Sergey Brin’s $2 Billion Quest To Tackle Parkinson’s, Bipolar Disorder And Now Autism

Forbes

The Google cofounder has already donated more than $1.5 billion to Parkinson’s research. Now, as he takes on autism, he’s also investing in venture funds and startups working to develop therapies and treatments.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/phoebeliu/2025/02/06/sergey-brins-2-billion-quest-to-tackle-parkinsons-bipolar-disorder-and-now-autism/  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00Today on Forbes,

00:02Sergey Brin's $2 billion quest

00:04to tackle Parkinson's, bipolar disorder,

00:07and now autism.

00:10On March 26th, 2024,

00:12Nicole Shanahan stepped onto the national stage

00:14as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vice presidential running mate.

00:18On that day, and in many later public comments,

00:20Shanahan shared details

00:22of her young daughter's autism diagnosis,

00:24tying it to a vaccination she received as an infant.

00:28There is no evidence that vaccines cause autism,

00:31but Shanahan, describing herself as a, quote, autism mom,

00:35broadcast that debunked theory

00:37throughout her five-month VP campaign.

00:40On a podcast a day after accepting the nomination,

00:42Shanahan said, quote,

00:44"'My daughter has lifted the veil for me.

00:46"'If we're talking about my support for Bobby Kennedy,

00:48"'that is what has brought me to this movement,

00:50"'financially, spiritually, and perhaps other ways.'"

00:55Far from the campaign trail,

00:56her ex-husband and daughter's father,

00:58Google co-founder Sergey Brin,

01:01has never spoken publicly about their child

01:03or Shanahan's beliefs.

01:05Yet in early 2022,

01:07members of his philanthropy team

01:08began to explore ways to help.

01:11After more than two years of planning

01:12and nearly $50 million in funding

01:14for autism research to date,

01:17Brin is launching a new initiative

01:18called Aligning Research to Impact Autism, or ARIA,

01:22that will fund research into what causes autism

01:25as well as therapies for it.

01:27The long-term budget for the project hasn't been finalized,

01:30but will greatly exceed what's been spent so far,

01:33according to a person familiar

01:34with Brin's philanthropy strategy.

01:37Its first program, called the IMPACT Network,

01:40aims to link a group of autism care centers

01:42and affiliated researchers

01:44who will collaborate and coordinate on clinical trials.

01:47Applications to join the network

01:48are set to open in the next few months.

01:51Brin's focus on autism is his latest effort

01:54to direct the bulk of his substantive philanthropic giving

01:57to conditions that affect the central nervous system,

02:00or CNS,

02:01all organized under an umbrella called the CNS Quest,

02:05according to Ekamini Riley,

02:07who has a PhD in molecular medicine

02:09and helps lead the CNS Quest initiatives.

02:12Much of Brin's initial giving

02:13emphasized the basic science behind Parkinson's disease,

02:17starting more than a decade ago,

02:18and bipolar disorder in 2022,

02:21as Forbes previously reported.

02:23While Brin hardly ever talks to the press

02:25and keeps his life private,

02:27all three conditions,

02:28Parkinson's, bipolar disorder, and autism,

02:32have affected members of his family.

02:34His mother, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

02:37more than two decades ago,

02:38died in December at age 76.

02:41In 2010, Brin also disclosed in a rare interview

02:45that he has a higher risk of getting Parkinson's

02:47due to a genetic mutation that his mother also had.

02:51Brin, the seventh richest person in the world,

02:54wrote in an email to Forbes,

02:55quote,

02:56this work is personal

02:58because it starts with Parkinson's disease,

03:00and I carry one of the genetic mutations discovered,

03:03the G2019S mutation to the LRRK2 gene.

03:07This work led to the discovery

03:09of a new GBA1 gene variant

03:11that increases the risk of Parkinson's disease

03:14in people of African ancestry.

03:16I'm optimistic about similar discoveries

03:18that will improve care for people

03:19with bipolar disorder and autism.

03:23Of Brin's nearly $900 million

03:25in philanthropic grants last year,

03:27nearly double his 2023 giving,

03:29and a quarter of his $3.9 billion

03:32in lifetime charitable giving,

03:34about half went to causes related to CNS Quest.

03:38Brin has also started backing startups

03:40and venture capital funds of late

03:42that are working on for-profit solutions and treatments,

03:44investing more than $600 million to date,

03:47including about $400 million in 2024 alone.

03:51While any profits will be reinvested

03:53or donated to nonprofits,

03:55it's another way to push progress.

03:58Brin has already spent $1.75 billion

04:01on research of Parkinson's,

04:03a devastating degenerative disease

04:05that affects 10 million people globally,

04:07more than any other single person.

04:09He's one of just a few people globally

04:11who's donated that much toward one disease.

04:14Others include Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates,

04:17and Warren Buffett toward polio eradication,

04:19and the late real estate billionaire Harry Helmsley

04:22and his wife Leona toward type 1 diabetes.

04:26For full coverage, check out Phoebe Liu's piece

04:29on Forbes.com.

04:32This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes.

04:34Thanks for tuning in.

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