The University of Southern California in Los Angeles has announced a $7.5 million gift from the Hastings Foundation to establish a pulmonary research center at Keck Medicine of USC.

The Hastings Center for Pulmonary Research will bring basic and translational researchers and clinicians together to create a nationally recognized center of excellence for advanced lung disease that builds on existing collaborations within and outside Keck Medicine. With the aim of discovering new treatments and cures for pulmonary diseases such as cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, the center, in collaboration with researchers and investigators at the USC Clinical Center for Advanced Lung Disease and Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC, will focus its research on lung injury, repair, and regeneration.

"We expect this generous gift from the Hastings Foundation will help us greatly enhance pulmonary research and clinical medicine at Keck Medicine of USC," said Zea Borok, chief, division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at Keck Medicine. "This gift will support our efforts to recruit renowned scientists and promising young researchers in basic lung biology, epigenetics, regenerative medicine, and stem cell research, complementing our current research efforts with their knowledge and expertise."