$28.7M Stem Cell Research Gift Honors Home Depot Co-Founder Bernie Marcus' Medical Ambitions
Bernie Marcus' foundation has made a significant donation to stem cell research for heart attacks. The Marcus Foundation, established by Bernie and his wife Billi in 1989, donated $28.7 million to Dr. Chuck Murry at the University of Southern California's Stem Cell Center.
The gift is the largest The Marcus Foundation has given to USC and one of the largest it has given to academic medicine. This donation fits a decades-long pattern of giving for the Marcus Foundation, which has granted over $2.7 billion through more than 3,500 grants since its inception.
Marcus' legacy lives on through his philanthropic efforts. He was a co-founder of Home Depot and had an estimated net worth of $11 billion at the time of his death in 2024. His dedication to medical research is evident in The Marcus Foundation's focus on five areas, including stem cell research and regenerative medicine.
'Murry and his team have advanced gene-edited cellular therapy to the point that the time is right to support cells as living medicine in this new form of treatment,' said Jonathan Simons, chief science officer of The Marcus Foundation. This donation is a significant step towards advancing stem cell-based therapies for heart attacks.