Allen donates $5M in fight against TB

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, whose charitable causes range from the history of rock 'n' roll to the search for ET, is making his first foray into global health research — a field dominated by his old friend Bill Gates.

The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation on Wednesday announced a $5 million grant to Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI) to aid in the quest for new tuberculosis drugs.

Though small compared with the mountains of cash doled out by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Allen's donation is thrilling to SBRI. The researchers hope it is only the beginning of the high-tech billionaire's interest in the diseases that afflict the world's poor.

"We don't know, but we're very, very hopeful," said David Sherman, who heads SBRI's tuberculosis efforts.

Allen's former business partner sparked a revolution in global health research by pouring more than $9 billion into the battle against long-neglected maladies like malaria. As the world's richest philanthropy, the Gates Foundation has spent nearly $750 million on tuberculosis research alone.

Allen's philanthropy has always reflected his more eclectic tastes. He bankrolled development of an experimental spaceship, built museums to celebrate science fiction and rock music, and launched a brain-mapping lab. He also supports a program to scan the heavens for signals from alien civilizations.

Allen's foundation gives away about $30 million a year, mostly in the Northwest. Its priorities include "nurturing the arts, engaging children in learning, addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, and advancing scientific/technological discovery."

Until now, Allen's involvement in global health has been limited to producing a documentary series called "Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge."

After discussions with SBRI researchers, he invited them to submit a TB grant proposal about a year ago, said Peter Berliner, program director at the Allen Foundation.

Allen earlier had visited the South Lake Union lab, where he peered through microscopes at parasitic worms, tuberculosis bacteria and malaria mosquitoes.

He and SBRI director Ken Stuart "really hit it off," said Ashley Hulsey, who heads SBRI's fundraising efforts.

Private research lab

SBRI is no stranger to the superrich. More than $90 million in grants from the Gates Foundation has helped propel the private research lab to the forefront of several fields, including malaria research.

As SBRI prepared to launch a new program in tuberculosis, Allen's name came up as a possible patron.

"We thought, 'Wouldn't it be great to actually catch this guy's interest for something like this?' " Sherman recalled.

Allen was intrigued by TB because, after more than 30 years with little progress, the science seems poised for major leaps, Berliner said.

"It's very compelling that this is not simply theoretical. It's something that could have very substantial impacts within 10 or 15 years, if not sooner."

A highly contagious lung disease that spreads through the air, TB can be cured. But the treatment requires four different drugs that must be taken for six months.

SBRI is determined to break that "long and vicious cycle," said director Stuart. "Our ultimate goal is faster, better and cheaper drugs to stop the global pandemic of TB."

About a third of the world's population is infected with the bacterium, which claims nearly 2 million lives a year, mostly in the developing world.

But TB is resurging in the United States as well, as drug-resistant strains become more common. King County logged 161 active infections last year, the highest level in 30 years. Twelve percent of cases involved a strain resistant to at least one drug.

Major donation

The SBRI grant is one of the largest given by Allen's foundation. It will allow SBRI to hire a new TB researcher, and conduct pilot studies on innovative approaches to understanding the bug's biology and weaknesses.

"My guess is that some of these ideas are not going to work," Sherman said. "But some of them will, and those are the ones that will really make a difference."

A $3 million portion of the grant is contingent on the private lab raising matching funds from other donors.

Berliner said the grant is an indication that Allen is interested in "the challenges facing the world, including global health," but he stopped short of promising any future initiatives.

Phil Buchanan, executive director of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, said Allen's gift is in line with increased funding by foundations across the country for international causes and health.

"The Gates Foundation has been a leader, but you see some evidence of other foundations moving in the same direction," he said. "As people look at the number of people who die from disease that could be prevented relatively inexpensively, people are motivated to try to do something to stop it."

Seattle Times reporter Kristi Heim contributed to this report.

Sandi Doughton: 206-464-2491 or sdoughton@seattletimes.com