Mrs. Lily Safra has made a $1 million gift to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to support this year’s Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research. Named in honor of her late husband, a well-known international banker and philanthropist, The Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research were launched in 2008 to identify roadblocks along the therapeutic development pipeline, speeding novel treatments for the disease toward pharmacy shelves.

Mrs. Safra’s gift was a result of the record-setting auction, ‘Jewels For Hope: The Collection of Mrs. Lily Safra,’ hosted by Christie’s Geneva on May 14. The highly anticipated event realized a total of $32 million, the entirety of which is being donated to 32 charitable organizations around the world — including MJFF.

“The Michael J. Fox Foundation is truly grateful for the longstanding generosity and leadership of Mrs. Safra and The Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation,” said Todd Sherer, CEO, MJFF. “This continued support has made a critical difference in our ability to advance the most promising — and patient-relevant — therapies through The Edmond J. Safra Core Programs for PD Research.”

Read MJFF’s announcement to learn more about this gift.