May 11, 2009
Eleventh Annual MS Research Night Scheduled for June 2
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Eastern North Carolina Chapter will host the eleventh annual Multiple Sclerosis Research Night on Tuesday, June 2 at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley at 7 p.m. The event’s keynote speaker, Timothy Coetzee, Ph.D, will discuss an innovative, cutting-edge initiative to bring new drugs to the market faster.
Coetzee is the current executive director of Fast Forward, a bold new research initiative of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. By bridging the gap between research and drug development, Fast Forward connects people with breakthrough ideas to people who can turn them into new therapies; the process is referred to as translational research.
Drug development for MS and other diseases is costly and risky. Those challenges are magnified for MS, which impacts a small number of people — about 500,000 in the United States. That can deter companies from pursuing MS research and therapies. Those companies that do pursue these therapies have difficulty securing funds to move scientific ideas from basic research and into preclinical development. That funding gap inevitably slows the process.
Fast Forward helps eliminate the obstacles and reduce some of the financial risk associated with bringing new drugs to market. Financial incentives are also provided to drug companies to encourage them to explore repurposing existing drugs to treat MS. Fast Forward takes a business approach to speeding development of treatments and seeking a cure for people living with MS. As a driving force in MS research and care, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is uniquely qualified to change how new therapies are developed for MS.
Fast Forward aims to close the gap. This initiative partners with investors and donors who see the value of innovative drug discovery. It works to seek out promising companies and scientists with fresh ideas, and grant seed money to projects with potential. Fast Forward will speed the movement of those projects toward FDA approval … providing more MS treatments to more people, faster.
The June 2 presentation is free and open to the community. Seating is limited, so registration is strongly encouraged. To register or for more information, visit www.nationalMSsociety.org/nct call 1-800 FIGHT MS. For more information on the Fast Forward initiative, visit www.nationalMSsociety.org/fast-forward.