Greetings!,
They say good things come in threes, and given the past
week's news from our strategic partner, Found Animals Foundation, we can't help but agree!
It was nearly a year ago that ACC&D joined Found Animals
at the SPAY/USA Conference in Chicago to announce the Michelson Prize and Grants in Reproductive Biology, Found Animals' commitment of $75 million to
advance non-surgical sterilization for cats and dogs.
During the past year, we've worked with Found Animals as
they've developed the Michelson Prize and Grants from an exciting concept into
a fully-fledged program. We're delighted to be writing today with three pieces
of exciting news, each reflecting the progress of the last year and the promise
of the coming years:
A Stellar Cast
Last week, Found Animals announced the appointment of
Shirley Johnston, DVM, Ph.D., as their Director of Scientific Research. Dr.
Johnston is a widely recognized and respected veterinarian and  expert in animal
reproduction with a reputation of intelligence, integrity, and innovation. She
is an exceptional addition to the Found Animals team and a tremendous asset to
this work!
Read more about Dr. Johnston
Found Animals has also announced the make-up of their
Scientific Advisory Board, which includes leaders in fields ranging from animal
reproduction to humane animal use in research to regulatory approval processes.
ACC&D was proud to contribute expertise through our directors and advisors
during the early stages of development of the Michelson Prize and Grants
Program, with five directors and three advisors now serving on the official
Scientific Advisory Board.
See who's on the Scientific Advisory Board
Article in Science Magazine
Non-surgical cat and dog sterilization surged into the
spotlight last week when the topic was featured in Science Magazine. The need
for non-surgical alternatives and the work of Found Animals, ACC&D, and
several of the researchers doing work in this field were highlighted in the
article by David Grimm. Science is a widely respected international, weekly
publication with 150,000 subscribers, and we're excited and optimistic about
the potential of this article to attract even more great minds to this work.
Read the article
First Three Projects Approved for Funding
Last-but by no means least-Found Animals has approved
funding for three promising research proposals! The Michelson Prize and Grants is
intended to attract scientists to this field, and that's very much been the
case. In fact, in under a year, Found Animals has received over 80 letters of intent
and invited over 25 full applications.
For decades there has been extremely little funding
available for this work, and that's meant extremely slow progress toward our
goal. We knew the Michelson Prize and Grants had amazing potential to spur work
in this field, and we're thrilled to see that happening!
We hope you share in our enthusiasm about this great
progress. With your support, we're getting closer and closer to achieving our
goal of reinventing pet population control!
Sincerely,
Joyce Briggs, President
|
| P.S. Please forward this e-mail to your friends and
colleagues with interest in companion animal welfare, veterinary medicine, and
scientific innovation. |
