April 2010

In this Issue:

• Different can be Very, Very Good (like the ARC model)
• MRF is About Collaboration--Even on Webinars
• Scott Johnson, Semi-Finalist for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award
• Announcing the Winner of $25 Gift Certificate
• Want to Talk to Someone Other than Your Spouse or Doctor about MS?
• Building More Bridges: One Trip at a Time
• MRF Volunteers are Always Busy...
• Where Are The Cures Initiative is Growing

In case you've forgotten why you are passionate about the work of MRF, or why you signed up for this newsletter, we'd like to remind you. (No, we are not saying your memory is bad--everyone, even those without MS, forget things).

In order to quickly deliver much needed treatments to 2.5 million MS patients, we knew we had to do things differently. We had to overcome the "valley of death" in medical research in order to turn research discoveries into treatments. We had to create an entirely new way of doing research.

It is called the ARC(tm) model. ARC stands for Accelerated Research Collaboration.

Before ARC(tm), what happened in the lab, stayed in the lab.

Each year there are some 800,000 new discoveries in basic science published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Very few of these advances actually contribute toward new patient treatments. This means that the millions of dollars spent by the NIH, and others every year to produce these discoveries, rarely benefit patients.

Why are promising scientific discoveries collecting dust in academic journals?

1. Because the potential dollars earned from biological discoveries is unknown, university technology transfer offices are often unwilling to make the sizable financial investment in patenting them. Pharma companies will not consider discoveries that are not patented.

2. Because procedures used in academic labs differ from those required in pharma R & D, the data they generate does not meet rigorous, industry standards.

3. Because academic labs do not have a patient treatment as their goal. Without a strong proponent driving the discoveries forward into the pharma pipeline, it just doesn't happen.

Our work is revolutionary and the results are groundbreaking. It is also labor-intensive and costly.

Through the formation of the ARC(tm) model, the MRF has addressed, and solved, each of these problems.

Since its founding, the MRF has relied on the financial and personal commitment of people like you. Your support and willingness to help us connect to others who can support us has made it possible to achieve great progress.

But we're not at the finish line yet -- you can help by donating and spreading the word today.

Scott Johnson
President & Founder
Myelin Repair Foundation

MRF is About Collaboration--Even on Webinars

On March 25, 2010, the Kauffman Foundation hosted an interactive webinar to explain, and answer questions about, MRF's unique approach to the drug development process. Lesa Mitchell (Vice President of Advancing Innovation at the Kauffman Foundation) and Scott Johnson shared the platform with Margaret Anderson (CEO of FasterCures), Nancy Barrand (Special Advisor for Program Development at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), and Scott Cook (Co-founder of the Scott Cook & Signe Ostby Foundation and Co-founder of Intuit, Inc.).

If you missed the webinar, don't worry, you can watch it here or download the transcript and audio here.

Scott Johnson is Recognized as a Semi-finalist for Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award

We are proud that Scott Johnson, President and Founder of the Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF), has been selected as a semi-finalist for the Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award for the region of Northern California. This is the first step towards the regional award and finally the national award.

For the last 24 years, these awards have been presented to business leaders with innovative visions that have also demonstrated the efficacy of their ideas. Another condition for the award is personal commitment to the cause of the business. Recognized globally as a powerful patient advocate, Scott Johnson is the definition of what it means to be committed to his cause. Scott has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) since 1976 and knows first-hand how a treatment can impact one's life -- let alone 2.5 million lives.

It is rare and significant that a nonprofit leader is recognized with this award -- yet so is Scott. This honor confirms that the MRF is delivering on its promise to develop a treatment for MS as quickly as possible.

We're rooting for you, Scott, as you continue in the selection process. Read more about the award...

Winner of our Online Survey Award Receives a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate

Last month we asked our readers to help us improve our newsletter by giving their feedback. We picked one survey taker randomly -- Barb who won a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Thanks to those of you that gave us your feedback. We learned that you wanted to hear more about our research and the promise it holds.

Want to Talk to Someone Other than Your Spouse or Doctor about MS?

Thanks to Inspire we have created a place online where everyone in the MS community can go to connect and share with others dealing with similar issues. The MRF Multiple Sclerosis Community is a great place for anyone interested in engaging in conversations about MS.

Join the Inspire Myelin Repair Foundation MS Community!

Building More Bridges: One Trip at a Time

When: April 26
What: Annual Milken Institute Global Conference
Where: Los Angeles, CA
Why: Scott Johnson will be on a panel where they have asked him to challenge the audience and "make them question the way they look at the world and provoke them to re-examine their ideas anew." When doesn't Scott do that?

When: May 3-6
What: 2010 BIO International Convention
Where: Chicago, IL
Why: Stop by to say hello to Dr. Jay Tung and Justine Lam at the MRF Patient Advocacy booth.

When: May 14, 5:15 pm
What: TiEcon Convention
Where: Santa Clara, CA
Why: Scott Johnson will be speaking on the panel "Harnessing BioSciences Innovation." The panel discussion will highlight the steps being taken to innovate and commercialize emerging technologies and advances in the BioScience industries. This is the largest convention in the world dedicated to entrepreneurs. You can still register for the event.

When: July 9
What: Aspen Health Forum
Where: Aspen, CO
Why: Scott likes to go spring skiing and wanted an audience. No, Scott doesn't have time to ski. He will be speaking on "Feeding the pipeline: Bringing Drugs to Market." Where are drug companies getting the drugs from? Could the best solutions come from outside the system? (Oh, and there will also be some nobel laureates, world-class medical scientists, and world athletes talking as well). It is open to the public, so please visit www.aspenhealthforum.org if you are interested in attending.

MRF Volunteers are Always Busy...

In Chicago? Want to go to Chicago? Does Your Second Cousin Live in Chicago?

Don't let May 16 pass you by without supporting this walk-a-thon, by going yourself, telling your second cousin to go, or giving online. This will probably be the best "cast of characters" you could ever have the pleasure of walking with on a sunny Sunday morning. Bob Gregory and the Johnnie Walkers will be joined by MRF Principal Investigators, Drs. Steve Miller and Brian Popko, as they lead a group of MRF supporters on a four mile walk to a celebratory bar-b-que. Read more about it on Bob's blog: http://msjohnniewalkers.blogspot.com/

They are less than $1K away from reaching their $15K fundraising goal. If you can't join 'em, donate to 'em!

"Dear Gali..."

Don't miss out on Gali Hagel's blog posts. She always has great advice and insight. Oh yeah, and she also "looks so good!"

Read:

• "Looking So Good: It's Great, But Help!"
• "Having MS and Vice-Versa"
• "Dating and the Single MS-er"
  

Where Are The Cures Initiative is Growing

We are thrilled to announce that the initiative now has ten partner organizations that are also actively engaged in activities designed to get treatments to patients faster. Please view our list of partners. Also, if you agree with these statements:

• I believe that patients are not getting an adequate return on the billions of government, non-profit and industry dollars being spent on the research and development of new patient treatments.
• I believe that academic scientists, government funding and regulatory agencies, non-profit disease research foundations, commercial biotech and pharmaceutical companies, and entrepreneurs should aggressively seek new ways to accelerate the pace of medical research and the development of new patient treatments for the billions living with diseases who can't afford to wait.

...and have not yet signed the Patient's Manifesto, please take a few minutes to do that now.

Slideshow: Watch the March 25 Webinar where the Kauffman Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Scott Cook & Signe Ostby Foundation discuss why they support the MRF model and why attention should be paid to this new research paradigm.

Breaking through to Cures

Plug into our Blog

Read more and comment at our blog:

• From Bench to Bedside: Can We Change the System?
• Searching for Clues In Your Blood
• The Gordon Conference on Myelin
• A Bold Project to Get Scientists to Share Information

Our Progress

Read about our latest progress updates:

• Our 5-year Progress report: Promises Made, Promises Kept
• Latest Summary of Scientific Findings

In the News

• Forschung und Lehre: "How to create new medicines in the pharmacy." March 2010.
• Kansas City Business Journal:"Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Continues Push For Commercializing Drugs"
• "Notable Foundations Join Forces to Support Accelerated Drug Development Model."(PDF)

Shop to Support the MRF

• The Myelin Repair Foundation Store
• Wines for the Myelin Repair Foundation

Join Our Cause

Join the Myelin Repair Foundation on Twitter, Facebook & YouTube.