With many of these therapies finally about to cross over from the laboratory to mainstream medicine, the Powell Center’s original benefactors, Earl and Christy Powell, of Miami, are making another major push to accelerate help for people with genetic diseases.

Their $5 million gift will establish the Earl and Christy Powell University Chair in Gene Therapy and Genetics Research at the UF Health Science Center and reinforce the couple’s commitment to advancing the field of gene therapy.

The Powells first donated $2 million to UF’s internationally recognized program in gene therapy research in 2000, and the university renamed the center the Powell Gene Therapy Center.