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Philanthropist donates $33.8 million to UBC and hospital foundation for MS research

UBC says it is the largest known donation ever for MS research worldwide.

File photo of UBC sign.
File photo of UBC sign. Photo by Mark van Manen /Vancouver Sun

An unnamed philanthropist has donated $33.8 million to the University of British Columbia and the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation for research into multiple sclerosis.

It is the largest known donation ever for MS research worldwide, UBC said, in a news release Wednesday.

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UBC said the private donation was made by a B.C.-based philanthropist who believes contributions to science and medicine can quickly advance solutions and treatments across diseases for patients.

This gift will be used to establish the B.C. MS Cell Therapies Translational Research Network, or MS Research Network, a world-class research and patient-care hub that will use the latest advances in cell and gene engineering to develop, manufacture, and test next-generation cell-based therapies, according to UBC.

It will also help provide services for patients and their families.

MS is an autoimmune disease that affects patients, typically between the ages of 20-49. It attacks the myelin sheath, an insulating layer that forms around nerves in the brain and spinal cord, causing communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body, according to UBC.

ticrawford@postmedia.com