Lurie Children's Hospital receives $11 million gift for genetics and rare disease research

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital on Wednesday announced what they called a "transformative gift," as investment banker Don Edwards and his wife, Anne, have donated $11 million to the hospital.

The donation will be used to establish the Edwards Family Division of Genetics and Rare Diseases. Lurie said the gift will enable them to do diagnostic testing in-house, which could cut wait times from months to weeks.

"This transformative gift will not only impact families in Chicago, but it will be a beacon of hope for children throughout the country," said Lurie Children's President & CEO Tom Shanley.

Lurie said the donation from the Edwards family also will enable the hospital to establish the largest genetics training program in Illinois, and triple the number of gene therapy and clinical research trials at Lurie, reaching 75 active trials by 2030.