TMCnet News

Myeloma Crowd Research Initiative (MCRI) Adds Four Board Members To Select And Fund Promising Research Aimed At Finding A Cure For Multiple Myeloma
[January 29, 2015]

Myeloma Crowd Research Initiative (MCRI) Adds Four Board Members To Select And Fund Promising Research Aimed At Finding A Cure For Multiple Myeloma


SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According the the NIH, oncology research funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has remained flat for over a decade. To bridge the gap, the Myeloma Crowd Research Initiative (MCRI) has formed to select and fund promising research aimed at finding a cure for multiple myeloma, the second most common blood cancer. MCRI will use crowd funding via the Internet and social media to raise funds for this effort. The MCRI board features myeloma specialists, researchers, doctors, and knowledgeable patient advocates who, together, will review submissions that pose the potential for a cure and select individual projects to fund. Today, MCRI announced that it has added four new board members:

  • Dr. Robert Z. Orlowski, MD, PhD, Myeloma Director of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Director of Myeloma, SWOG Chair
  • Dr. Mike Thompson, MD, PhD, ASCO Social Media Work Group, co-founder #mmsm Twitter group
  • Lizzy Smith, myeloma survivor, patient advocate, blogger and writer
  • Cynthia Chmielewski, myeloma survivor, experienced patient advocate, co-founder #mmsm Twitter group



These new members join those currently on the MCRI board: Dr. Noopur Raje, MD, PhD, (Massachusetts General Cancer Center), Dr. Rafael Fonseca, MD (Mayo Clinic Scottsdale), Dr. Ola Landgren, MD, PhD (MSKCC), Dr. Guido Tricot, MD, PhD (University of Iowa), and Dr. Irene Ghobrial, MD, PhD (Dana Farber Cancer Institute), and patient advocates Pat Killingsworth, Gary Petersen, Jack Aiello and Jenny Ahlstrom.

"Many promising research proposals never make it to the labs due to lack of funding," said Chmielewski. "Patients and researchers bring different perspectives to treating disease and can now work in collaboration to select promising, innovative ideas."


"The MCRI will select promising research that, without our support, may never move forward at all. And perhaps that trial will be the one that leads to a cure. This is potentially a game-changer for multiple myeloma research," said Smith.

"Crowd funding and social media has provided an important venue for raising funds for a variety of business startups and more. The MCRI seeks to capitalize on this opportunity by raising funds in support of new myeloma research," said Dr. Thompson. "I am proud to be involved in sharing information via #mmsm and in helping the Myeloma Crowd Research Initiative."

 

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/myeloma-crowd-research-initiative-mcri-adds-four-board-members-to-select-and-fund-promising-research-aimed-at-finding-a-cure-for-multiple-myeloma-300028118.html

SOURCE Myeloma Crowd Research Initiative: CrowdCare Foundation


[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]