PITTSBURGH, September 19, 2024 — The Orland Bethel Family Foundation, already a major supporter of the health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, has committed $18.5 million to create a biological specimen repository within the Orland Bethel Family Musculoskeletal Research Center (BMRC), a project that ultimately will help develop treatments for arthritis and other painful conditions affecting millions of people around the world.
With this latest gift, the foundation has committed more than $45 million to Pitt, including $25 million last year to create the BMRC and a previous $2 million gift to create the Orland Bethel Professorship in Spine Surgery.
“The Biobank will give researchers in the BMRC—and across the globe—access to important materials to accelerate discovery of biomarkers and therapeutic targets, enhancing our understanding of musculoskeletal disease and improving patient outcomes through personalized medicine,” said Anantha Shekhar, the John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine and senior vice chancellor for the health sciences at Pitt. “The material collected for the repository will place the Center on the forefront of global discovery.”