The "superstar" status of a Canberra scientist sealed the deal for Western Australian philanthropists, persuading them to donate $4.5 million to the Australian National University's Centre for Personalised Medicine.
The gift was given by the McCusker Charitable Foundation, headed by chair Malcolm McCusker and his wife Tonya.
The money will go towards improving how complex autoimmune diseases are diagnosed and treated across Australia.
Mrs McCusker said it was the work of the centre's leader, Associate Professor Simon Jiang, that convinced them to make such a significant donation.
"We're really looking for the most innovative, cutting-edge research that's really going to make a difference," she said.
"We met with Simon five years ago and were really impressed by his knowledge, his collaboration. Loved the work he was doing and the impact it was making, when you could meet the people and the families whose lives have been put back on track.
"So we were supporting him for about three years and the opportunity came up to increase that and we just think he is a very exciting researcher, one of the best in Australia and we're very proud to support him and his team."
The ANU Centre for Personalised Medicine uses cutting-edge science to identify the genetic and cellular basis of complex autoimmune diseases, helping doctors make more accurate diagnoses and treat the underlying cause.
Based within the ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research, the centre is a partnership between ANU and Canberra Health Services, helping people diagnosed with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus and myositis.
Associate Professor Jiang said the centre represented a new approach to medicine, designed around patients and driven by science.
"This support allows us to build a different model of care, where we attempt to identify the root cause of disease in each patient and use that knowledge to find the best treatment options," he said.
"For many patients, this means moving away from trial and error and towards care that is more targeted and more effective. Our ambition is to connect patients, clinicians and researchers across Australia so more people can benefit from this approach, no matter where they live.
"We are deeply grateful to the McCusker Charitable Foundation for their confidence in our vision and for their commitment to supporting research with real-world patient impact."
Mrs McCusker said it always felt good to give back.
"For many years, I was on the other side, working in youth development and filling out applications and meeting with corporates, waiting six months for government funding and then if you are successful, the acquittal process takes weeks and so to be on this side, is an absolute privilege, an honour," she said.
"When you find a superstar researcher, you know whichever way they go, you know they're going to be successful.
"We've done something similar with Angus Turner and the Lions Eye Institute up in the north-west of Western Australia and Gareth Baynam with his rare diseases work, and Simon is the same. They're just very knowledgeable. I call them superstars of research."
