BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Health Connexions™ announced today a world's first initiative to bring $100 million in funding to support the development of a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. First, in partnership with its connections in the investment community, Health Connexions will screen Alzheimer’s-related solutions submitted through this ‘Call for Science’ to ensure that the best science, and the most important, is funded.
In addition, in conjunction with One Million Solutions in Health™, a non-profit organization, a campaign will be started in June 2015, to petition the government and investment community to accelerate their financial commitments in Alzheimer’s Disease.
As the third component of this program, the screened solutions will be presented to the organization’s network of over 5 million members, to ask them to also support the effort to find a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.
“We are partnering with some of the leading organizations in the world to bring forward this message and galvanize support to exponentially fund a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease,” stated Dawn Van Dam, President & CEO of Health Connexions.
The first step in the process is this announcement, inviting scientists from around the world, with a potential solution to address or cure Alzheimer’s Disease, to send in a brief summary of their solution to MoreALZmoney@healthconnexions.com.
Health Connexions will screen the opportunities and begin a process of working with investors to prioritize and accelerate funding for the most promising solutions. The plan is to kick-start investment across-the-board, to be able to make a substantial, measurable change in the outcomes for those at risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, or those already afflicted with this condition.
We are at a pivotal point in our medical knowledge in the world. With the mapping of the human genome, and the availability of personal genetic testing that can inform an individual about their risk factors, there is an opportunity for everyone to know whether or not they are genetically pre-disposed to Alzheimer’s Disease. Tests are now available in the UK and Canada to help individuals screen for this information.
Imagine that you knew you were at risk for Alzheimer’s Disease. Would you spend 1% of your income, 5% of your savings or 10% of your take-home pay to fund a cure?
“Unfortunately, some of the richest people on the planet have said that they are not interested in supporting the life sciences, and funding medical research, because the ‘returns’ are just ‘not there’,” said Van Dam.
One important, and unfortunate example from 2014 was this one from Google Co‒Founder Sergey Brin: “Generally, health is just so heavily regulated. It’s just a painful business to be in. It’s just not necessarily how I want to spend my time.”
“The goal of this initiative by Health Connexions is to gather, evaluate and create an important new way for all investors, large and small, to contribute to the diseases and the cures that will impact them personally,” announced Dawn Van Dam. You can join us in this initiative by sending a tweet to @DawnVanDam with the hashtag #MoreALZmoney and tell us your story, or tell us about some great science that we should put into the $100 million campaign.
Health Connexions has years of experience transforming scientific technology into commercial success and, with this initiative, is focusing its attention on Alzheimer’s Disease. Health Connexions is looking for scientists with life-changing technology that need support to commercialize their solution.
Alzheimer’s Disease is currently an irreversible form of dementia, where memory and other intellectual abilities slowly decrease over time due to microscopic changes in the brain. The disease is devastating for both a patient and his or her family. Late-stage symptoms include severe memory loss, mood and behavior changes, and difficulty speaking, swallowing and walking.
Many have likened it to watching your parent go ‘backwards’ in time, becoming a child mentally and functionally, such that they slowly and sadly regress to the point of being an elderly person lying in bed, alone and helpless, as if they were again an infant.
At the current time, there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, and it is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. There needs to be more funding to find better methods of treatment, medications to delay symptoms, and, ideally, to prevent the disease from occurring in the first place.
“A cure for Alzheimer’s Disease – a debilitating, heartbreaking, and ultimately fatal disease – has yet to be realized,” Van Dam remarked. “But there may be an innovation – somewhere out there – with someone who does not know how to bring their invention to market. Scientists are talented professionals who dedicate their lives to acquiring knowledge and coming up with novel solutions, but often do not have the expertise to run a business. If they do not know how to commercialize their science, viable solutions to health issues are lost. The goal of Health Connexions is to minimize lost science by helping with the commercialization, and supporting the funding of these innovations.”
Health Connexions welcomes submissions from scientists all over the world who are working to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Submissions can be made by submitting your information to MoreALZmoney@healthconnexions.com.
About Health Connexions, Inc. – Transforming Science into Commercial Success
Health Connexions™ works to accelerate the evaluation, validation and commercialization of new technologies in life sciences, health care and consumer health by providing services in consulting & market research, technology evaluations and marketing communications. With an extensive network of over 5 million contacts, clients can profit from these connections and expertise garnered over the last 15 years. Health Connexions also provides strategic advisory services around raising capital to fund new opportunities, or to support the growth of established organizations, by connecting capital and science to optimize ROI. For more information, please visit www.healthconnexions.com.
