Cutting edge University of Toronto research centre to bear philanthropist's name
U of T President Robert Birgeneau announced this morning the Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research (CCBR) will bear Terrence Donnelly's name in recognition of an $8 million donation to complement his earlier $5 million gift. The Terrence Donnelly CCBR will allow scientists from a wide range of disciplines to work collaboratively, exploring the links between genes and disease in a facility Dr. David Naylor, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, calls "a potential Nobel factory."
In thanking Donnelly for his generosity, Birgeneau lauded the retired lawyer and entrepreneur for his vision and his ongoing commitment to health care. Donnelly, co-founder of the law firm Donnelly & Daigneault, made part of his fortune through Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises. He has also given generous sums to St. Michael's Hospital and to the London Health Sciences Centre.
"Terrence Donnelly has the foresight to realize that genetic research is the key to improvements in patient health," says Birgeneau. "He also has the imagination to understand the value of a facility that fosters the creativity and groundbreaking interdisciplinary work that advances such research."
The Terrence Donnelly CCBR is under construction at College Street and the former Taddle Creek Road. When finished in 2005, its open-concept design will reflect the collaborative nature of the research being conducted there by scientists from the Faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy and Engineering. More than 40 researchers and their teams will be hard at work seeking to understand disease processes at the molecular level and to develop effective treatments. The CCBR will also function as a collaborative classroom, providing hands-on training for approximately 300 students and 100 post-doctoral fellows.
Donnelly says he enjoys knowing his life's assets will be well spent. He encouraged others to join him in making the Terrence Donnelly CCBR a landmark centre.
"For me and for others, the CCBR is a chance to be in on the ground floor of a facility that will be at the forefront of medical research for the next 100 years," he says. "I believe in helping people to live lives free from disease and the only way to achieve that is through research."
Professor Brenda Andrews, a leading yeast genomics researcher who will serve as the CCBR's first director, says the collaborative effort will extend beyond the walls of the building to the U of T's teaching hospitals.
"The fundamental discoveries made at the CCBR will mesh well with the work of our teaching hospitals and empower us in the quest to take discoveries from genes to populations and from molecules to communities," Andrews says.
Carmen Charette, interim president and chief executive of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, says the Terrence Donnelly CCBR heralds a new era of research in Canada.
"Thanks to the initial funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and to the generosity of donors like Mr. Donnelly, U of T is able to ensure that researchers and graduate students will have access to a world-class, multi-disciplinary facility that will bring benefits to Canada," says Charette.
Funding for the CCBR was also provided by the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Innovation Trust, the University Infrastructure Investment Fund , the l'Anson Fund, Generex and alumni and friends.
CONTACT:
Elaine Smith
U of T Public Affairs
416-978-5949
elaine.smith@utoronto.ca
Marginea de taiere la Universitatea din Toronto centru de cercetare de a purta numele filantrop - Cutting edge University of Toronto research centre to bear philanthropist's name - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate