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Nature 447, 254 (17 May 2007) | doi:10.1038/447254a; Published online 16 May 2007

Open Innovation Challenges

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Biomedical philanthropy: The giving machine

Lucy Odling-Smee1

  1. Lucy Odling-Smee is Nature's associate editor for Essays.

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Flush with Microsoft's fortune, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest charitable foundation in the United States. Tadataka Yamada, executive director of its Global Health Program, tells Lucy Odling-Smee how the organization aims to save lives with its wealth.

Empowering and enriching the developing world requires tens of billions of dollars a year. How can the Gates foundation hope to make a difference?