Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is making a major contribution to autism research in Philadelphia.
He is donating $50 million to create a new institute that will help change lives.
The donation will establish the Lurie Autism Institute, a partnership between Penn Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The gift, from the Lurie family, is the largest single donation to U.S. academic medical centers focused on autism research.
One in 31 children are living with autism spectrum disorder.
Connecting scientists, clinicians, families, students, and donors, this first-of-its-kind center will explore autism from all angles.
Lurie spoke exclusively about this mission on Good Morning America.
"Incredible breakthroughs in neuroscience, genetics, artificial intelligence, opened up all sorts of possibilities," Lurie said.
The goal is to understand genetics and biology surrounding the disorder, research neuroscience, explore speech and language processing and prepare and launch clinical trials.
"Try to speed along solutions and, really, an opportunity to move along with progress in autism science," Lurie said.
The Lurie family has been philanthropists in the field since 1977, with the Nancy Lurie Marks Foundation helping those with autism to lead full lives.
The Eagles Autism Foundation has raised $30 million dollars throughout its lifespan for families with ASD, with the Autism Challenge and leading the way for sensory-friendly rooms in NFL stadiums.
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