SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his pediatrician wife, Priscilla Chan, are launching an ambitious effort to spend $3 billion over the next decade to cure disease.
The goal is to "work together to cure, prevent or manage all disease within our children's lifetime," Dr. Chan said during an event in San Francisco for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative , the couple's philanthropic group.
Dr. Chan spoke through tears as she recalled telling parents their child had an incurable disease or could not be revived, experiences she said made her even more determined to work with scientists and engineers to build new tools that can save lives by the end of the century.
Zuckerberg, who took the stage after his wife's remarks, said he and Chan want to "make a better future for our children."
As part of the investment, the couple is funding a $600 million research center in San Francisco called the Biohub that is a partnership with UC San Francisco , Stanford University and UC Berkeley. Neurobiologist Cori Bargmann is signing on as the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's president of science.
Last December, the couple celebrated the birth of a baby girl with the stunning announcement they plan to give away most of their fortune through a new initiative to "advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation." The Facebook founder and his physician wife pledged to give away 99% of their Facebook shares in their lifetime. So far the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has made investments in an African coding start-up called Andela and Indian education start-up Byju.
Zuckerberg and Chan have drawn parallels to Microsoft founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and wife Melinda, known for their philanthropic efforts.
Gates on Wednesday praised the couple, who have already made substantial investments in education, for "taking on another bold challenge."
"This idea of curing and preventing all diseases by the end of the century, that's very bold, very ambitious," Gates said during remarks at the event. "I can't think of a better partnership to take it on," Gates said, noting Zuckerberg's risk-taking entrepreneurial chops and Chan's medical bonafides.
"They both love science and they are both very committed to where it can take us," Gates said.
