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Morgan Stanley is starting a new program that will let clients donate money to find treatments and cures for diseases. The program, called Morgan Stanley GIFT Cures, began today in tandem with a two-day conference the financial services firm is hosting. All donations made to Morgan Stanley GIFT Cures will be managed through a donor-advised fund to help the mission of the Harrington Discovery Institute. The Harrington Discovery Institute, in Cleveland, Ohio, works to identify new drug development research and approaches from academic institutions and help turn those discoveries into treatments. It was created in 2012 with $50 million from the Harrington family, who are medical supply entrepreneurs. The Morgan Stanley GIFT Cures program is focusing on efforts to develop treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's, cancer, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disease and immune disorders, among others. Clients can choose to either back efforts for a specific condition or broader research that is taking place. "Our clients will have an opportunity to really be incredibly strategic with their philanthropy and their generosity," said Melanie Schnoll Begun, head of philanthropy management at Morgan Stanley.

Many clients typically choose to give to hospitals or other health-care organizations that helped treat family members who have been affected by certain conditions, Begun said. Now, they will also be able to make targeted donations to help come up with cures for those diseases, she said. "The reality is that there are many more diseases than there are drugs to treat them," said Dr. Jonathan Stamler, president of the Harrington Discovery Institute.

The reality is that there are many more diseases than there are drugs to treat them. Dr. Jonathan Stamler