Good afternoon, everyone.
My name is Jim Ryan.
And I am the president of the University of Virginia.
I am delighted to see and welcome all of you
to this truly special and exciting day.
Speaking personally, the last time I was this excited
was earlier this week when I had a chance
to meet Steph Curry at a UVA basketball game, which
means I'm very, very excited.
I'd like to extend a special welcome to Governor Glenn
Youngkin and first lady Suzanne Youngkin.
We are here today to make the formal announcement of what
I see as a landmark, not only in the history of this University,
but also in the history of medical research and treatment
in the Commonwealth and beyond.
I realize that what I'm about to say
may seem like a slight exaggeration.
And I say this admittedly as an American Studies
major in college and a lawyer by training who
has no expertise in medicine.
But I believe that we are at the dawn of a revolution
in medical treatment.
Today, there are more than 9,500 diseases without a cure,
and 1 in 10 Virginians suffers from a rare disease
without a cure.
In the past, these diseases, which range
from various types of cancer to Alzheimer's to sickle
cell disease, have seemed intractable.
But advances in biotechnology, and in particular, gene
and cellular therapy as well as immunotherapy,
have given great cause for hope because they represent
a new and incredibly promising way
of attacking these diseases.
If I'm right, the next quarter century or so
will be the age of biotechnology.
And we will see advances that rival or exceed the advances
in information technology that we've seen in the last quarter
century.
That is why it is my pleasure and honor
to announce the creation of the Paul and Diane Manning
Biotechnology Institute at the University of Virginia.
This Institute will be an innovative translational
research center that will bring new medical treatments to those
who need them most.
This Institute, as you might have guessed from the name,
is made possible by a stunningly generous gift of $100 million
from Paul and Diane Manning.
[APPLAUSE]
The Manning gift will be combined
with an historic investment from the Commonwealth,
thanks to the strong support of Governor Youngkin,
and key members of the General Assembly.
The University is also contributing $150 million
to this effort, in alignment with our 2030 strategic plan
which calls for a focus on precision medicine.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of this Institute
to UVA and to the Commonwealth.
The Manning Institute will be the hub of UVA's research
program in biotechnology.
It will include a state-of-the-art building
centered on the research, development, commercialisation,
and manufacturing of new cellular gene
and immunotherapies.
It will bring together researchers and scientists
from biomedical, engineering, and chemical sciences
at the University.
And it will create new opportunities
for students and faculty to be at the forefront
of medical science.
It will foster an environment that inspires, supports,
accelerates, and promotes discoveries and innovation,
even for health care challenges that have, until now, seemed
insurmountable.
And it will supply the infrastructure and resources
that are needed to bring discoveries
from the bench to the bedside as quickly as we can.
The Manning Institute will also play an important economic role
for the broader community.
If we do this right, and we will work tirelessly
to do this right, the institute will
attract both startups and established biotech firms
and help accelerate the growth of UVA
and the city of Charlottesville as a formidable hub
of innovation.
Our plans go even further than this, however,
as we expect the Institute's reach will extend to citizens
across the Commonwealth through participation
in clinical trials throughout Virginia
and through the manufacturing facility, which
will be a part of the institute, and which
will be available to researchers from our sister institutions
across the Commonwealth.
This is not, in other words, about UVA per se
nor is it about an Institute that
might just help the university.
This is about creating an avenue by which UVA
can help improve and save lives throughout the Commonwealth.
None of this would be possible without
the visionary generosity of Paul and Diane Manning.
For those of you who don't know him,
Paul is an incredibly successful entrepreneur and the founder
of the PBM Capital Group, which is based in Charlottesville.
Paul and Diane have been heavily involved
with philanthropy and health care
through their Family Foundation.
And Paul has served on UVA's Health Foundation Board,
as well as on the Steering Committee for the University's
Strategic Planning Process back in 2013.
Diane has been involved with a number of boards
and organizations, including serving
as director of the Manning Family Foundation
and co-founder of Focus to Cure Diabetes Foundation.
In 2010, she received the inaugural Richmond Dining
in the Dark Visionary Award for her dedication
to fighting blindness.
Paul and Diane have already given generously
to health research at UVA, as well as to UVA athletics.
They have three children, who are all UVA graduates.
My wife Katie and I have had the good fortune
to get to know Paul and Diane.
And I can tell you there are few people who
rival their combination of commitment, generosity,
goodwill, and good humor.
Paul and Diane, I am incredibly grateful to call you friends.
And I'm both grateful and in awe of your relentless commitment
to serving patients and their families.
I'd also like to thank Governor Youngkin, whom we will
hear from in a few moments.
He has been a champion of scientific advances
in health care.
And I'm grateful for his partnership and his confidence
in the University of Virginia.
In addition, it has been a genuine pleasure
to work with many elected and appointed officials
from the Commonwealth on this initiative,
including Speaker Todd Gilbert, who is with us today.
For those in Richmond who have helped us along the way,
let me just say that we share your excitement
and your commitment to ensure that this investment pays off
for all Virginians.
Thanks as well to Dr. Craig Kent, CEO of UVA Health,
for lending his leadership and expertise to the development
of the Manning Institute.
Craig and his team have been instrumental
in the design and the planning of this effort.
And his wise counsel has been incredibly valuable throughout.
Finally I'd like to thank UVA's provost Ian
Baucom for his wisdom and advice on incorporating the Manning
Institute into the academic mission of the University.
Ian and his team have provided, and will continue to provide,
outstanding academic leadership as the institute
grows from an idea into reality.
Before I turn it over to the Rector of the University
Whitt Clement, let me say a final word about the promise
of the Manning Institute.
We often say that UVA is a place that
strives to be both great and good in all that we do.
When people ask me, what does that mean?
I usually cite a few examples to help explain.
So, too, here.
The Manning Institute will bring together
world class researchers in biotechnology
who will help bring life-changing and life-saving
treatments to those who need them the most.
That is what great and good looks like.
Thanks again to all of you for being here.
And with that, I'd like to ask my friend and my boss Rector
Clement to come to the podium.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you, President Ryan.
Paul, Diane, on behalf of all the members
of the Board of Visitors, we are most
grateful for this incredibly wonderful gift that's
going to fund an institute, whose research and discovery
is going to mean so much to so many people
in our Commonwealth, in our nation, and worldwide.
We are proud and deeply honored that you've
entrusted us through your philanthropy
for cutting-edge research.
It's a real historic day at the university.
And we really can't thank you enough.
My main duty, other than to express our deep appreciation,
is to introduce two very special guests.
And the president has already mentioned.
Each is going to offer his own comments.
The Speaker of the Virginia House
of Delegates, and of course, our governor.
First, Speaker Todd Gilbert.
Todd is one of our own, a graduate of the college where
he earned his degree in 1993.
He went on to gain his law degree from SMU.
Todd's service in the house for the last almost 17 years
really epitomizes Virginia's long history
of producing public servants who serve in leadership
roles in state government.
Todd is a major figure, along with the Governor,
of course, in how our state operates.
Todd and his wife, Jennifer, have two small children.
They live in Woodstock in the Shenandoah Valley.
We're also honored, of course, to have
with us Governor Glenn Youngkin, who, as president Ryan
has mentioned, has been a stalwart supporter of advancing
healthcare research and technology initiatives
in the Commonwealth.
He, along with many of our friends in the General
Sunday like Speaker Gilbert, have
been instrumental in making this important institute a reality.
As many of know, Governor Youngkin
is a native of Virginia Beach.
He obtained his engineering degree
from Rice University, and his MBA from Harvard.
Before his successful run for governor in 2021,
he had been with the Carlyle Group,
an international investment firm, for 25 years
and eventually rose to the position of co-CEO.
He and our first lady Suzanne, who we're also
very happy that you're with us today,
have been married for 28 years, have four children.
And one of them is doing research at the hospital.
So thank you also for being here.
Governor the university looks forward
to building this partnership with the Commonwealth,
as President Ryan has mentioned.
We want that partnership so that the Manning Institute
can reach its full potential.
We hope that this institute and its groundbreaking work
will be as much a part of your legacy
as it will be the Manning family.
So thank you again.
And I'd now like to recognize my friend, Todd Gilbert.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you.
Well, Governor Youngkin, President Ryan,
Rector Clements, Mr. and Mrs. Manning, honored guests,
it is a delight to be with you today.
I had my staff, as staffs do, said, here
are your remarks for today.
And I said, well, I think I'd rather tell a story because I
have a story to tell here.
It started with a phone call, a phone
call from my closest friend and confidant and on and off again
roommate.
We have to save money when we're in Richmond
in the House of Delegates.
And that would be one Rob Bell.
Many of Rob is the representative from just
over the artificial border in Albemarle County.
Rob is what they call a Double Hoo.
I am not one of those.
And when people ask, I told them I went to school here.
And they say, well, did you go to law school also?
My response is always, no, they didn't want me back,
which is just my fault really.
It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. It's my fault.
But Rob Bell worked very hard when he was in school here.
And so he has the honor of being a Double Hoo.
And I got that call.
And it's not unusual for me to get a call from Rob Bell.
I get five calls a day from Rob Bell,
and have for years because he's always
thinking about something.
Trying to fix something.
Trying to navigate something.
He really is the hardest working member
of the House of Delegates.
And Rob called and said that he had a friend and constituent
who I needed to meet with, who was thinking
of making a historic investment in the University
and in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
And so I gladly agreed to come and meet
with Mr. Manning at his lovely home.
I drove out there.
Rob was there.
And we just sat down and talked.
And for about an hour, I got to hear Mr. Manning's vision
of what health care was going to look like 10 years from now.
And I was hooked, and I was sold.
And it was my understanding then that not only was he
prepared to step up and make this historic investment,
the University was prepared to do that.
And they needed a partner, an equal partner, in the state,
in the Commonwealth of Virginia, to step up
and embrace this concept and help bring it to fruition.
Now, at any point, when it sounds
like I'm boasting about our participation in this thing,
those of us in government, it's easier
to spend other people's $100 million
than it is to spend your own $100 million.
So I am not equating any of this in any way
with your personal sacrifice of your treasure.
And it is an incredible thing.
But for this to happen, certain things needed to happen.
So we hatched a plan.
We were just coming back into the majority in Richmond,
the Republican caucus.
And we needed to have our incoming money people invested
in this literally.
Figuratively, they needed to buy in to this idea.
And so we hatched a plan to all go together and meet
with the incoming chairman of appropriations in Norfolk.
And we all sat down together at the University, Mr. Manning,
Rob, me, and the chairman of appropriations, Barry Knight,
and talk through the same thing.
And it was really incredible how Chairman Knight bought in.
And I remember having a conversation with him,
telling him how important this was
to me, as a product of this University and as a citizen
this Commonwealth.
And I said, Barry, at some point,
this concept, what's going to be built here,
is going to save your life, or it's going to save mine,
or it's going to save somebody you care about or somebody
I care about.
And just extrapolate that out across the thousands of people
that are going to be affected by this new frontier in medicine.
And whether it's from our families, or yours,
or the Commonwealth, or the United States,
or really across the world, people
are going to come here for the treatments that
are going to be developed here and applied here
in this fascinating new world of medicine
that we're looking at right now.
And I couldn't be happier to have
played a small part in bringing this all to fruition.
And I think it was fortuitous that two
sons of this University just happened
to be at a place and a time that we
could help make this a reality.
And so for our part, we are delighted to be involved
and to be partners with you.
And for my part, if I have anything to do with it,
if I have any longevity in Richmond,
we're just getting started.
So I thank you for this opportunity,
Mr. Manning, Mrs. Manning.
I appreciate your historic investment and your vision.
And thank you so much.
Yes, sir.
[APPLAUSE]
So I almost forgot.
It became late in the game, I realized my duty
to do the honors here today.
And it is truly my honor to introduce His Excellency,
the governor of Virginia.
He's likewise, a fantastic partner.
I think likewise has bought in to the vision.
He is a visionary, and he is a hard worker.
And I want you and Rob Bell, if I
could keep a clock on who's getting up earlier to work
on the people's business, it would
be an interesting competition.
But this governor knows a good deal when he sees it,
and he knows a good investment when he sees it.
And I think he understands that this is, in fact, where
medicine is going to be in the not too distant future.
And this governor is obsessed, in a good way,
with making Virginia competitive with every other state,
with every other nation.
And that is no less true in the field of medicine.
So we're going to build something great here.
And people are going to come, and we're going to save lives.
And so with that, His Excellency, Governor Youngkin.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you.
Thank you all.
Good afternoon.
How much fun is this?
I understand that we're one of six events happening today.
So I can't wait to see the next one because this one is
extraordinary.
And I just appreciate President Ryan and Rector Clement.
Thank you for your kind remarks.
And Mr. Speaker, I have to say that there
are partnerships that I enjoy.
The top of the list, of course, is with my amazing wife.
But I so enjoy working together with you.
And so, thank you.
Thank you.
To Dr. Kent, then all of the teams
that have worked so tirelessly to bring this idea forward,
and now to fruition, thank you.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
I know President Ryan has a theme.
This theme of pairing together greatness and goodness.
And it extends beyond this great University.
And I can't, again, think of a better example, a more salient
example than the opening of this very institute.
I'm deeply grateful for all of the work that
has gone into this.
But we do need to, again, acknowledge
that this was an extensive effort from so many people.
And our colleagues in the General Assembly
bought in, bought in early, and bought in holistically.
And the leadership from so many different folks
reminds us that it does take all of us to get great things done.
But it takes vision to get started.
And I want to say thank you.
Thank you to the Mannings.
Paul and Diane, I want to thank you for your willingness
to step forward with more than a vision,
but a catalytic gift to make it happen.
And it's when a catalytic gift is
paired with a vision, a vision to change the future,
that we will look back at some point in the future
and say, yes, that day, that day where an announcement was made
was the beginning of transforming capabilities
and knowledge that transform lives.
And so we should all remember this moment
because that is an exciting time to be in.
And finally, when all of that comes together,
and then we execute against it, this tremendous contribution
will be one that does something more than builds a building
and provides jobs and advances research.
But there will be a life, a life that will be saved,
that could not have been touched or saved
in any other way than the singularity of the work that
will be done here.
And that one life, that one moment
is the time when we all look back to the vision that
started with you, and with you.
And so thank you.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
I also want to highlight this opportunity for us
to celebrate the strength of this great university.
This community has been through a lot in the face of tragedy,
the horrific shootings of Devin and Lavel
and D'Sean, three kings, as they were described,
when we were all together.
A community that faced that with resilience and strength,
the community that wrapped your arms together,
not just intertwined but around one another
and looked forward to a better day.
It's a community that represents the best of us all.
And so today, we have a tremendously happy moment
to be together.
And I think that those two days are linked in so many ways
because it's a community that stands strong
and it's a community that looks forward.
This institute that we celebrate today
will not only be a tremendous asset to UVA,
to Charlottesville, but its impact
will stretch across the Commonwealth,
across the nation, and around the world.
Virginia, not just the University of,
but the Commonwealth of will be a leader,
will be viewed as being the best, the epicenter.
And we can build on that to not just create jobs
but to make the Commonwealth a destination.
A destination for research.
A destination for care.
A destination for hope.
So yes, we'll cut a ribbon today.
I'm excited about that.
I like cutting ribbons.
The ceremonial first step saying that, we're open for business.
But what comes tomorrow and the day after
and the day after that is what's so truly exceptional
because it's the vision of this institute that
will be fully realized.
And Virginians will have yet another reason
to stay within our Commonwealth to receive the best
possible health care, particularly
in emerging fields like cellular and gene
therapy, nanotechnology, and targeted drug delivery.
These are things that used to be dreams and aspirations that
will become a reality right here in this amazing hub of research
and realization.
I love the word translation.
As we translate research into reality,
as we translate visions into fulfilling those aspirations.
This Institute will do all of that,
and create hundreds of new jobs here at the University
of Virginia that generate economic activity, spurning
companies that will fulfill the translation
opportunity to deliver all of this great research.
And beyond that, beyond the research,
we hope to see manufacturing.
And we will see capital flow and we
will see an ecosystem that builds upon itself.
That is going to be so special to watch.
One of the most important and most enjoyable
parts of this privilege that I have every day, as serving all
of you as your governor, is having the opportunity
to convince companies and people as to why they should locate
here in our great Commonwealth, to build their lives,
to build their children's lives, to expand
their corporate operations here in Virginia
because nothing is more rewarding than hearing
those simple words of, you're hired.
And I look forward to those words being discussed over
dinner tables across Virginia, but also
here more importantly in Charlottesville,
with this institute.
But with companies moving here to expand our capacity
to say those exact words.
And while each one of the announcements that I
have the privilege to make is unique and meaningful,
it's unique and meaningful to communities,
to the Commonwealth, to the businesses, to their employees,
there is something very, very, very special about this one.
It's very special because it is a family stepping forward
and making a catalytic expression of their belief
in the success of this institute.
It's a university bringing every ounce of its capabilities
to the success of this institute.
And yes, it's the Commonwealth of Virginia recognizing
that the part we can play is extraordinarily
important as well.
Pairings, greatness and goodness all coming together
to tackle some of the most challenging, challenging issues
and questions that face humankind today.
So you know this inspiration and motivation
isn't felt for the first time in this amazing building.
Thomas Jefferson founded this place
to propel it to become one of the most
important academic institutes in the world.
And it's step like this, it's moments
like this that, I think, allow us to say, yes, Mr. Jefferson.
We are marching there.
Folks, it's so fun to be with you.
It's fun to see Virginia do extraordinary things.
It's fun to see our capabilities come together
to take bold steps into the future.
And as your governor, it's extraordinarily humbling
to be part of it.
I'm proud of what we're doing today.
I'm proud of the efforts that have been brought together.
And I am so excited to see the great things that
are yet to come.
Thank you.
Thanks to all of you.
You all have a hand in this.
But I particularly want to thank the Mannings one last time.
May God bless you and all that you do.
Thank you for your hearts.
Thank you for your vision.
And on behalf of Virginians and Americans
and citizens of the world, we thank you
for what will happen at this most extraordinary institute.
Thank you very much.
[APPLAUSE]
So I'm Craig Kent, CEO of UVA Health.
And I feel like I drew the short straw
of having to go after the governor
and before our honored guest.
But great to be here.
And thanks to all of you for being here today.
And as the governor said, so many of you in this room
have been instrumental in making this happen.
I'd like to begin by thanking President Ryan, Rector Clement,
Board of Visitors, for their vision
to make UVA preeminent amongst universities
and academic health systems thanks to an amazing investment
in translational research and clinical care.
I would also like to extend my thanks to Governor Youngkin,
Speaker Gilbert who had the vision and the wisdom
to support a center for biotechnology
for the Commonwealth of Virginia that would catalyze innovation
throughout the state, stimulate collaboration
amongst the state's major research universities,
and provide cutting-edge care for Virginia's almost 9
million citizens.
Biomedical research is advancing at a pace never before seen.
It's estimated that the doubling time
for new knowledge in the field of medicine
is 2 and 1/2 months.
So can you imagine that.
2 and 1/2 months from today, we'll
twice as much about the medical field as we
do at this very moment.
There's so much innovation and new technology.
And the consequence of this is a greater understanding
of diseases and potential treatments.
The beneficiaries of this rapid increase of knowledge
are our patients, their families,
and of course, all of the people in the Commonwealth
of Virginia.
Over 850,000, or 1 in 10 Virginians,
suffer from a rare disease.
Moreover, millions of Virginians suffer from common diseases
that have no cure, Alzheimer's disease, cancer,
so many others.
Many of these are innocent children,
or the socioeconomically disadvantaged.
Although advances in medicine in this century
have been profound, there are still more than 9,500 diseases
that are without a cure.
We stand at the cusp of a revolution in health care.
Biotechnology will change how medicine
is delivered and the outcomes for our patients,
not in the distant future, but right
now and in the coming years.
We already see it happening.
The annual economic impact for the US bioscience industry
is $2.9 trillion.
This is only superseded by the size of the health care
industry, which is annually $4.3 trillion.
Both biotech and health care continue
to grow at an exponential rate.
With our new biotech unit, Virginia
is positioning itself to be a benefactor
of that incredible growth.
While the economics are important,
the most exciting impact of this biotechnology revolution,
from my perspective as a health care provider and a health care
leader, is how biotechnology will
save lives and improve the quality of life
of our patients.
With increased investment in the pursuit of new innovations,
imagine how incredible the future will be
for the citizens of Virginia.
And this will all be happening right here on grounds
at the University of Virginia.
Universities and academic medical centers
across the country are playing an increasingly important role
in translational therapeutics.
The Paul and Diane Manning Institute
will be designed to fill the gap between the research
bench and the hospital bedside by focusing
on the rapid development of innovative medical therapies.
What will be accomplished at this institute?
The recruitment of over 100 new physicians and scientists
focused on translational research.
These researchers will bring to the Commonwealth annually
up to $150 million of externally funded research,
enhancing the Commonwealth's economics and reputation.
The creation of a life sciences ecosystem
that will attract world class talent and the influx of health
care and biotech companies.
We will accelerate the development
of innovative, revolutionary new clinical therapies, including
cellular and gene therapies, nanotechnology, targeted drug
delivery, positioning UVA and Virginia
to be at the forefront of cutting-edge next generation
medicine.
And most importantly, very most importantly,
the promise that Virginians will no longer need to leave
the Commonwealth to receive world class,
state-of-the-art clinical care.
There's no better way to demonstrate what the Manning
biotechnology Institute will bring to Virginia than to tell
two patient stories.
I'd like to first introduce you to Colin He's nine years old.
He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2018.
Colin presented to his pediatricians
with generalized pain.
And after an evaluation by UVA Health pediatricians,
his parents received a phone call that everyone fears,
Colin has cancer.
The standard treatment for leukemia
is induction chemotherapy, which is highly toxic.
Colin's chemotherapy produced severe complications,
including pancreatitis, the need for a ventilator,
the need for a feeding tube.
This was devastating to Colin, of course,
but also for his family.
But with treatment, Colin's cancer
went into remission but the relief did not last long.
Within a few months, the cancer was back.
UVA Health was then able to offer Colin
a cutting-edge treatment for childhood leukemia
that was only recently developed.
The treatment is called chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR T cell
therapy.
This is how it works.
We remove a patient's immune cells,
and then modify these cells in a special laboratory called a GMP
facility.
UVA is amongst an elite group of institutions
nationwide with a GMP program.
Outside the patient's body and in this facility,
cells are taught to selectively target and kill
the patient's own cancer cells.
These trained killer cells were then infused back into Colin.
We held our breath and waited.
Within a month, the cancer had completely disappeared.
And two years later, to this day,
Colin remains in remission Colin is now
an active fun-loving child with no sign of leukemia,
thanks to Dr. Trey Lee, the pediatric oncology team at UVA,
and most importantly, the advances
that we've spoken about today many times in medical science.
I would next like to introduce you to Isabel.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA, is a disease of young children.
It's produced by a mutation in a gene that
manufactures a protein that's necessary for muscles
to mature.
For those who are born with this mutation,
muscles atrophy become weak.
And the majority of children who have the syndrome
don't survive beyond the age of two.
During my tenure as Dean of the School of Medicine at the Ohio
State University and Nationwide Children's Hospital,
a novel gene therapy was developed there,
which replaces the abnormal non-functioning gene
in patients with SMS.
Animal studies were encouraging.
And with the backing of an investor, whose name you
will recognize, Paul Manning.
Yes, our paths did cross in a previous life.
This technology moved quickly into clinical trials.
Fast forward to Isabel, a patient
at UVA Children's Hospital born in January of 2019.
Her family and pediatricians found
that she had difficulty with movement,
and she was not thriving.
And the diagnosis of SMA was made.
After an infusion of the SMA gene therapy, which
replaced the absent protein, Isabel
showed dramatic improvement and is now
living a functional life.
Before the therapy, she was not able to stand.
But she is now an active child chased around the house
by her parents.
Another miracle at the UVA Children's Hospital.
The result of the advancements of medical science
and technology.
President Ryan already introduced
our generous benefactors, Paul and Diane Manning.
While philanthropic gifts are commonplace at a nationally
acclaimed university as beloved and as prestigious
as the University of Virginia, the $100 million
gift contributed by Paul and Diane
has exceeded any of our wildest hopes and dreams.
In fact, one of Paul's frequent sayings is, go big or go home.
Although he uses these words when referring endearingly
to our new biotechnical institute,
and I'm so excited about that, his contribution
of $100 million has lived up to that adage as well.
What differentiates Paul from other donors?
It turns out he is one of the world's experts
in what we are all about to create.
Not only is he contributing his resources,
but we also have the benefit of his expertise
and worldwide connections in the biotechnical field.
Although I've been a physician and a researcher
for the past 30 years, on most days, although I try,
I can't keep up with Paul, his energy, his innovation,
and his ingenuity.
It has been wonderful over the past year and a half
to become Paul's friend and a partner in this initiative.
With Paul as our supporter, I am confident that we, at UVA,
and the Commonwealth of Virginia will soon
have one of the top biotechnical institutes in the country.
Paul and Diane, I am so thankful for your vision,
devotion, compassion, and enthusiasm.
Please everyone extend an incredibly warm
welcome to Paul and Diane Manning.
[APPLAUSE]
So I have this actually a very short speech
compared to these guys.
But they've already said everything that's in this.
And I may read it because I put like 25 minutes into it.
So yesterday was my anniversary of 38 years to Diane.
[APPLAUSE]
And there's no better way to celebrate.
She's been such a great partner for me.
And I wouldn't be here without her.
So just, for that, This isn't in the speech.
But I figured since you guys said everything,
I'd say a few other things.
So Bryan and Court, my son and daughter-in-law had their son
saved here a year ago at UVA from the doctors
in cardiac medicine.
He had a real serious cardiac problem.
And they did surgery underneath his arm.
And they went in there, and they replaced one of the veins,
and, how do I put it, an artery.
Thanks.
And he was saved.
And that's a fantastic thing.
That's a really fantastic thing that we
were able to see that happen here at the university.
And that's why we're lucky to be here.
The thing that Craig was talking about was AveXis.
As a company, we went in five years ago.
And I saw this gentleman by the name of Brian Kaspar.
Brian Kaspar was a doctor there.
And he couldn't raise any money for gene therapy
because the Gelsinger child up in Pennsylvania,
Dr. Wilson treated him and he died because they
used a virus that the child has seen before,
and he had immune response.
And so nobody wanted to do gene therapy.
And so I went there and saw Brian Kaspar and Sean Stalfort,
who's been fantastic for us.
Helped me get there to see this guy in Nationwide Children,
where Craig worked.
And I went for probably 40 minutes, right, Sean?
We went in and saw this video of these pigs walking up
this ramp.
The ones on the right had been treated
and the ones on the left had not been treated.
And the ones on the right were falling off the ramp,
and the ones on the left with this gene therapy
were walking up the ramp.
And Brian Kaspar said, I don't have any money.
He says, I'm going to go out of business.
Gene therapy is going to fail in America.
Would you give me $5 million for a $20 million
valuation in this company?
And I walked them over to the side room.
And I said, Brian, is this made up stuff
on the video or something?
These pigs were trained on the left?
And he said, no, no.
This is this is absolutely true.
So I walked out of that conference room
and I told Sean, we're going to give this guy $5 million.
He says, any more due diligence?
I said, no.
Because if these 1,200 kids a year are going to die,
then it's philanthropic or it's commercial.
But one of the ways, we're going to get these kids a chance.
And long story short, we sat closely by the phone
when the first baby was injected.
No immune response.
And then three days later, no immune response.
Two weeks later, three weeks later,
Dr. Mendel calls us and says, by the way,
I don't know but it looks like this baby is starting to move.
And this baby had 12 months to live.
Long story shorter, three months later, the baby
starts doing natural stuff, doing its own walking around
like a normal kid, crawling around like a normal kid.
Five years later, the kid's in first grade running around
with the other kids.
Now, 1,200 kids get treated a year
in America that gets saved.
Over 3,000 kids a year around the world get treated.
And it's only because of cellular medicine cell therapy,
what he was talking about, that these kids get saved.
And it's so important that we do this here in Virginia
because we have the chance to change lives, dramatically
change lives.
For Alzheimer's, ALS, sickle cell, blindness, hearing,
we're going to change those lives here.
And we're going to have patients coming here
from Virginia for sure.
And one of the things I said is a patient in Virginia
that may not have the wherewithal
to be able to go to the Mayo, M.D.
Anderson, Hopkins, Duke, Boston, those people are going
to get in their cars and drive to here
and get the treatments that they would get there that wouldn't
get these treatments.
And these kids with sickle cell anemia
now can get gene therapy, that they wouldn't get normally.
And they can live now by getting treated at Charlottesville.
So that's an important thing because now, it's not available
here.
And it will be available here.
So I have a lot more to say.
It's trillion dollar industry.
We're going to bring companies here.
We're going to have them set up here.
We're going to have them partner with the university.
We're going to have them invest in manufacturing.
We're going to invest in the science.
And we are going to explode because who
wants to be in Boston when you can be in Virginia?
Yeah, totally.
[LAUGHS]
Anyways, listen, you can't do this without these two.
I mean, Jim Ryan could actually now be a medical salesperson.
He's learned so much about this stuff.
He wants to quit, he could sell biotech equipment or anything.
I've never seen anybody learn so much.
That's why I can't give this speech because he
knows too much already.
But thanks to the speaker.
Thanks to Whitt.
Thanks to Jim.
Thanks for the governor.
Thanks to Mark.
Thanks for all of you guys.
I appreciate Don Mosman's help, all the PBM team that gave me
the opportunity to get here.
Karen Rendleman, Mark Luellen and all the people
that, over the years, got us to invest in the university,
we've been doing it for 15 years,
got us to invest, give money, be happy.
They execute well.
They hit their milestones.
They know what they're doing.
This is going to be the most successful biotech institute
in the country, maybe the world.
And we are going to drive forward.
And we're all going to be thrilled that we're part of it.
So I can't thank everybody enough.
I didn't read it.
[APPLAUSE]
I don't know about you, but I to grab a shovel
and go start digging and get this thing started right now.
So thanks again to all of you for being here.
Thanks to everyone who has helped us get to this point.
Mr. Governor, Mr. Speaker, thank you
for honoring us by being here with us today.
And one last thanks to the two who made this happen, Paul
and Diane Manning.
Thank you so much.
[APPLAUSE]