The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation has donated $26 million to Seattle’s Access to Advanced Health Institute (AAHI), a nonprofit that emerged from the Infectious Disease Research Institute after a recent court-overseen restructure.
Michelle Chan and Patrick Soon-Shiong aim to “erode and eliminate disparities in health care” through their foundation, according to the website of the Giving Pledge, a group of individuals who have pledged to give away the majority of their wealth.
Soon-Shiong is also founder, chief scientific officer and chief medical officer of ImmunityBio, which has a licensing agreement with AAHI and is sponsoring early clinical trials of the institute’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which will soon start in South Africa. He is also chair of AAHI’s board of directors.
AAHI recently described its COVID-19 vaccine, which consists of a self-replicating RNA bound to a delivery vehicle, in a preprint study. Another recent study showed that a similar formulation can be converted into powder form and stored for up to six months at room temperature, or up to a year in a simple refrigerator — an advantage in resource-poor environments.
