Biochemist Gives $24 Million to UC San Francisco
A biochemist famous for his pioneering work in gene splicing has donated $24 million to UC San Francisco, setting a record for the largest gift by an individual to any of the nine UC campuses.
The donation was made by Herbert W. Boyer, a professor emeritus at UC San Francisco and co-founder of Genentech Inc., a leading biotechnology company in south San Francisco.
“The size of Boyer’s gift reflects the . . . principle that strong institutions with proven track records are magnets for philanthropic support,” UC San Francisco Chancellor Joseph B. Martin said in a statement announcing the donation.
Boyer’s contribution was sought under a six-year UC San Francisco fund-raising campaign that began in 1990. The campaign, which has raised almost 60% of its $533-million goal, was launched to offset cuts in federal funding for biomedical research. It marks the first campuswide appeal for private support in the university’s 130-year history.
Boyer, 57, of Mill Valley, is one of two scientists credited with a watershed in biomedical research that forms the foundation of today’s burgeoning biotechnology industry.
In 1973, Boyer and Stanley N. Cohen of Stanford University discovered ways to transplant genes from one living cell to another. Working collaboratively but in separate laboratories, they later developed the underlying scientific techniques for genetic engineering.
The many outgrowths of their discovery have become health care staples, including genetically engineered insulin, human growth hormone, the hepatitis B vaccine and drugs for conditions ranging from heart attacks to multiple sclerosis.
Boyer’s donation comes from proceeds he earned from patent rights to the gene-splicing process. The $24 million represents his share of proceeds over a 17-year period that will end in 1997. The money is earmarked for biomedical research.
