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About Our Blog
Unbounded by traditional medical research models, the Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF) established the potential of myelin repair as an alternative to current immunosuppressant therapies for multiple sclerosis. The MRF blog shares information about our approach, our findings and our best practices. Join the discussion and help break down the barriers that are slowing medical research for all diseases.
How to Invest in Medical Research?
MRF President Scott Johnson recently spent some time talking with writers at the Arabella Philanthropic Advisors who were working on an issues brief to advise their clients on best practices in making philanthropic gifts for medical research. The Issue Brief, produced in collaboration with FasterCures, explores strategies donors can employ to help improve the current medical research process and to support the search for breakthrough treatments and cures. The MRF’s research model was...
Is MS Really That Hard to Diagnose?
It’s a cliche that MS is hard to diagnose because the symptoms can be so vague. But with increasing knowledge and widespread diagnostic use of MRI’s, there are fewer excuses for missing the classic signs of the disease. In my own case the symptoms were virtually impossible to misdiagnose—or...
Treatments and Cures: Must-Have versus Nice-To-Have?
We posted a question on LinkedIn asking others how they would define or explain cures and treatments because many Patient’s Manifesto signors thought of them as mutually exclusive terms where cures end a disease and treatments only treat the symptoms. However, we thought there needed to be a...
From Bench to Bedside: Can We Change the System?
Last summer, Newsweek Science Editor Sharon Begley took the NIH to task for not meeting its commitment to translational research. Sharon’s column reflects the problems inherent in the current system for funding medical research that Myelin Repair Foundation’s ARC™ model was designed to...
For MS Awareness Week, Share Myelin Knowledge
Mike Gresser, Chief Scientific Officer at the Myelin Repair Foundation, created this video to educate others on what the myelin sheath is and how it’s created. Share the video with friends and family who don’t yet have an appreciation for myelin. Do you know of other good videos or articles...
KQED Forum host asked NIH Director: “Where are the Cures?”
Last week, journalist Dave Iverson hosted NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins on the San Francisco-based KQED Forum radio program. Most of the interview focused on the issues surrounding the need to accelerate the development of new drugs and in particular the need to bridge the gap between basic scientists...
A Hosted Forum on “Where Are The Cures?”
On Tuesday, March 9th at 9:00 am Pacific Time, PatientsLikeMe’s forum will be focused on the topic of our newest initiative Where Are The Cures? , which is concerned with bringing a greater understanding of the barriers slowing the discovery and development of new patient treatments in all diseases. PatientsLikeMe...
Scott Johnson Speaking at Charité Entrepreneurship Summit: March 16, Berlin, Germany
For our supporters in Europe MRF Founder & President, Scott Johnson, will be coming to Berlin to speak to the Charité Biomedical Entrepreneurship Summit in Berlin, Germany on Tuesday, March 16th. He will be speaking on the topics of “How to Enable Medical Innovations: The Role of Foundations”...
Innovators in Healthcare and Medical Research
Thursday February 25th I had the pleasure of attending the Wharton Healthcare Business Conference in Philadelphia. The theme of this year’s conference is “Breaking Barriers: Innovation Leading to Change.” The opening keynote address was given by Jeff Margolis, CEO of TriZetto. Mr. Margolis...
The FDA & NIH Building “Critical Bridge” to Treatments
Today, the LA Times & Bloomberg both reported on a recent development at both the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. The NIH and the FDA are collaborating to build a “critical bridge” between biomedical research and new medical products. This collaboration will...
PatientsLikeMe Co-Founder Interviews Scott Johnson
The Value of Openness: PatientsLikeMe co-founder James Heywood interviews Scott Johnson on why WhereAreTheCures.org was created. Says Scott Johnson: “I believe the single most rate-limiting factor (slowing the process) is the failure to move promising scientific discoveries made in academic laboratories...
Blog & Go to Disneyland or DisneyWorld!
Planning your vacation for 2010? If you and your kids love spending quality time together — while having fun with Mickey Mouse & the gang or going on exciting theme park rides — you should write a blog article for the Myelin Repair Foundation. This year the Myelin Repair Foundation is...
My MS Story and My Search for Hope
Gali Hagel, long-time MRF volunteer and now blogger A diagnosis of a progressive, incurable disease would make anyone feel helpless, hopeless and angry. At least, that’s how I felt when I discovered at the age of fifty that I had MS. I was an active and successful corporate attorney who wasn’t...
To Start a Movement, Be a Courageous Follower
I found this TED Talk by Derek Sivers, ”Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy,” last night and wanted to share it with Myelin Repair Foundation supporters: Sivers says: It was the first follower that transformed a lone nut into a leader. There is no movement without the first follower. We’re...
Where Are The Cures?
This month the Myelin Repair Foundation is launching a new web site called Where are the Cures? As our friends and supporters know, the mission of the MRF has always been twofold: first to bring a myelin repair treatment to market as quickly as possible and second to demonstrate the Accelerated Research...
Richard Cooper, Running & Praying for Myelin Repair
Hi, I’m Richard Cooper. Last year, I decided to run a marathon for my sister Kellye, who has MS. She put me in touch with Justine Lam at the Myelin Repair Foundation since this was the organization she wished to support. I’ve been blogging about my journey at Running and Praying. Here’s...
Those Dreaded Injections
In What Form Will Your Myelin Repair Treatment Come In? We frequently hear from people asking what form our myelin repair treatments are likely to take. While it is too early to answer that question precisely, we can say that our work at this time is not ruling in or out any particular drug delivery...
Buy and Sell on eBay for the Myelin Repair Foundation
Just like Broken Feather (Rick Bone & Deb Kelson) you can support the Myelin Repair Foundation when you buy or sell on eBay, with the eBay Giving Works program. Here’s how: Buy You can find whatever you’re looking for on eBay – from baseball cards to new cars and more. When you do, shop...