Virginia Tech has announced a $50 million gift from Red Gates Foundation in support of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC to accelerate health sciences research at Virginia Tech. 

One of the largest gifts ever made to the university will go toward recruiting 14 researchers focused largely on cancer but also on neuroengineering and computational neuroscience. A third of the gift will support six major research projects, directed toward cancer and brain disorders in adults and children. Each of the six projects will be led by a senior Fralin Biomedical Research Institute faculty member based in Roanoke. The gift also will enable the institute to increase the number of faculty-led research teams by one-third. 

“The Red Gates Foundation is committed to funding innovative research that has the potential to make a real difference in the world,” said the Red Gates Foundation executive director Jeff Galanti. “The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute is a world-renowned research institution that pushes the boundaries of what is possible. We are confident that their nimble approach to research, which is focused on the intersections of science, medicine, engineering, and data analytics, will help them make significant breakthroughs that benefit humanity in the years to come.”

“These six projects will each provide important new scientific insights and take critical steps to advance those insights to evaluation of effective diagnostics, preventatives, and treatments for cancer and brain disorders,” said Fralin Biomedical Research Institute executive director Michael Friedlander. “This gift from the Red Gates Foundation makes possible a carefully designed plan to enhance our cancer research and our research enterprise overall, building on our strengths in neuroscience, our relationships with researchers across several Virginia Tech colleges, and our partnerships with Children’s National Hospital and Carilion Clinic.” 

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Tim Pennington)