human genome, and discover new and better ways of preventing and treating disease, using the full power of genomic technologies and computational strategies.
The center will be endowed with three new faculty chair positions and a permanent fund for recruiting expert staff and supporting research and discovery at Jax.
“At a time when public funding for disease research continues to dwindle, David and Barbara Roux have stepped forward to make a truly inspirational statement about the importance of supporting the future of genomic medicine in the shared quest to improve human health,” Edison T. Liu, M.D., president and CEO of the Jackson Laboratory, said in a statement. “Their gift provides incredibly important leadership in this cause, and we are enormously grateful for their generosity.”
David Roux is co-founder and senior director of the technology investment firm Silver Lake, which has more than $23 billion in combined assets under management and committed capital. Silver Lake also has approximately 110 investment and “value-creation” professionals located worldwide.
