Annual Publication 2025 FINAL 05292025 accessible - Flipbook - Page 67
IMPACT ON MEDICINE
2003
Human genome
Project
Polio
Vaccine
Philanthropy enabled the development
of Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine, primarily
through support from the National
Foundation for Infantile Paralysis
(later March of Dimes). Established by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938,
the foundation mobilized millions of
Americans to contribute dimes to 昀椀ght
polio, raising about $67 million by 1955
(over $500 million today). This funding
allowed Salk to establish a virology lab
at the University of Pittsburgh, where his
team developed the inactivated polio
vaccine.
2019
mRNA-based
Vaccines
On October 2, 2023, Katalin Karikó and
Drew Weissman received the Nobel
Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their
groundbreaking work on mRNA vaccine
technology. Conducted at the University
of Pennsylvania, their research enabled
rapid COVID-19 vaccine development.
Early philanthropic support from groups
like the Parker Foundation and Wellcome
Trust was vital in advancing RNA science,
helping transform public health and
opening doors to new treatments for
infectious diseases and beyond.
SUMMER 2025 MAGAZINE
67
PHOTOS: ALAMY LTD.
1950s
In 2003, Dr. Francis Collins led the
successful completion of the Human
Genome Project, decoding the entire
human DNA sequence. As director of
the National Human Genome Research
Institute, he emphasized collaboration,
ethical responsibility, and accessibility.
In the U.S., philanthropic foundations
contributed over $50 million to support
early research, data sharing, and public
education, ensuring the project’s bene昀椀ts
extended beyond science to medicine
and society.
