New Biotechnology Institute to Transform Cancer Care

UVA recently announced a plan to launch the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, leveraging a $100 million gift from the Mannings and investments of $150 million and $50 million from the University and the Commonwealth of Virginia, respectively.

Paul Manning, who with his wife, Diane, is a longtime supporter of UVA and UVA Health research, said “Our goal is to have the best possible medicine—next-generation medicine—for the residents of Virginia and people around the globe. We’re building a world-class facility that will compete with anybody … in terms of research, manufacturing and treatment.”

During the announcement Dr. K. Craig Kent, chief executive officer of UVA Health and UVA’s executive vice president for health affairs, called the new institute a “historic milestone” that positions UVA at the forefront of cutting-edge, next-generation medicine and advanced research and discoveries that improve human health. He said, “This is a translational research program unlike any that exists in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for UVA Health that will produce concrete benefits for patients here in Virginia and everywhere.”

Dr. Tom Loughran, Director of UVA’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, said, “We are excited by the development of this new Institute of Biotechnology, particularly with the scientific focus on cellular therapies and other forms of immunotherapy that are revolutionizing cancer care.”

Learn more about the promise of biotechnology in the treatment of cancer and other diseases in this article featuring Dr. Richard Price, a biomedical engineer who co-directs the UVA Focused Ultrasound Cancer Immunotherapy Center.