When scientific breakthrough goes hand-in-hand with humanity

David Liu is a professor at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a biomedical research facility in Massachusetts. On 05/04/25 he received the $3m Breakthrough prize for life sciences.
Liu was chosen for inventing two exceptionally precise gene editing tools, namely base editing and prime editing. Base editing was first used in a patient at Great Ormond Street in London, where it saved the life of a British teenager with leukaemia. It is not only the fact that this scientific development saved a life and may save thousands more. What is equally important for me, is David Liu's personal attitude towards the people he works with. At the start of the COVID pandemic Liu heard that students who wanted to cycle instead of taking public transport could not afford bicycles. He knew that they worked hard and paid very little. As the co-founder of several companies, Liu can live without his Harvard salary. So, for five years, he distributed his annual salary among his co-workers!

You may find the full article in TheGuardian.