Myelin Repair Foundation -
Revolutionizing Medical Research
The Myelin Repair Foundation (MRF), has pioneered a new model for disease-based research: The MRF Accelerated Research Collaboration™ model. Founded in 2003 by former businessman and serial entrepreneur Scott Johnson, MRF is causing a sea change in the world of academic scientific research and how disease-focused research can be funded.
MRF recruited the top university researchers in the field myelin repair and persuaded them to merge their collective efforts toward finding a cure. MRF applies business management techniques and provides centralized infrastructure and management oversight to coordinate the efforts of the collaborating researchers. They also have focused on collecting and directing funding to support the research and translate discoveries quickly into actionable treatments.
Our panelists will discuss the process of creating MRF and it's growth and success over the last 4 years. We will present the core elements of the MRF business model, the Accelerated Research Collaboration™. How was MRF able to attract the top researchers from around the globe to collaborate? Why have they been so successful? How did MRF raise funding? What were the issues surrounding IP and interactions with University Technology Transfer groups? Also, how could this model be applied to other diseases?
They will also discuss future plans to expand the ARC™ model ensure that their novel targets reach the clinic and that the foundation shares in the financial success of resulting treatments.
More information:
April 2006: SF Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/04/30/BUG4TIGQOO1.DTL
September 2006: Fortune Article
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/09/18/8386197/index.htm
December 2006: Scientific American
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=CA41CF93-E7F2-99DF-332D036FA997032C
August 2006: Biotechnology Focus
http://myelinrepair.org/pdfs/BiotechFocus245143_final_encrypted.pdf
Presenters:
Scott Johnson, President and Founder
Scott Johnson brings more than 20 years of experience in business,
including President and CEO of three startups. Johnson led such
companies as Thermatrix, a venture-capital-backed company that
developed, patented and sold a highly-efficient thermal oxidation
technology that destroyed hazardous air pollutants. He also served as
President and CEO of Cinemation, an entertainment company
headquartered in Hawaii.
Johnson's first startup was SeparaSystems LP, a joint venture between
DuPont and FMC that utilized advanced membrane technology for food
processing. Before these entrepreneurial roles, Johnson was an
executive at FMC Corporation and in management consulting at the
Boston Consulting Group. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of
California, Berkeley Haas School of Business and a B.S. in Civil
Engineering from the University of California, Davis. Johnson was
diagnosed with MS in 1976.
Russell "Rusty" Bromley, Chief Operating Officer
Rusty Bromley brings a unique combination of business experience in both academic and commercial research environments. His expertise includes the creation and protection of innovative technologies, business development, and marketing strategies for high tech and life sciences firms. Formerly he was CEO of LabVelocity, Inc., an Internet information portal for the life science research community. Prior to that he was CEO of Berkshire Holding Corporation, a privately-held, multinational manufacturer of contamination control materials for microelectronics and pharmaceutical production. Bromley's experience also includes 17 years with American Hospital Supply Corporation and Baxter Healthcare, in both the distribution and diagnostics businesses, culminating with seven years as President of the Burdick and Jackson Division. Bromley holds a degree in Biochemistry from Rice University.
Ben Barres, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Ben Barres is Professor of Neurobiology and Developmental Biology
and Vice-Chair of the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford
University School of Medicine.
Dr. Barres's laboratory brings expertise in the development and
function of glial cells in the mammalian central nervous system
(CNS). They have found evidence of several novel glial signals that
induce the onset of myelination, the clustering of axonal sodium
channels, the survival and growth of retinal ganglion cells, and the
formation of synapses.
Their work for MRF compliments Dr. Robert Miller's work on
characterizing the processes related to myelination and identifying
relevant glial-derived signaling molecules. To understand the
interactions between axons and glial cells Dr. Barres's laboratory has
developed methods to highly purify and culture neurons as well as
oligodendrocytes and astrocytes (the glial cell types they interact
with). The laboratory has developed a variety of novel methods to
generate purified cell cultures that allow direct study of molecular
interactions between the cell types and has considerable expertise in
identifying and purifying these molecules.
