$60 million gift from Stewart and Judy Colton launches new immunology research
The University of Pennsylvania has unveiled a transformative addition to its immunology research enterprise, welcoming the Colton Center for Autoimmunity as the newest tenant in its state-of-the-art immune health hub.
At the center of this milestone is a remarkable act of generosity: Stewart and Judy Colton’s $60 million gift, matched by Penn with $50 million of its own.
For Stewart and Judy Colton, the decision to focus their philanthropy on autoimmunity was both deeply personal and forward-looking. Stewart, a successful financier and philanthropist, has long been outspoken about the toll autoimmune conditions take on families.
He himself has lived with Crohn’s disease since his youth, an experience that gave him firsthand insight into the devastating impact of disorders where the body turns against itself. Judy, a passionate advocate for education and medical research, has stood alongside him in shaping their giving toward causes that can change lives at scale.
The Coltons recognized that autoimmune diseases are among the most complex and least understood medical challenges of our time, afflicting tens of millions worldwide and disproportionately affecting women.
Conditions such as multiple sclerosis, lupus, type 1 diabetes, and Crohn’s disease often strike in the prime of life, leaving patients with chronic illness and limited options.
For the Coltons, this reality made autoimmunity not only a personal priority but also a philanthropic imperative.
Their vision went beyond writing a check. They wanted to spark an ecosystem where scientists and clinicians could work side by side to unravel the mysteries of the immune system and to transform discoveries into treatments.
The Colton Center at Penn is now that place: a collaborative hub where wet labs, clinical research teams, and cutting-edge technologies converge. It is designed to fast-track discoveries—from immune “fingerprinting” that maps out each patient’s unique biology to precision therapies that could re-train the immune system rather than suppress it.
By anchoring the Center within Penn’s broader immunology research community, the Coltons ensured that their gift would be amplified by world-class expertise and institutional commitment.
Their $60 million, reinforced by Penn’s own $50 million investment, has seeded not just a research initiative but a movement—one that aims to fundamentally shift how autoimmune diseases are understood and treated.
The story of the Colton Center is therefore also the story of two philanthropists who turned personal struggle into a platform for scientific progress.
With a keen interest in autoimmune diseases and a shared vision of finding and advancing new therapies, they have also supported the founding of Autoimmunity Centers at New York University, University of Pennsylvania, Tel Aviv University, and Yale, including the creation of the Colton Center for Autoimmunity at Yale.
Stewart and Judy Colton have long believed that philanthropy should be catalytic, a way to leverage personal fortune to create lasting societal change. In autoimmunity, they saw both an urgent need and a unique opportunity: to help millions, to energize a field, and to give hope to families who, like theirs, know the burden of living with these diseases.
Their names now grace a center that is more than a building, it is a beacon of possibility.
And as scientists and physicians’ step into its labs, it is clear that Colton’s vision has already begun to reshape the landscape of immune health discovery.