Transformative Gift to Create Cutting-Edge Suri Center for Gene Therapy
A transformative gift will enable UVA Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnologyto unleash gene therapy’s untapped potential to accelerate cures for complex diseases.
The gift, from Vishal and Anubha Suri, will launch the Suri Center for Gene Therapy. The center will harness UVA’s strengths in genetic research and complementary areas such as nanotechnology, RNA, and focused ultrasound to develop safe, effective gene therapy treatments and get them to patients faster.
“Our hope is that the Suri Center for Gene Therapy will help turn promising advances in genetic science into treatments that can change patients’ lives,” says Vishal Suri, a technology entrepreneur and investor. “As Virginia residents, we were drawn to the opportunity to support this important work at UVA. Its extraordinary biomedical research, healthcare, and clinical capabilities —including Virginia’s first National Cancer Institute designated Comprehensive Cancer Center — made UVA the right place for us to establish this center.”
The gift is a major boost to UVA’s genetic research program, which is seeking solutions for a vast array of diseases, from pediatric epilepsy to the most common inherited heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. UVA scientists are exploring highly precise ways to correct disease-causing gene mutations, working to overcome limitations of innovative cancer treatments, developing new approaches to protect the brain from neurodegenerative diseases, and much more.
“Our scientists are doing astonishing work that is revolutionizing how we understand and treat complex, often life-threatening diseases,” says UVA President Scott C. Beardsley. “This generous gift from Vishal and Anubha Suri is a huge vote of confidence and will provide vital resources to ensure that UVA remains at the forefront of genetic research and continues to serve the Commonwealth and the world with revolutionary patient care.”
The new Suri Center and Manning Institute are examples of the fast-growing and highly promising biotechnology sector at UVA and across the region and state. Beardsley said the University is committed to fostering continued growth as a strategic priority for the years ahead.
Mark T. Esser, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Head of the Manning Institute, noted the donation will greatly bolster the institute’s mission to accelerate the development of life-changing and lifesaving medicines. “This gift will let us capitalize on UVA’s incredible genetic discoveries nimbly and quickly,” Esser says.
“Patients are waiting, and we are committed to getting them the medicines and cures they need. We are extremely thankful to the Suris for this tremendous contribution to making that happen.”
The center will take advantage of UVA’s cutting-edge research — combined with the Manning Institute’s nanotechnology, drug delivery, and commercialization infrastructure — to overcome obstacles that have hampered gene therapy from reaching its full potential. These obstacles have included difficulty delivering treatments to the specific cells or tissues where they are needed while avoiding unwanted side effects.
But UVA’s expertise in technologies such as focused ultrasound and nanotechnology is poised to change that. Focused ultrasound has many uses, but one is to direct drugs exactly where needed using highly precise sound waves. UVA and the UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center are already home to FUSION — Focused Ultrasound Immuno-Oncology Center — the world’s first center specifically devoted to using focused sound waves to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatments for cancer.
Additionally, UVA’s Institute for Nanoscale Scientific and Technological Advanced Research develops nanoscale devices and drug-delivery mechanisms so small they are measured in billionths of a meter. They are designed to deliver therapies with unprecedented precision. These tiny tools are custom-created to carry drugs and do things previously impossible, a promising capability for precise delivery of gene therapies.
“It’s a really exciting time for genetic research here at UVA,” says Esser, the Thomas A. Saunders III Family Jefferson Scholars Foundation Distinguished University Professor. “We are grateful the Suris recognized that and have chosen to support this important, life-changing work. We’re going to do great things for patients across Virginia and around the world, and we’re going to do it as fast as we can.”