Indianapolis entrepreneur donates $30 million to launch immunotherapy center

One of the largest gifts ever to the Indiana University School of Medicine will enable researchers to harness the power of the immune system to cure cancer and other devastating diseases – propelling Indiana’s standing as an engine for biomedical discovery and innovation.

Indianapolis entrepreneur Donald E. Brown, MD, today announced a $30 million gift to establish the Brown Center for Immunotherapy at the IU School of Medicine. The center will discover new ways to deploy immune-based therapies to treat cancers and pioneer use of this powerful technology in other diseases. Researchers will also study how to make this highly specialized therapy accessible to large numbers of patients.

The gift is the IU School of Medicine’s largest ever from an alumnus. Unlike many gifts of this magnitude, which are typically pledged over several years, Dr. Brown is giving all $30 million at once. The infusion of resources will enable IU School of Medicine Dean Jay Hess, Executive Associate Dean for Research Affairs Anantha Shekhar and other school leaders to move aggressively to build the center and recruit top-flight experts in immunotherapy to Indiana.

The gift will also provide a powerful boost to the state's economy. Dr. Brown’s charge to the IU School of Medicine is “to use the work of the center to catalyze the formation of new companies and the creation of new jobs in the field of immune-based biotechnology.”

To accomplish these goals, the Brown Center for Immunotherapy will collaborate with the private sector throughout Central Indiana, including leaders in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and other relevant fields.