Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute Receives Legacy Gift from Mrs. Albertine Moran

Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI), an international leader in structural biology, announced that the estate of a long-time supporter has provided the largest gift by an individual donor to the Institute’s most recent campaign.

HWI received a legacy gift of more than $600,000 from the estate of Mrs. Albertine K. Moran, who had supported the Institute for several years prior to her passing in July. The gift will support HWI’s latest innovative breakthrough, the establishment of a new Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center, preparations for which are currently underway. In recognition of Mrs. Moran’s generosity, HWI will name an essential laboratory inside the new center the Moran Laboratory.

“HWI has been blessed by the generosity of countless benefactors for more than 60 years,” said John G. Horn, Chair of the HWI Board of Directors. “With this extraordinary gift, Mrs. Moran is helping to ensure that the Institute’s tireless work takes its next significant step forward with the establishment of our new Cryo-EM Center. Just like HWI’s work to study, understand and treat disease, Mrs. Moran’s generosity will have a lasting impact for generations to come.”

Mrs. Moran was the founding Chief Financial Officer of Lancaster Stone Products. Throughout her life, she was an active and energetic community volunteer and supporter and several charitable organizations and causes.

HWI is preparing to install its first high-powered cryo-electron microscope later this year. The microscope flash-freezes proteins in motion and then uses beams of electrons to visualize what those proteins look like. This allows scientists and researchers to more quickly develop life-saving pharmaceuticals. The installation of this microscope, which will be the first of its kind in Western New York, will be a magnet to recruit top research scientists and attract new employers to the region.

In addition to the new center, HWI is also employing breakthrough sustainable energy technology to support the new microscope. Because the microscope has an extremely high energy demand, HWI will use an on-site lithium storage device to help power the center. The storage technology, developed by Buffalo-based Viridi Parente will help HWI realize cost savings by lowering electricity demand and reducing costly infrastructure upgrades.  It will also provide the center with a clean electrical supply.  This will be the first such application of the Lithium-based energy storage technology in New York State.

“The gift will support HWI’s mission and the latest innovative breakthrough, the establishment of a new Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center.  This center and the transformative technology behind it have the potential to significantly accelerate our research, taking discoveries that can impact our children, to ones that may impact us in our lifetime,” said Dr. Edward Snell, CEO, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute. “Bringing this capability to Western New York builds upon Dr. Hauptman’s work and vision for the Institute, personifies the ethos of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, and places the region squarely at the leading edge of medical research and discovery.”