Healthcare :: Minnesota families give $3 million to Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic recently received $2 million from The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation and $1 million from The Nelson Family Foundation, created by Marilyn Carlson Nelson and her husband Glen Nelson, M.D. Together these gifts will endow the Curtis L. Carlson Family Professorship in Genomics Research and the Nelson Family Genomics Research Fund. Mayo Clinic will match both gifts.

Medical genomics is a term used to describe efforts to correlate individual differences in gene structure and function with the characteristics of disease and a patient’s response to treatment.

Today genomic information is obtained with high speed genomic analysis instruments to help guide physicians efforts to predict, prevent, diagnose and treat a variety of diseases.

“For generations, Mayo Clinic has brought hope and healing to so many with its renowned patient care, education and research,” says Barbara Carlson Gage, president of the Carlson Foundation. “We are excited that the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics, which includes Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota and the State of Minnesota, will lead to innovative treatments and cures and bring hope to many more.”

“These gifts come at an important time in our research activity,” says Glenn Forbes, M.D., CEO of Mayo Clinic Rochester. “The generosity of these families will strengthen Mayo’s position in genomics research and complement the work now being done by the Minnesota Partnership.” The Partnership links researchers from Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota in a combined effort that is an important factor in Minnesota’s goal to become a national leader in genomics research.

“Given the current revolution in genomics, the research conducted by Mayo Clinic and the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics will lead to new and more powerful medical discoveries,” says Marilyn Carlson Nelson. “This research and the resulting developments will continue to build upon the strength and legacy of Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota to transform medicine and patient-focused care.”

“Genomics is the future of medicine,” says Eric Wieben, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic researcher and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in Rochester. “This gift to Mayo Clinic is also a gift of improved health for our children and grandchildren. Genomics and biotechnology have the potential to make a significant financial contribution to the state of Minnesota, but the real contribution will be in the new treatments and diagnoses made possible by this research. We are grateful to these families who have shared their resources with us.”

“Philanthropy helps us sustain the mission of Mayo Clinic,” says Franklyn Prendergast, M.D., Ph.D, director for Mayo’s Center on Individualized Medicine and professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and pharmacology. “In the world of healthcare today, much of our funding is subject to outside pressures, so generous people who support us really do make a difference.”

The relationship between Mayo Clinic and the Carlson and Nelson families is longstanding, and Marilyn Carlson Nelson currently serves as an external trustee on the Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees.


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