Denny Sanford, our benefactor, is an extraordinary philanthropist. In 2008 Mr. Sanford donated $30 million to the then nascent San Diego Consortium for Regenerative Medicine for its use to provide the 'matching funds' required to enable the Consortium to apply for, and ultimately receive, a $43 million facilities grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and build the Sanford Collaboratory.
In recognition of his generosity, the consortium was proudly renamed the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine.
Denny Sanford - Commitment to Stem Cell Research
Denny Sanford is an extraordinary philanthropist has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to various causes, especially in health care and education, in particular to hasten the pace of progress in stem cell research.
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In addition to his generous enabling support of the Sanford Consortium, in 2013 T. Denny Sanford has committed $100 million to the creation of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at the University of California, San Diego to accelerate development of drugs and cell therapies inspired by and derived from current human stem cell research; establishing, promoting and disseminating clinical trials and patient therapies that will help more quickly transform promise into reality.
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Then in 2022 Mr. Sanford's donated an additional $150 million to fund the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute to further advance efforts to develop and deliver the therapeutic promise of human stem cells to treat, remedy or cure a vast array of conditions and diseases.
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Sanford’s gift to establish the Sanford Stem Cell Institute is the largest single gift to UC San Diego. “This investment enables the team to dream beyond what is possible,” said Sanford. “The sky is no longer the limit.”