The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) is a charitable organization dedicated to

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, ane ...

, an incurable blood cancer. The MMRF runs as if it were a for-profit business, expecting high returns from the money the organization raises from donors.

History

MMRF was founded in 1998 by twin sisters

Kathy Giusti Kathy Giusti is a business leader and a healthcare disrupter. She is a two-time cancer survivor having been diagnosed with multiple myeloma and breast cancer. Kathy Co-Founded the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (the MMRF) where she served as ...

and Karen Andrews, following Kathy's diagnosis with multiple myeloma. Giusti, a pharmaceutical company executive and

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA ...

Alum, wanted to encourage researchers to develop treatments for multiple myeloma by using business models rather than academic models of

drug development Drug development is the process of bringing a new pharmaceutical drug to the market once a lead compound has been identified through the process of drug discovery. It includes preclinical research on microorganisms and animals, filing for r ...

About The MMRF

MMRF is a private funder of multiple myeloma research, having raised over $120 million since its inception to contribute funding to more than 120 laboratories worldwide. MMRF funding contributes to diverse research strategies to yield long-, mid-, and short-term results in an effort to deliver better treatments to patients faster:

basic science Basic research, also called pure research or fundamental research, is a type of scientific research with the aim of improving scientific theories for better understanding and prediction of natural or other phenomena. In contrast, applied resea ...

programs to better understand the disease and identify new druggable targets through genomics and proteomics research; validation programs to prioritize new compounds and combinations based on key targets; and

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

s conducted at a number of myeloma centers. In 2009, the MMRF funded research into 30 compounds at the pre-clinical stage. By 2013 it had raised more than $250 million and its work has helped gain approval of six new drugs to treat the disease."A Mission with Precision"
Forbes Magazine, December 3, 2013

Notes

External links

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
{{authority control Biomedical research foundations Cancer charities in the United States Charities based in Connecticut Immune system disorders Norwalk, Connecticut 1998 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1998 Medical and health organizations based in Connecticut

History

About The MMRF

See also

Notes

External links