A US$50-million gift to the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla, California, will help to employ at least 30 researchers. Renamed in honour of philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, who made the donation, the institute plans to hire the new faculty members in the next 5 years, says Andrea Moser, the centre's vice-president for communications. The focus will be on areas such as cancer, neurodegeneration, diabetes, stem cells and infectious and inflammatory disease. The faculty posts will translate into about 300 positions in all, including research and lab-support jobs, Moser says. The gift will be paid over a 5-year period, with the first instalment expected soon.