The bio-tech bridge

Last year’s flurry of interest from tech titans has brought a wealth of new funding to translational science that is gaining them status as new and important players in the biotech ecosystem. With a heavy hands-on approach and eye towards disruption, the tech billionaires are carving a new mold in discovery philanthropy.

The entrepreneurs, headlined by Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Napster Inc. co-founder Sean Parker, and Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen, have collectively committed almost $1 billion since the start of last year to create new bodies dedicated to advancing drug discovery and research that can transform medicine. ...