WESTWOOD—On Thursday, February 11, UCLA announced they received a $29 million gift to create the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Center for Precision Genomic Medicine.

The new center hopes to improve the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of genetic disorders. They include both common illnesses and rare diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, immune disorders, autism, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

“I am so grateful to Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg for their remarkable vision and generosity and for placing their confidence in UCLA’s capacity for innovation,” said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “Combining our health system’s strengths in biomedical research and clinical care, the Ginsburg Center is sure to benefit patients and their families through life-saving, individualized treatments.”

The Ginsburg Center will utilize human-genome sequencing and computing power in an attempt to better understand genetic factors in disease, develop gene therapies and identify genetic risks in populations.

“Launching the Ginsburg Center within the Institute for Precision Health is a milestone in our work to bridge cutting-edge genetic research and direct patient care with individually targeted treatments,” said Dr. Daniel Geschwind, associate vice chancellor of precision health. “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.”

The Ginsburgs, a married couple of over 40 years residing in Los Angeles County, said their gift was inspired by a desire to continue the search for knowledge that addresses 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,” said Allen Ginsburg, a retired ophthalmologist who completed his residency at UCLA in 1963.

“We are thrilled to support UCLA’s impressive trajectory in precision health research aimed at individualized patient care equitably available to all patients.”