Collaboration. Acceleration. Results.
Myelin Repair Foundation Home Page
“Over the past 10 years, MRF has had substantial impact. It galvanized the pharma and academic communities into realizing it was now time to take a new approach to making new drugs for MS patients focused on myelin repair rather than only focusing on the immune system.”
 Ben Barres, M.D., Ph.D., Stanford University

MRF’s Research Achievements

Discovery Biology

  • Identified 7 key areas of focus required for myelin repair
  • Recruited Principal Investigator’s to initiate consortium
  • Assembled world class Scientific Advisory Board
  • Moved the field forward
    • >135 scientific papers published
    • 9 issued patents (4 more allowed)
    • Funded/trained >90 young investigators in MS research
  • Therapeutic targets identified
  • Research tools developed
  • Added Principal Investigators as needed expertise was identified

Translational Medicine

  • Created Translational Medicine Platform to methodically conduct pre-clinical studies
  • Recruited staff of world class researchers and pharma industry trained drug hunters
  • Assembled highly experienced Drug Discovery Advisory Board
  • Established MRF’s Translational Medicine Center (TMC) – houses 4 in vitro assays capable of driving drug discovery programs
  • TMC also provides in vivo capabilities (animal models)
  • Drug discovery activities within TMC
    • Screening
    • Pharmacokinetics
    • In vivo, and in vitro
  • >7 partnerships with pharma
  • 1 license to pharma
  • Evaluated over 1,000 compounds at the TMC

Clinical

  • 3 programs moved into clinical trials
  • Active role (scientific, logistical, funding) in MRF-008 trial for myelin protection
    • Creative new clinical trial design
    • Manufacture of drug
  • Assembled world class Clinical Advisory Board
  • Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with the NIH to conduct MRF-008 clinical trial
  • Developed deep clinical pipeline

Accomplishments achieved over eleven years with only about $55M