Harvard Medical School (HMS) has announced a $75 million pledge from Swiss biotech executive, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Ernesto Bertarelli in support of plans to transform the outdoor courtyard of Building C into an expansive, skylighted atrium.

The building, which houses the departments of cell biology and of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology, is also the hub for the HMS Therapeutics Initiative, which aims to advance therapeutics research, accelerate translation of discoveries into medicines, and educate and train the inventors of future medicines. In recognition of the commitment, Building C will be named the Bertarelli Building following construction.

Bertarelli, who earned his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1993, is chair of the private investment firm B-FLEXION, formerly Waypoint Capital. Previous gifts from the Bertarelli family helped establish the Bertarelli Program in Translational Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, the endowed Bertarelli Professorship in Translational Medical Science, and the Bertarelli Rare Cancers Fund.

“Harvard Medical School is a world leader in healthcare innovation, translational research, and cutting-edge discovery, and it continues to have an immense impact on the health and well-being of humankind,” said Bertarelli. “It has been my honor to have been a partner of the school for over two decades, and I am delighted to continue to support the HMS community in its important work by helping to modernize these landmark facilities to keep pace with therapeutics innovation.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Jorge Antonio)