Myelin Repair Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization based in Saratoga, California
. The organization applies a collaborative business model to the process of medical research with the aim of accelerating the identification and development of new patient treatments. MRF's goal is to license its first drug target for commercial drug development
by July 1, 2009, five years after the organization began funding research.
The MRF was created by entrepreneur Scott Johnson in 2002, and began funding research in 2004.
at the age of 20. When given his prognosis, he was told that an effective therapy would probably not be on the market for another 30 to 50 years. “If someone is diagnosed now…they’d probably hear the same thing,” Johnson says. “And that’s pretty frustrating.”
As a result of his dissatisfaction with the status quo, and out of his desire to see a new treatment for multiple sclerosis, Johnson created the Myelin Repair Foundation, a not-for-profit with a business-inspired research model.
The MRF actively manages the drug discovery process from its origins in basic research through to the clinical trials process where new treatments are produced.
; the Donaghue Foundation; the Thomas H. Maren Foundation; the Penates Foundation; the Pioneer Fund
; William K. Bowes, Founder, U.S. Venture Partners
; Scott Cook
, founder and chairman of the executive committee of Intuit Corporation; the Omidyar Network
; Biogen Idec
; and the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation.
, The New Yorker
, and BusinessWeek
. It has also been exemplified in books such as The Definitive Drucker, by Elizabeth Haas Edersheim; The Culture of Collaboration
, by Evan Rosen
, and We Are the New Radicals, by Julia Moulden
.
Begley, Sharon. Wall Street Journal. “Anxious For Cures, Grant Givers Turn More Demanding.” September 29, 2004. Page A1.
Groopman, Jerome. The New Yorker. “Buying a Cure.” January 28, 2008 http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/01/28/080128fa_fact_groopman?currentPage=all
Hagel, John, and John Seely Brown. “Myelin Repair Foundation’s Institutional Innovation.” BusinessWeek . May 7, 2008. http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/may2008/id2008057_399178.htm
Schonfeld, Eric. Fortune. “One Man’s Crusade for a Cure.” September 21, 2006. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/09/18/8386197/index.htm
Tansey, Bernadette. San Francisco Chronicle. “Not For Profit – Just For Hope.” March 29, 2008. http://myelinrepair.org/documents/SFGate_MRF_reprint_2008-03-29.pdf
Forbes. “Opexa Therapeutics and the Myelin Repair Foundation Partner on Novel Multiple Sclerosis Research Programs.” September 3, 2008. http://www.forbes.com/businesswire/feeds/businesswire/2008/09/03/businesswire20080903005324r1.html
Saratoga, California
Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census....
. The organization applies a collaborative business model to the process of medical research with the aim of accelerating the identification and development of new patient treatments. MRF's goal is to license its first drug target for commercial drug development
Drug development
Drug development is a blanket term used to define the process of bringing a new drug to the market once a lead compound has been identified through the process of drug discovery...
by July 1, 2009, five years after the organization began funding research.
The MRF was created by entrepreneur Scott Johnson in 2002, and began funding research in 2004.
Background
The Myelin Repair Foundation was founded in 2002 by Scott Johnson, a California entrepreneur. Johnson had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosisMultiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
at the age of 20. When given his prognosis, he was told that an effective therapy would probably not be on the market for another 30 to 50 years. “If someone is diagnosed now…they’d probably hear the same thing,” Johnson says. “And that’s pretty frustrating.”
As a result of his dissatisfaction with the status quo, and out of his desire to see a new treatment for multiple sclerosis, Johnson created the Myelin Repair Foundation, a not-for-profit with a business-inspired research model.
The ARC Model
The MRF conducts research according to the Accelerated Research Collaboration (ARC)TM model, which also guides the organization’s goals and objectives. Under the ARCTM model, MRF-funded researchers in different labs design and carry out experiments together and share results in real time, thus accelerating the rate at which medical discoveries are made. The results, called “potential drug or therapeutic targets,” are then validated, patented and licensed to a pharmaceutical partner who will take them through the clinical trials process and into a new treatment.The MRF actively manages the drug discovery process from its origins in basic research through to the clinical trials process where new treatments are produced.
Advisory Boards
MRF receives scientific and industry guidance from a Board of Directors, a Scientific Advisory Board, a Business Advisory Committee, and a Drug Discovery Advisory Group. Members of these advisory and governing boards include Andy Cates of the Value Acquisition Fund; Dr. Stephen Hauser of the University of California at San Francisco; Dr. Christopher Lipinksi; and Dr. Mark Scheidler of the National Institutes of Health–National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.Funding
The MRF is funded by individuals, foundations, and corporations: including the Robert Wood Johnson FoundationRobert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the United States' largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care; it is based in Princeton, New Jersey. The foundation's mission is to improve the health and health care of all Americans...
; the Donaghue Foundation; the Thomas H. Maren Foundation; the Penates Foundation; the Pioneer Fund
Pioneer Fund
The Pioneer Fund is an American non-profit foundation established in 1937 "to advance the scientific study of heredity and human differences." Currently headed by psychology professor J. Philippe Rushton, the fund states that it focuses on projects it perceives will not be easily funded due to...
; William K. Bowes, Founder, U.S. Venture Partners
U.S. Venture Partners
U.S. Venture Partners , is a venture capital investment firm headquartered on Sand Hill Road in Silicon Valley focusing on investments in an array of segments including semiconductors, software as a service, communications, storage, wireless, Internet 2.0, Cleantech, Medical devices and...
; Scott Cook
Scott Cook
Scott David Cook is a founder of Intuit, has been a director of Intuit since March 1983 and is currently Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board. Cook also serves on the boards of directors of eBay Inc., and The Procter & Gamble Company....
, founder and chairman of the executive committee of Intuit Corporation; the Omidyar Network
Omidyar Network
Omidyar Network is a philanthrocapitalist investment firm established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam. To date, Omidyar Network has committed more than $290 million to for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual...
; Biogen Idec
Biogen Idec
Biogen Idec, Inc. is a biotechnology company specializing in drugs for neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders and cancer. The company was formed in 2003 by the merger of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Biogen Inc. and San Diego, California-based IDEC Pharmaceuticals...
; and the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation.
In the news
The MRF has been profiled several times in the national media, including features in The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, and BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
. It has also been exemplified in books such as The Definitive Drucker, by Elizabeth Haas Edersheim; The Culture of Collaboration
The Culture of Collaboration
The Culture of Collaboration is a business book by Evan Rosen.The Culture of Collaboration explores how collaborative culture is changing business models and the nature of work...
, by Evan Rosen
Evan Rosen
Evan Rosen is an American author, speaker, business strategist, blogger, and journalist. He is Chief Strategist of Impact Video Communication, Inc., which he co-founded.Rosen is the author of The Culture of Collaboration...
, and We Are the New Radicals, by Julia Moulden
Julia Moulden
Julia Moulden is a Canadian author, speaker, speechwriter and communications consultant who is based in Toronto. She has published two books and has written and been featured in several periodicals, newspapers and other media.-Books:...
.
External links
Begley, Sharon. Wall Street Journal. “Anxious For Cures, Grant Givers Turn More Demanding.” September 29, 2004. Page A1.
Groopman, Jerome. The New Yorker. “Buying a Cure.” January 28, 2008 http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/01/28/080128fa_fact_groopman?currentPage=all
Hagel, John, and John Seely Brown. “Myelin Repair Foundation’s Institutional Innovation.” BusinessWeek . May 7, 2008. http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/may2008/id2008057_399178.htm
Schonfeld, Eric. Fortune. “One Man’s Crusade for a Cure.” September 21, 2006. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/09/18/8386197/index.htm
Tansey, Bernadette. San Francisco Chronicle. “Not For Profit – Just For Hope.” March 29, 2008. http://myelinrepair.org/documents/SFGate_MRF_reprint_2008-03-29.pdf
Forbes. “Opexa Therapeutics and the Myelin Repair Foundation Partner on Novel Multiple Sclerosis Research Programs.” September 3, 2008. http://www.forbes.com/businesswire/feeds/businesswire/2008/09/03/businesswire20080903005324r1.html