Zuckerberg, Chan pledge $3B to wipe out disease

September 22, 2016 04:06

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a goal that's even more ambitious than connecting the entire world to the internet: He and his wife want to help eradicate all disease by the end of this century.

Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan are committing USD 3 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate basic scientific research, including the creation of research tools from software to hardware to yet-undiscovered techniques they hope will ultimately lead to scientific breakthroughs, the way the microscope and DNA sequencing have in generations past.

The goal, which they are unlikely to live to see accomplished, is to "cure, prevent or manage all disease" in the next 80 or so years. They acknowledge that this might sound a crazy, but point to how far medicine and science have come in the last century with vaccines, statins for heart disease, chemotherapy, and so on following millennia with little progress.

"So if you even just assume that we'll be able to continue to make progress on that same trajectory, then that implies that by the end of this century we will have been able to solve most of these types of things," Zuckerberg said in an interview. He and Chan have spent the past two years speaking to scientists and other experts to plan the endeavor. He emphasized "that this isn't something where we just read a book and decided we're going to do."

Through their philanthropic organization, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the commitment includes USD 600 million to fund a new research center in San Francisco where scientific and medical researchers will work alongside engineers on long-term projects spanning years or even decades. The goal is not to focus narrowly on specific ailments, such as bone cancer or Parkinson's disease, butrather to do basic research. One example: a cell atlas that maps out all the different types of cells in the body, which could help researchers create various types of drugs.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Raj Bhavan staffer accuses Bengal guv of molestation, Bose denies charge

Senior police officials said they received a complaint and are looking into it.

Rahul to contest LS polls from Rae Bareli, his loyalist from Amethi

Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, the party said in a statement.

'Every Election, BJP Unleashes This Demon...'

'... dividing society not just on religious lines, but also creating rift in families and among brothers and sisters.'

What Did Rohit Tell Rinku?

The brief chat between Rohit and Rinku sparked curiosity.

Eknath Shinde Rouses Support For Son

With two phases of voting already completed, political parties are busy with filing nominations, addressing roadshows and undertaking hectic campaigns for the constituencies that will vote this month.