Private investment is helping leverage UC Santa Cruz’s global leadership in genomics research as never before. Building on three decades of pioneering research supported by public funds, private donors are stepping forward to accelerate life-saving discoveries. The UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute’s work on childhood cancer has especially resonated with donors. A chair in pediatric genomics supports research into targeted treatments and the work of the Treehouse Childhood Cancer Initiative. National organizations have jumped in, too: Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, St. Baldrick’s Foundation, and Unravel Pediatric Cancer. Donors are also supporting development of underlying data infrastructure and universal genomics technologies. A grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation is helping create a comprehensive map of human genetic variation. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation provided support for research in species conservation. Researchers are using a petabyte-capacity data storage system from Hitachi Data Systems Corp. to manage large amounts of cancer genomics data. A multi-year grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative supports development of a shared, coordinated data platform for the Human Cell Atlas, an ambitious plan to map and characterize every cell type in the human body. It is work that will fundamentally connect the dots in genomics and breakthrough research in science and medicine.
Key support provided by Bud and Rebecca Colligan, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Unravel Pediatric Cancer, W.M. Keck Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Hitachi Data Systems, Simons Foundation, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.