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Transformative Basic Science

Many of the most impactful discoveries in the history of science have been novel, pathbreaking findings that enabled subsequent exploration of whole new areas. We aim to fund basic science that could end up playing that enabling role when we see it as neglected by other potential funders.

Transformative Basic Science is one of six thematic areas within Scientific Research.

Our Work

Blog Post 4/2015
Breakthrough Fundamental Science
by Holden Karnofsky

Research that achieves broadly applicable insights about biological processes and brings on many new promising directions for research is difficult to be assured of “results” in the sense of new clinical applications.

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Grant 5/2020
Life Sciences Research Foundation — Young Investigators (2020)
$585,000

Open Philanthropy recommended a grant to the Life Sciences Research Foundation to support early-career investigators.

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Grant 4/2020
Californians for Stem Cell Research, Treatments and Cures — California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
$580,000

Open Philanthropy recommended a grant to Californians for Stem Cell Research, Treatments and Cures to support a ballot initiative to renew funding for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

Grant 12/2019
Broad Institute — Genome Editing Research (Feng Zhang)
$2,500,000

The Zhang Lab at the Broad Institute is researching better ways of getting CRISPR reagents into cells for gene therapy applications, amongst other topics.

Press 10/2019
Cancer Vaccine Developers Report Bumper Crop of New Cancer Antigens
from Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

Scientists at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute we supported have identified more than 200,000 cancer neoantigens, which could feasibly lead to the development of broad-spectrum cancer vaccines, as well as tumor type-specific treatments or patient-personalized vaccines.

Press 9/2019
First hint that body’s ‘biological age’ can be reversed
from Nature

In a small trial, drugs seemed to rejuvenate the body’s ‘epigenetic clock’, which tracks a person’s biological age. The research was conducted by UCLA’s Steve Horvath, whose work we have supported.

Grant 8/2019
Kyushu University — Research on Mammalian Reproduction (Katsuhiko Hayashi)
$2,500,000

Dr. Hayashi has been at the forefront of research into methods of causing induced pluripotent stem cells to develop into oocytes in mice.

Grant 7/2019
California Institute of Technology — Research on Reproductive Biology (Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz)
$2,000,000

Dr. Zernicka-Goetz’s proposed research would focus on understanding the molecular processes by which a single cell gives rise to all of the cell types and organ/tissue structures that comprise a fully developed embryo.

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