A New York Liberty owner has set her sights on a goal that extends far beyond the basketball court: unlocking the secrets of human performance to help everyone live healthier lives. Clara Wu Tsai, who co-owns the Liberty and the Brooklyn Nets with her husband Joe Tsai, committed $220 million in 2021 to create the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance at Stanford University. Five years later, the project has produced more than 850 research papers, 28 patents, and three drugs now seeking FDA approval.
The Alliance’s core insight is simple yet overlooked: most medical research focuses on disease, not peak health. “When I write a proposal to the NIH, somebody has to be very sick or hurt or have a disease and then we swoop in with the science and save the day,” says Scott Delp, the Alliance’s director and a Stanford professor. “This really flips that discussion to understand health.” By studying professional athletes at the height of their physical abilities, researchers hope to uncover biological mechanisms that keep bodies strong, resilient and injury free. The approach fills what Wu Tsai calls a “white space” in science, where private funding is essential.
One of the most promising discoveries involves muscle regeneration. Scientists identified a new molecule that plays a key role in how muscle tissue repairs itself. That molecule is now part of a drug in an FDA trial aimed at maintaining muscle health, mass and strength as people age. The research also tackles a long standing puzzle in women’s sports: why female athletes suffer ACL injuries at higher rates than male athletes. Kate Ackerman, who directs the Alliance’s Women’s Health Sports and Performance Institute, is leading efforts to close the gap in research that has historically treated female athletes as afterthoughts. The Tsais have already applied findings on travel, sleep and nutrition to their own teams, the Liberty and the Nets.
From Lab to Locker Room
Wu Tsai sees a direct line between scientific breakthroughs and business success. “When you come up with an incredible breakthrough that you can translate to players, it means they can be on the floor longer, miss fewer games, and that means more fans can see their favorite athletes play more,” she says. “That just leads to a better product, more fan engagement, more excitement. And it’s really good for business.” The Alliance now spans more than 500 scientists across seven institutions, and Wu Tsai hopes to eventually bring the entire NBA and WNBA into the effort.
The next step is moving these discoveries from the lab into everyday life. With three drugs already in the FDA pipeline, the Alliance’s work could soon help not just elite athletes but anyone hoping to stay active and independent as they grow older. For Wu Tsai, the ultimate prize is not a championship trophy but a future where the science of peak performance benefits people at every level.