bioquarter

JK Rowling Donates Millions To Found Research Clinic

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has made a big donation for research on degenerative neurological conditions and diseases. The Guardian reports that the author has donated £10 million (approximately $15.4 million) to create a clinic in honor of her mother who died at 45 and had multiple sclerosis. Rowling herself recently turned 45. The Anne Rowling regenerative neurology clinic will be based at the University of Edinburgh and will research a variety of diseases including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

The Guardian article reports that Rowling gave a large donation to the Multiple Sclerosis Society Scotland towards setting up the university's centre for multiple sclerosis research back in 2006 but that this is the largest direct donation that Rowling has ever made to a charitable cause. It is also the biggest single gift the university had ever received.

The clinic will work directly with MS sufferers and other patients to develop and test new treatments. The clinic will be part of the the BioQuarter medical research campus, in south-east Edinburgh. The project is a massive life science real estate development that will include a large state-of-the-art teaching hospital, the University of Edinburgh's world-renowned medical school and biomedical research and development facilities all on one site. The $1.2 billion public/private investment project will attract the best scientists, clinicians and researchers from around the world. Check out a video of the the project after the jump.

Tags: bioquarter, j.k. rowling, Multiple Sclerosis, neurological, neurological conditions multiple sclerosis, University of Edinburgh