My News LA: Cedars-Sinai Receives $20 Million Gift
My News LA recently shared news from Cedars-Sinai about a $20 million gift from Dr. and Mrs. Min H. Kao and the Kao Family Foundation to create the Kao Autoimmunity Institute for advanced research and treatment of rheumatologic diseases.
The gift also will establish the Scleroderma Program within the institute to provide interdisciplinary and integrated care for scleroderma patients and to support research, outreach, training and education to help those with the disease.
Both the new Kao Autoimmunity Institute and Scleroderma Program will be part of the Cedars-Sinai Department of Medicine. They will bring together clinicians, investigators and allied health professionals from a variety of disciplines across Cedars-Sinai and its affiliated hospitals and care sites. The institute and program will be led by new directors, along with a new director of the Division of Rheumatology.
“Our family is fortunate to be in a position to partner with an academic medical center that places a premium on patient care and game-changing medical research,” said Dr. Min H. Kao. “We truly hope this gift will enable Cedars-Sinai to develop a nationally recognized institute that brings lifesaving treatments to those who experience debilitating diseases.”
My News LA cites statistics from the National Institutes of Health that more than 80 autoimmune diseases affect an estimated 24 million people in the U.S. The broad spectrum of disorders includes scleroderma, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, myositis, multiple sclerosis, Grave’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease and Type 1 diabetes.
These diseases are thought to be caused when the immune system -- meant to defend against illness -- begins attacking the body’s own organs, tissues and cells.
Click here to read the complete article from My News LA.
Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Autoimmune Diseases: When Your Body Turns On You