James J Collins

So I’m Jim Collins.  I’m the Termeer Professor at MIT and faculty co-lead at the Jameel Clinic at MIT.

I became involved with Abdul Latif Jameel and Community Jameel and Mohammed and his family with the creation of the Jameel Clinic at MIT which was formed with a tremendously generous gift from Abdul Latif Jameel and Community Jameel.  In the context of the Jameel Clinic I came together with Regina Barzilay, my faculty co-lead, and we together, launched the antibiotics AI initiative in the context of Jameel Clinic and already have discovered a new antibiotic called Halicin, which is effective against multi-drug resistant, extensively drug-resistant, and pan-resistant bacterial pathogens.  And we think with the antibiotics AI project, and the support of Abdul Latif Jameel and Community Jameel, we can harness the power of AI to address the antibiotic crisis giving us a significant competitive advantage in the battle of our wits against the genes of bacterial pathogens.

You know, Community Jameel and Abdul Latif Jameel has had a tremendous global impact.  Really addressing under addressed needs.  This includes healthcare, education water needs and poverty, and in each of those areas Abdul Latif Jameel, Community Jameel has launched, what have become now we’re leading research centers at MIT.

I think they’re unique in their scope and unique in their interest in having an impact that takes the best innovations we have at MIT and translates them into differences that truly impact people’s lives.

So Mohammed and his sons are, very much hands-on collaborators as philanthropists.  We have become great friends over the past few years in the context of Jameel Clinic as well as colleagues and Mohammed and his sons are remarkable in their reach around the world and are always looking to see how they can help advance our projects. So, it very much, U don’t view them simply as supporters but as collaborators.

Congratulations to Mohammed and his family, and their team at Abdul Latif Jameel and Community Jameel.  75 years is a remarkable anniversary it’s 20 years longer than I have been on  this planet.  And I am very excited to see what Community Jameel will do in the coming decades.  I don’t think I have 75 more years but I’m convinced the Community Jameel will have many more than 75 more years to have an impact on this world.

I’ve, again, I’ve really appreciated the friendship that I formed Mohammed and his sons and it’s rare to establish a relationship with the funder at the level that I’ve been able to do with Mohammed and his sons, and really be excited to see what we’re going to be able to do together as a team.  Identifying  problems that need technological innovation and actually bringing the resource together both capital but even more so the intellectual resources that can make a difference. 

 

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