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Media Inquires:
Cecilia Arradaza
Communications Director
(202) 336-8912 (office)
Carradaza@fastercures.org
Stay connected. Sign up now to be informed of the latest FasterCures blogs, events and program updates.
Medical research is dominated by government and corporate funding. How can philanthropic dollars find a distinctive niche? Philanthropy Magazine's latest issue features a cover story focuses on the role of private philanthropy in American Medicine. In the article, FasterCures Executive Director Margaret Anderson notes that “The hallmark of the new medical philanthropy is that it’s very informed, it’s engaged, and it’s really results-oriented.”
Mike Milken on CNBC special program, “Meeting of the Minds: The Future of Health Care,” broadcast Monday, July 27 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern and 10:00 p.m. Pacific.
FasterCures will be featured in TechSoup Global's NonProfit Commons Health Expo, a mixed reality event that marks the official launch of the Health Commons in Second Life. Health Commons seeks to bring together real-world health-related nonprofits, academics, educators, thought-leaders, foundations, and volunteer-supporters to showcase recent developments in healthcare.
Earlier this year, FasterCures joined Second Life, the Internet's largest, user-created 3D community and established its virtual home in NonProfit Commons which already houses more than 65 health and social-benefit organizations. Establishing a presence in Second Life allows FasterCures to reach a broad range of audiences and involve them in the quest for new treatments to deadly and debilitating diseases. This effort builds on an already engaged community of informed and connected health consumers and leverages the social networking's strengths to improve the biomedical research environment.
The February 5, 2009 issue of Nature features a cover story “Closing Arguments” discussing the struggle for research grants and the battle to keep a labs funded. Greg Simon, president of FasterCures, is quoted “There has been an assumption from the way people were trained and educated that the government is in charge of full employment for research scientists. Those days are over."
Newsweek magazine's November 10 issue features an article about the gulf between a biomedical discovery and new treatment and the opportunities that the next administration and Congress have to address this 'valley of death.' Greg Simon, FasterCures president is quoted in this article.
A white paper on the cutting-edge possibilities of personalized healthcare and the need for patient involvement provides a glimpse into how "personal" personalized healthcare is and what consumers think about the advent of this era. This paper is commissioned by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as part of Secretary Michael O. Leavitt’s Initiative on Personalized Health Care.
The October issue of Nature Medicine names Greg Simon, FasterCures president, as one of the ten most influential people to watch in biomedical policy. An excerpt of the article is below:
According to the article, influence can take many forms. When it comes to biomedical science policy in the US, the names of some people with clout are obvious, such as Harold Varmus (who serves as a top science advisor for Barack Obama) and Anthony Fauci (who heads the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and has the ear of the current president). But beyond the Nobel laureates and university presidents there is another set of people who wield power. Some of these influential players, such as patient advocates or experts who churn out reports for think tanks, are well known within their own communities. Others, such as Senate staffers or policy makers at the National Institutes of Health, operate under the radar.
Nature Medicine listed "a handful of influential people who quietly help keep the wheels of biomedical science turning."
Greg Simon, president of FasterCures was interviewed as part of the Earth & Sky radio series to discuss the importance of biobanks and how biobank sharing can lead to cures for diseases.
"FasterCures, part of the Milken Foundation, advocates for cures of all types of diseases, not just cancer. Its recent report is called "Entrepreneurs for Cures: The Critical Need for Innovative Approaches to Disease Research." Certainly the Kanzius device -- invented by a radio engineer, not a medical doctor -- would seem to fall into the "innovative" category. We encourage residents to continue to support the John Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation.”
Today’s Wall Street Journal article “Putting Drug Development in Patients’ Hands” features Dr. Jay Tenenbaum’s Web-based company CollabRx. CollabRx aims to expand patient-funded research further by connecting individuals or small numbers of patients with the tools and services they need. The article highlights CollabRx’s work with a Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) grantee, the John Wayne Cancer Institute, provides information about MRA, and includes a quote from FasterCures president Greg Simon.
The American Health Information Community is going out of business at the end of the year and will be replaced by an unnamed organization, known familiarly as A2. In this article, one of the leaders of the new organization discusses how the new organization will work to mesh data standards for medical research with its work on standards for e-health records.
Dr. Bernadine Healy's column discusses that strategically ramping up work in cancer genomics and a newer area of exploration, cancer stem cells, is what will lead to improved treatments, provided the money, talent, and technological resources are there. Greg Simon's testimony before the Senate HELP committee is mentioned.
In their search for cures, many nonprofit disease foundations are playing the role of investor, funneling research dollars to biotechnology companies. But unlike a venture capital firm, these donor-based patient advocacy groups don't expect a financial return on their "investment" in return for research grants.
Analysts see promise and problems in online health efforts by Google and Microsoft. Still in testing, Google Health and Microsoft HealthVault aim to give Web surfers a place to store medical records from their doctors, plus lab results and more. The sites will also give users tools to help keep in good health.
FasterCures president Greg Simon joined other leaders in the cancer community at a HELP Committee hearing on cancer challenges and opportunities in the 21st Century. His testimony addressed the need to focus our national medical research enterprise on curing diseases, not just studying them.
BioBank Central launches online forum to drive global connectivity among biobanking community - Forum will raise key issues in the field of biobanking that are impeding the advancement of personalized medicine
Sumner Redstone, the 83-year-old controlling shareholder of Viacom and CBS, announced he has committed $105 million in donations to advance cancer treatment and burn recovery at three nonprofit healthcare organizations.
FasterCures releases report which focuses on the importance of giving researcher's access to EHRs and genomic database information in order to accelerate the discovery of new therapies to treat diseases.
BusinessWeek profiles a new set of exchange-traded funds that will allow investors to funnel dollars into specific disease categories.
A look at how the nonprofit world is beginning to get involved in financing for-profit drug ventures.
A look at The Enhancing Drug Safety and Innovation Act of 2006, which calls for the establishment of a mandatory clinical trials registry and results database, and whether or not it will accomplish the stated goal of bolstering the public's confidence in the drug industry and the FDA.
A look at how a proposed Senate bill would strengthen monitoring for approved drugs and require companies to deposit clinical trial data into a registry.
Profile of a Silicon Valley millionaire who founded the Canary Foundation to begin an industrial-style attack on problems with early cancer detection.
A look at how some charities are starting to operate like venture capitalists, funding fledgling drug companies rather than more well-established biomedical research projects.
How individual philanthropists can impact medical research and development, benefit scientific advancement and promote increased spending from outside sources.
Greg letter to the editor on the value of human biological materials in research and the rules and responsibilities that should govern their use.
Two-part article on stem cell research funding.
FasterCures board member David Baltimore on the biotechnology revolution and what innovation means to science, health, and the economy.
Article on how some large drug companies have agreed to share information about how they predict drug safety.
Greg letter to the editor on medical research and tissue ownership.
Article on the patient's right to take pharmaceutical risk.
A look at bioinformatics.
Health leaders gathered in Phoenix discuss how technology can improve healthcare.
A look at the potential positive impact of electronic medical records on medical research.
Morton Kondracke on why President George W. Bush and Congress should support bipartisan legislation creating a Center for Cures at the National Institutes of Health.
Greg Simon was quoted on recent troubles at the FDA: "Leadership is a big problem for the FDA, says Greg Simon, president of FasterCures, a group that lobbies to speed up the process of bringing new drugs out. 'It can be the best organization from the neck down, but it needs a good head,' Simon said. 'The FDA needs someone to set the tone and the risk level.'"
An examination of the California stem cell experience.
A profile of FasterCures' stem cell case study.
Several media outlets covered the release of FasterCures' white paper: "Think Research: Using Electronic Health Records to Bridge Patient Care and Research
Several media outlets covered the release of FasterCures' white paper: "Think Research: Using Electronic Health Records to Bridge Patient Care and Research"
Several media outlets covered the release of FasterCures' white paper: "Think Research: Using Electronic Health Records to Bridge Patient Care and Research
Several media outlets covered the release of FasterCures' white paper: "Think Research: Using Electronic Health Records to Bridge Patient Care and Research
A profile of Mike Milken's efforts to spur innovation in the field of medical research, including the founding of FasterCures.
Greg Simon - November 18, 2004 Fortune's November 29, 2004 issue chronicles Mike Milken's success in challenging the status quo in medical research. It ends with an overview of FasterCures, founded by Mike to accelerate medical solutions for all diseases.
Michael Milken, Letter to the Editor
by FasterCures is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.