The Howard
Hughes Medical Institute is a non-profit medical research institution that
is considered to be one of the largest philanthropies in the United States. It
plays an outstanding role in the advancement of science education and
biomedical research in the nation.
Founded in 1953
by industrialist and aviator, Howard R. Hughes, the institute is based in Chevy
Chase, Maryland, and boasts of more than 3,000 highly-skilled and knowledgeable
employees all over United States. It has an endowment of nearly $17 billion,
$800 million of which are allocated for research and $120 million
for the support of science education.
The
organization’s flagship program revolves around understanding the genesis of
life, and mainly focuses on the fields of genetics, molecular biology and
immunology. It partners with several universities, medical schools, research
institutes and health care establishments, in the hope to gain better
understanding of life, the elements that make it up and the numerous processes
it undergoes.