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 October 2010 In this Issue:
Keep the Game Alive!
Earlier this month, the MRF hosted Breakthroughs to Cures, an online crowd sourcing game designed to foster new ideas for accelerating medical research. The game was made possible by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Pioneer Portfolio. On October 7, for 24-hours, nearly 200 players posted more than 1,500 ideas for ways that the system might be altered to bring treatments to market faster. The participation of so many in this project was inspiring. And what it tells me is that there are many thoughtful and creative individuals with an interest in reforming the way that medical research and drug discovery are conducted today. The ideas covered much ground: from market and policy-based solutions, to solutions that required collaboration, data sharing and technology. Positive posts outweighed negative posts by 3 to 1. And through the game play, participants showed that they were willing to build on others’ ideas for a better outcome. The game generated a tremendous amount of data which is currently being sifted and sorted by the game developers. When we have completed the analysis we will share what we’ve learned. On November 9-10, we are hosting Game #2 of Breakthroughs to Cures. I encourage you to register to play the game and invite others that you know care about getting treatments to patients faster to join as well. Help us keep the game alive. Register and play. November 9-10.
Scott Johnson A PBS Appearance: Collaborative Efforts Could Speed Medical Advances Last month, PBS producer Dave Iverson posted this news story on the PBS NewsHour program. The MRF is pleased and honored to be included in this story among a small handful of collaborative programs advancing medical research in new and important ways. “There are a lot of academic papers that come into the biopharma companies every year. About 800,000,” said MRF President Scott Johnson in the news story. “How are these big companies supposed to sort through them all to find the gem they are looking for? To find the one piece of discovery biology that might be the key to creating a myelin repair treatment for MS? They can’t. Learn how the MRF ARC(TM)model addresses this and other shortcomings of the current medical research enterprise. You can watch and share this NewsHour segment here. MRF Recognizes Graduate Students and Post-Docs for Their ContributionsEach of the Principal Investigators who are funded by the MRF have teams of graduate and post-doctoral students whose hands-on work in the labs is responsible for uncovering the critical information that is leading us toward a deeper understanding of how myelin is formed in the central nervous system and how it might be repaired in multiple sclerosis. These individuals work long hours at the bench, repeating and refining their work for the best results. In recognition of their contributions, at this year’s annual meeting in South San Francisco, the MRF presented awards to six graduate and post-doctoral students for their outstanding contributions to the science of myelin repair and for their demonstration of personal and professional values that align with the MRF’s goal to get the next generation MS treatment to patients as rapidly as possible. “Our annual meeting is a celebration of the scientific progress we have made over the course of the year,” said MRF Director of Discovery Biology Kumar Hari. “These awards are a natural extension of that celebration. We hope they will help our graduate students and post-docs to think more broadly about their work and how it maps into the potential of a myelin repair treatment.”
 To learn more about all of the MRF graduate students and Post docs, visit Scientists @ the Bench on the MRF web site.
The Myelin Repair Foundation Ambassadors Do you yearn to get more involved in the Myelin Repair Foundation's mission of rapidly bringing a myelin repair treatment to market for multiple sclerosis that will slow, stop, and ultimately repair damage to myelin caused by MS? Do you want to be part of a team of change-makers that are building and developing a research model that can make a larger global impact for all diseases? You can. By joining the Myelin Repair Foundation’s Ambassador Program. Our pilot program has been underway the past few months, and a lot has happened, here's just a taste: Fred Schwartz jumped out of a plane for the MRF garnering media attention in the Philadelphia area, Cindy organized a fundraiser in Palo Alto, CA and Angela is putting together a holiday basket fundraiser. As you can probably guess, MRF supporters are a different breed and they like to do things differently: they hold themselves accountable to results, exhibit a can-do attitude in all that they do, value new ideas and creativity and seek collaboration with each other. On top of that, they are an impatient bunch too, valuing speed and efficiency. These qualities are the reasons they support the MRF, as we embrace these values whole-heartedly. So, when MRF supporters got together through our Ambassadors program they became a team. They are now helping each other out in organizing fundraisers and events around the country, brainstorming ideas, collaborating online, meeting once a month on phone conference calls to ask questions, to get assistance, to develop action plans and to execute and report on their events. If you join MRF Ambassadors, we will connect you to a vibrant community of MRF supporters who will help connect you with the resources, ideas and best practices you need to organize your events. We created an online toolkit using Prezi to introduce you to the process. Check out our fun “how-to” videos, resources and downloadable files to help you put on fun, exciting and successful events for the MRF. Click through Prezi’s play button, watch the videos and email us at ambassadors@myelinrepair.org with any questions or to sign-up to join us. The MRF Ambassadors will be run by our two Ambassadors-at-Large, Bob Gregory and Fred Schwartz, and the MRF’s Manager of Donor Relations, Helen Solinski. Contact them with your questions via email. |
Watch and share MRF's Recent PBS Appearance. Spread the Word
Our ProgressRead about our latest progress updates: Join Our Cause
 Join the Myelin Repair Foundation on Twitter, Facebook & YouTube. |
