25 million gift establishes the Smilow Center for Precision Therapeutics at Penn Medicine

A $25 million gift from the Smilow Foundation, led by William Smilow, will establish the Smilow Center for Precision Therapeutics at Penn Medicine. The center will advance gene-editing and other precision therapies designed to address the underlying causes of cardiovascular disease.

“The Smilow Foundation has made an extraordinary commitment to advancing groundbreaking research with the potential to achieve what was once considered impossible: curing previously debilitating forms of heart disease,” said Jonathan A. Epstein, MD, Dean, Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President, University of Pennsylvania for the Health System. “Their support empowers our researchers to harness transformative innovations to redefine the future of cardiovascular medicine and strengthen Penn Medicine’s leadership in gene editing and cardiovascular care.”

The Smilow Foundation’s recent philanthropy builds upon its previous support of Penn Medicine to create the Smilow Center for Translational Research and the William Smilow Professorship, which reflects their deeply rooted commitment to supporting impactful medical research. The Professorship, founded in 2012 by William Smilow and his father the late Joel Smilow, was created as part of their landmark gift to name the Smilow Center for Translational Research, an integral part of Penn’s medical campus that has become one of the nation’s premier research facilities.

“The impact of philanthropy extends far beyond a single moment. Through their remarkable generosity, the Smilow Foundation is helping to fuel innovation and accelerate discoveries that will change the trajectory of cardiovascular medicine. William Smilow has already contributed immeasurably to our remarkable success in translating scientific discoveries into treatments, and this new gift is equally visionary,” said J. Larry Jameson, MD, President of the University of Pennsylvania.

“Heart disease has touched my family personally, which makes this mission genuinely meaningful to me,” said William Smilow, President and CEO of the Smilow Foundation. “The creation of the Smilow Center for Precision Therapeutics reflects our commitment to advancing the science needed to cure heart disease and spare future generations from its impact. As a Penn Medicine Board member and longtime partner, I am confident there is no institution better positioned than Penn to turn that vision into reality.”

Advancing precision therapies for cardiovascular disease

Penn Medicine is at the forefront of studying and treating cardiovascular diseases, as well as genetics, gene therapies, and precision medicine. Under the leadership of Thomas P. Cappola, MD, ScM, the William Smilow Professor, Division Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine and Center Director, the Smilow Center for Precision Therapeutics aims to develop curative therapies for heart disease for the first time and will leverage Penn-led discoveries and expertise through innovative research, first-in-human clinical trials, and world-class patient care.

The Smilow Foundation’s philanthropy will enable experts from a broad range of disciplines to develop a roadmap to bring new treatments to patients for the first time. The Smilow Center’s highly collaborative and multidisciplinary environment brings together experts from Penn Medicine’s Departments of Cardiovascular Medicine, Physiology, Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Bioengineering, Radiology, and others to deliver unparalleled expertise across all aspects of cardiovascular disease. It will leverage the command of pioneers like Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD, MPH, ML, MRA, and Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, in breakthrough technologies like CRISPR and mRNA. For example, Musunuru, the Barry J. Gertz Professor for Translational Research, has developed gene-editing therapies to permanently lower cholesterol levels, greatly reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

The launch of the Smilow Center for Precision Therapeutics marks a transformative moment for Penn Medicine and for the future of cardiovascular care,” said Michael Parmacek, MD, Chair of the Department of Medicine and the Frank Wister Thomas Professor of Medicine. “Made possible by the exceptional generosity of the Smilow Foundation and with the visionary leadership of Dr. Cappola, the Smilow Center will build on Penn’s unmatched strengths in cardiovascular science, genetics, gene editing, and translational medicine. More than expanding existing programs, it will create entirely new scientific and clinical capabilities that accelerate discovery, attract world-class talent, and bring personalized therapies to patients with unprecedented speed and precision. The Smilow Center positions Penn to become the nation’s leading destination for cardiovascular translational research and innovation.”

The Smilow Foundation’s primary areas of interest are medical research and education, with leadership gifts to institutions such as Yale’s Smilow Cancer Hospital and New York University’s Langone Medical Center. The Foundation is a founding donor of the Smilow Woodland TGR Learning Lab at the revitalized Cobbs Creek Golf Course in West Philadelphia. William Smilow is a member of the Penn Medicine Board, as well as the Penn Cardiovascular Institute Leadership Council, and Penn Medicine Development Leadership Cabinet. He also serves as a board member for the TGR Foundation and the Cobbs Creek Foundation.

“We are grateful to the Smilow Foundation for their remarkable generosity and vision,” said Kevin B. Mahoney, Chief Executive Officer, University of Pennsylvania Health System. “By bringing together experts from across disciplines through the Smilow Center for Precision Therapeutics, Penn Medicine is uniquely positioned to pioneer new approaches to treating, and ultimately curing, heart disease, accelerating the delivery of groundbreaking therapies to patients everywhere.”