A transformative $50 million donation from the Lurie family will establish the Lurie Autism Institute, an ambitious collaboration between Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Penn Medicine focused on advancing autism research and care across the lifespan.
The contribution is the largest single gift ever directed to U.S. academic medical centers for autism.
More than 75 million people worldwide—including one in 31 children and one in 45 adults in the United States—are living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). By uniting CHOP’s world‑class pediatric expertise with Penn Medicine’s renowned adult‑care research programs, the new Institute aims to accelerate answers to the field’s toughest questions and create tangible improvements for individuals and families. Designed as a global hub, it will bring together scientists, clinicians, families, trainees, and donors to foster innovation and collaboration.
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“We created the Lurie Autism Institute to ignite a new era of discovery,” said Jeffrey Lurie, Philadelphia Eagles Chairman and CEO and founder of the Eagles Autism Foundation. “CHOP and Penn Medicine have the proven innovation required to unlock insights that have eluded researchers for far too long. Our goal is to transform what’s possible for people worldwide.”
Building on a decades‑long partnership responsible for breakthroughs such as lifesaving vaccines, the first FDA‑approved CAR T‑cell therapy for cancer, and pioneering gene‑editing treatments, CHOP and Penn Medicine are positioned to reshape how autism is understood and treated.
Institute priorities include:
- Mapping the genetic, environmental, and epigenetic factors that contribute to ASD
- Decoding how autistic traits emerge and change over the lifespan
- Developing advanced laboratory models to study brain function in autism
- Investigating why some autistic individuals have limited speech, drawing on brain‑language research
- Applying artificial intelligence to vast biological and behavioral datasets to reveal new drug targets and repurposable therapies
- Advancing gene‑based investigations toward future treatments
- Preparing clinical trials that pair behavioral and pharmacological interventions
- Launching a “Next‑Generation Program in Autism Bioscience” certificate for PhD trainees and post‑docs
- Convening an annual International Symposium and awarding the Lurie Autism Institute Prize for ASD Research
An international search is underway for the Institute’s inaugural director—an innovative leader with both clinical and scientific vision.
“This gift harnesses our shared expertise to propel urgently needed research for people with ASD,” said Jonathan A. Epstein, MD, Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. Madeline Bell, CHOP’s CEO, added, “By bringing the field’s foremost experts together, the Institute will deliver faster, better answers for children and adults living with autism.”
The Lurie family’s commitment to autism spans nearly five decades—from Nancy Lurie Marks’ founding of the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation in 1977 and the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2009, to Jeffrey Lurie’s Eagles Autism Foundation launched in 2018. The new Institute at CHOP and Penn Medicine will complement these efforts, expanding opportunities to deepen scientific understanding and improve lives.
“Much remains to be discovered about autism,” said Nancy Lurie Marks. “CHOP and Penn Medicine have a track record of turning collaboration into real‑world solutions, and we are confident they will accelerate breakthroughs for individuals and families with ASD.”
AGBS provides ongoing care for children, adolescents, and young adults with autism to improve the quality of their lives. If you would like learn more about how AGBS can help please contact us here , or call 908-913-0443.
