Carlos Slim Gives $74-Million to Mass. Genomics Center

Philanthropist and telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim Helú has donated $74-million to the Broad Institute biomedical research center for genomic studies focusing on Latin Americans, reports The Boston Globe.

The Mexican billionaire has previously given $65-million to the Cambridge, Mass., institute, a collaboration between Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that was initially endowed with $400-million from California donors Eli and Edythe Broad.

Institute officials said the donation from Mr. Slim will help redress a bias in genome-based health studies, which are often based on analysis of DNA from people of European descent, and could lead to treatments for diseases such as diabetes that are particularly effective in Latin American populations.

Read a Chronicle of Philanthropy article about Carlos Slim’s giving.