The Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation has announced a $220 million commitment to launch the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, a public-private partnership designed to advance human well-being through the study of peak performance.

The six-institution alliance includes Stanford University; Boston Children's Hospital, which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School; University of California, San Diego; the University of Kansas; the University of Oregon; and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Alliance members will conduct a series of investigations into the fundamental principles of human performance and pioneer new technologies in an effort to transform how people train, heal, and perform throughout their lives. Scientifically validated information will be shared through symposia, podcasts, and other multimedia platforms, as well as through publicly accessible events.

Initiatives include the Digital Athlete (Stanford), which will create predictive computer models to guide training and treatment for athletes; Regenerative Rehabilitation (University of Oregon), which will synergize regenerative therapies and rehabilitation protocols to restore function to damaged tissues and prevent injury; the Molecular Athlete (Salk Institute), which will map the molecules and gene expression of human performance to optimize training, healing, and recovery; the Multiscale Athlete (UC San Diego), which will synthesize experimental measurements across multiple biological scales using computer modeling to predict molecular and cellular states of tissues and their effects on whole-body performance; and the female Athlete Program (Boston Children's Hospital), which will focus on female-specific translational research. In addition, innovation hubs at Boston Children’s Hospital, Kansas, Oregon, Stanford, and UC San Diego will work to translate discoveries into practice.

"When the most diverse interdisciplinary individuals team together to use science and engineering to tackle a new challenge with a shared passion, the positive impact they can have on society can exceed our wildest imagination," said Andrew McCulloch, director of Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at UC San Diego.

"Scientific funding has traditionally been focused on the study of diseases," said alliance founder Clara Wu Tsai. "We are taking the opposite approach and studying the human body at its healthiest and most vital, to enable the thriving of all people — from an Olympic Gold Medal-level athlete to a grandfather lacking the mobility to enjoy a full life."

(Photo credit: Derrick Tuskan, University of California, San Diego)