Philanthropist and gaming entrepreneur, Len Ainsworth will be donating $5 million to the Children’s Medical Research Institute.

Ainsworth’s donation is the largest philanthropic contribution to the cost of CMRI’s Stage One building redevelopment, which was funded by the combination of a New South Wales Government capital grant of $20 million and philanthropy.

His contribution is being recognised by naming the stage one building the “Ainsworth Tower”.

“I regard my investment in CMRI’s work as highly strategic. Medical research is clearly responsible for the great advances in children’s health that have already been made,” said Ainsworth.

“It stands to reason that the serious diseases which still blight the lives of far too many children around the world will only be solved by research.

“I am very happy to be able to support such a worthy venture.”

CMRI’s Director, Professor Roger Reddel said, “We welcome Ainsworth’s visionary support, which will allow CMRI to expand its work on serious diseases of childhood.”

Reddel said major technological innovations are opening up the possibility of treatments for diseases which currently cannot be treated effectively.

“This all depends on being able to attract top researchers from around Australia and around the world, and providing the high-tech equipment and the custom-built laboratories they need to do their work.”

Ainsworth Tower represents the first stage of CMRI’s planned five-part redevelopment. The aim of the expansion is to accelerate research discoveries relating to children’s cancer, neurological disorders, birth defects and paediatric genetic diseases.