LOS ANGELES – September 29, 2021- Visionaries and revolutionaries in medicine, philanthropy, tech, education, art, and entertainment gathered for the official opening of the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine on September 28 in West LA. The Institute is the first of its kind, bringing together cancer and wellness clinics, multidisciplinary research laboratories, a health policy department, and community outreach and educational programs, with the goal of changing how wellness and cancer are approached. The intimate evening invited guests to experience the state-of-the-art facility, discover the Institute’s approach to research, and leave inspired. The evening was led by the Institute’s Founding Director and CEO, Dr. David B. Agus, who was presented with a recognition plaque from Mayor Garcetti in celebration of this promising addition to Los Angeles.
Dr. Agus welcomed the group, stating, “How can we make an impact on health? In order to understand peace you need to go to war and the war on cancer has taught us so much about preventing disease…that is what this building became, a place to enable that to happen.” Dr. Agus also praised and honored benefactor Larry Ellison, stating, “Every time we are together it is a joy for me, because we talk about a wide range of topics and ideas… and we get them done.”
Ellison added, “I sit here before you, as in years past, and have given several examples of names of family and friends…whose lives were saved because of cancer treatments developed and/or delivered here at the Institute. So I’d like to say, thank you Dr. David Agus, thank you very much. There are so many lives still being lived because of your work.”
Guests were invited to explore the purposefully conceived 80,000 square foot facility, designed by architectural firm RIOS and inspired by Dr. Agus’ vision. The building layout fosters collaboration and connectivity between patients, researchers, and clinicians, and even instills hope and inspiration in patients through beautiful works of art and natural elements. Researchers remained hard at work as attendees walked by the glass-walled laboratories, and admired the incredible art throughout the Institute, including works by Picasso, Rembrandt, Ai Weiwei, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Robert Indiana, Laura Owens, Bunny Burson, and many more.
The night was complemented by music, food and cocktails. The event was produced and designed by AOO Events.
