Morgan and Helen Chu have continued their longtime support for City of Hope by establishing an endowed chair in the Beckman Research Institute with a $2.5 million gift.
Richard Jove, the institute’s director and professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine, will be the first holder of the Morgan and Helen Chu director’s chair, according to City of Hope.
Morgan Chu is a partner at the Los Angeles-based law firm of Irell & Manella, and the $2.5 million gift builds on recent contributions to City of Hope by the firm.
Among the other recent gifts from the law firm were $3 million to endow the Cancer Center director’s chair, a $5 million gift to City of Hope’s graduate school, and a $2 million gift to create a visiting professorship.
"Helen and I are pleased to support City of Hope and the innovative science of the Beckman Research Institute," Chu said. "Many of today’s most promising medical treatments – from synthetic human insulin to the technology used to create some of the most powerful cancer drugs – stem from the groundbreaking work of City of Hope scientists."
Founded in 1983, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope engages in molecular and cellular biology investigations, exploring normal and abnormal biological processes as they relate to human disease.
Michael A. Friedman, president, chief executive officer and cancer center director, of City of Hope, lauded the Chus’ commitment to the institute and its research, saying it inspires its scientists research work in cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.
City of Hope scientists developed patented recombinant DNA technology, which is used to produce synthetic human insulin and led to the development of some of the most promising anticancer treatments based on monoclonal antibodies.