By Paul Sisson – The San Diego Tribune
A newly announced $5 million donation to UC San Diego that will support a new gene therapy initiative illustrates the value of making good on big promises.
The contribution is the latest from philanthropists Nancy and Jeff Stack of Orange County, who started working with UCSD molecular geneticist Stephanie Cherqui in 2007. The researcher said she thought she could create a cure for cystinosis — an awful disease that causes an amino acid called cystine to build up in the body’s cells, eventually causing fatal organ damage.