Guest guest Posted April 3, 2001 Report Share Posted April 3, 2001 Did anyone see the two articles in the USA today yesterday (April 2) about CF? One was in the entertainment section - about whether to offer CF screening for Caucasian couples before conception, and the other was in the sports section about a 21 year old student who has CF at the University of Richmond who wants to throw out the first pitch at all major league ball games in a season to promote CF awareness. Also, see the attached! Krishnan Mother of Santosh, 3 1/2 wcf and Leela, 19mowocf April 2001 News Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Receives $25 Million Pledge To Support the Therapeutics Development Program Bethesda, land - April 2, 2001: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation today received a pledge for a donation of $25 million to support its Therapeutics Development Program, an innovative research initiative. The funds will be used to accelerate and increase the “pipeline” of new cystic fibrosis (CF) therapies, from drug discovery through development to evaluation, using a specialized clinical trials network, through the Therapeutics Development Program. “Given the promise of today’s medical technology and research insights into CF, the CF Foundation believes only one barrier stands between patients and a cure: the number of dollars invested in therapeutic research,” said J. Beall, Ph.D., president and CEO of the CF Foundation. “This substantial gift will go a long way to help us leverage our investments in the most dynamic new areas of science and technology.” While the median life expectancy of people with CF now reaches the early 30s, new options must be developed quickly and safely, Beall added. “People with CF cannot wait half their lifetimes for new treatment options.” With this gift, the CF Foundation will support the use of cutting-edge technology for the identification and development of new drugs to treat CF. Building upon its platform of knowledge, the CF Foundation is now investing in the latest biological, chemical, and genetic techniques. Technologies such as high-throughput screening, combinatorial chemistry, functional genomics, proteomics, and structural genomics are now being applied to CF in the hopes of formulating new compounds and novel approaches to treat the disease. The CF Foundation also will use its clinical trials network to evaluate these potential new therapies. In the past year alone, the CF Foundation committed more than $110 million in multi-year, milestone-driven awards to bring new technologies to CF research. The best evidence that these initiatives are succeeding is the growing pipeline of products - now 20 - under evaluation in preclinical and clinical studies. This generous gift will enable the CF Foundation to continue to stimulate critical research, as its investments in cutting-edge technologies are ultimately an investment in the future of people with CF. In essence, this gift will allow CF Foundation-supported researchers to make a contribution to speeding the course of drug development. On average, it takes 14 years and $500 million to develop a new pharmaceutical treatment, according to industry sources. The CF Foundation aims to improve this timetable and decrease the costs of development through its investment in CF research. The CF Foundation respects the donor’s wish to remain anonymous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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