Every day, patients with end-stage organ failure wait for the call that could save their lives. As demand for transplantation continues to grow, new technologies like organ engineering and gene editing are creating unprecedented opportunities to improve outcomes and expand access to care. Now, a transformative gift from the Ajmera family is helping accelerate that future.
The largest known single-family philanthropic donors to transplant medicine globally, the Ajmera family has donated a lead gift of $35 million, raising their cumulative giving to $62 million, and establishing the Ajmera Transplant Institute at University Health Network.
More than 4,300 Canadians were waiting for a transplant at the end of 2025 according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, highlighting the urgent need for new solutions in organ donation, transplantation and regenerative medicine.
A legacy of transforming transplantation
This isn’t the first time that the Ajmera family has powered transplant innovation. For ten years, the family has partnered with UHN through the Ajmera Transplant Centre to support innovations and research that have brought hope to millions living with life-threatening organ damage and organ failure. The Institute builds on the work of Canada’s largest and most comprehensive transplant program, which the Ajmera family’s support has helped make possible. UHN’s achievements include:
- Doubling the number of transplants performed, culminating in a record-breaking 820 transplants in 2025-26, including more lung transplants than any centre in the world
- Pioneering ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) technology, a Toronto-developed breakthrough that allows donor lungs to be assessed, repaired and preserved outside the body before transplantation, revolutionizing lung transplantation worldwide
- Canada’s first donation after death by circulatory criteria (DCC) heart transplant
- Creating the world’s first Centre for Living Organ Donation
- Transplanting lab-grown insulin-producing cells in a landmark international clinical trial that enabled people with Type 1 diabetes to live without insulin injections at the one-year follow-up
- Successfully performing a rare five-organ transplant
“The gift marks a defining moment for UHN and for the future of transplantation,” says Dr. Deepali Kumar, Program Medical Director, Ajmera Transplant Centre. “With it, we will have the opportunity to reimagine what is possible for those facing organ failure, reduce wait times and improve outcomes, and advance the next generation of transplant therapies. The Ajmera family’s generosity will have a lasting impact on patients here in Canada and around the world.”
Solving transplantation’s biggest challenges
The need for better solutions in transplant care is urgent. Demand for organ transplantation is growing rapidly as rates of chronic disease rise and more patients progress to organ failure.
For patients with end-stage organ failure, a transplant represents their only chance at survival. Thousands linger on waitlists, uncertain whether an organ will become available in time. Even after a transplant, recipients face challenges like rejection, complications and the lifelong burden of immunosuppression.
By establishing the Ajmera Transplant Institute, the Ajmera family is helping UHN meet this urgent need. Building on the success of the Ajmera Transplant Centre, the new Ajmera Transplant Institute will create an integrated hub for research, clinical innovation, education and discovery, bringing together experts from across disciplines to tackle transplantation’s most pressing barriers. It will redefine transplantation through expanded research capacity, exceptional talent recruitment, clinical innovation and world-leading education.
“The Ajmera family’s visionary investment will enable us to accelerate discovery, deepen interdisciplinary collaboration and redefine what is possible in transplantation,” says Dr. Kevin Smith, President & CEO, UHN. “Together, we will improve outcomes for patients, save more lives and further establish Canada as a global leader in transplant medicine.”
The Ajmera Transplant Institute will mean more transplants performed and more lives saved. It will power breakthrough innovations, personalized care and new solutions for some of transplantation’s most persistent obstacles — like the lifelong need for immunosuppressive medications and the risk of organ rejection. By the end of the next decade, more patients will receive transplants, experience better outcomes, and benefit from discoveries made at UHN that are shaping transplantation worldwide.
“The Ajmera family’s legacy is one of hard work, dedication and an unwavering belief in the power of philanthropy,” stated Julie Quenneville, CEO of UHN Foundation. “It is an incredible example of what happens when a family uses their generosity to empower transformative change and we are beyond grateful for their support and leadership.”
Giving back to Canada’s hospital
The Ajmera Transplant Institute’s impact will extend far beyond UHN’s hospital doors. As Canada’s top transplant hospital, patients with the most complex and challenging cases travel here for care they cannot get anywhere else. Discoveries made at UHN routinely influence transplant care far beyond Toronto, helping patients across Canada and around the world benefit from new approaches to treatment and care. It was this ability to support care for all Canadians that inspired the Ajmera family’s philanthropy.
“When I came to Canada at 26 years old, I did it to build a better life for my family,” said Sam Ajmera, Co-Founder of FGF Brands. “Canada gave us the opportunity to do that, and I am deeply grateful for it. It is immensely meaningful to support an institution as extraordinary as UHN. My hope is that the Ajmera Transplant Institute will turn the discoveries of today into the treatments that save lives tomorrow — improving the lives of patients and families for generations to come.”
This donation announcement was made during the first night of UHN’s annual Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival presented by HBNG Charitable Foundation. Under the leadership of Todd Halpern, UHN Trustee, Grand Cru has brought together an extraordinary community of philanthropists, celebrated chefs and renowned wine producers in support of UHN for over two decades. Through the collective generosity of its sponsors, donors, hosts and guests year after year, Grand Cru continues to demonstrate what is possible when community, philanthropy and culinary excellence come together to build a healthier future for Canadians.
The Ajmera family’s visionary gift provides the foundation for the Ajmera Transplant Institute, but realizing the Institute’s full potential will require a community of supporters committed to advancing transplant care for generations to come. UHN Foundation is calling upon its incredible donor community to join its $100 million campaign to establish the Ajmera Transplant Institute for all Canadians. With the support of the Ajmera family and UHN Foundation’s incredible donor community, the future of transplantation will be built right here in Toronto.
