Albert Einstein once said, “A person who has not made his great contribution to science before the age of 30 will never do so.”

To ensure that young scientists have the opportunity to make their marks, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation has given a $2 million gift to The Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC.

The gift will establish a series of Broad Fellows — exceptional senior postdoctoral researchers at the transition point to starting their own laboratories. It will also support core research facilities and innovative projects at USC, home to one of only two dedicated university stem cell research centers in Los Angeles.

Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM Center (USC Photo/Chris Shinn)

“This generous gift ensures that USC’s stem cell research center will continue to attract the best and brightest emerging talent, and encourages their pioneering work as they transition into the next stage of their careers,” said Andrew McMahon, director of the stem cell center. “The fresh views that come from younger scientists have always been the lifeblood of innovation.”

To support this next generation of scientists, the gift provides ongoing support for the center’s core facilities in imaging, therapeutic screening, flow cytometry, and stem cell isolation and culture — which also benefit researchers across the university.

The gift also enables strategic investments in the innovative research projects that will become tomorrow’s clinical advances in regenerative medicine.

Research dollars are in short supply

The Broad Foundation’s investment comes at a pivotal time when government research dollars for young researchers are in short supply. In this tough climate, the gift will ensure that USC remains a destination for the next generation of trend-setters in regenerative medicine and stem cell research.

Philanthropic leaders in biomedical research and many other fields, Eli and Edythe Broad created USC’s stem cell research center with a gift of $30 million to the Keck School of Medicine of USC in early 2006.

A renowned business leader who built two Fortune 500 companies over a 50-year career, Eli Broad is the founder and chairman of both SunAmerica Inc. and KB Home (formerly Kaufman and Broad Home Corp.).

“We believe that the promise of stem cells — and the research underway at USC — is limitless,” said Broad, a member of the Board of Overseers of the Keck School. “For us, this is an opportunity to advance essential research in hopes of finding new treatments for the many diseases that are still untreatable.”

More stories about: Campaign for USC, Scholarships, Stem Cells