Category Archives: Featured Stories

21st Century Research … a new approach

 

The Parkinson’s and Brain Research Foundation is supporting leading medical scientists in the United States and Europe who are pursuing a 21st century approach to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Prominent researchers at Harvard University, the National Institutes of Health, and University College London discovered the most common genetic risk factor for Parkinson disease – mutation of the GBA gene – a gene that causes a rare hereditary brain disorder called Gaucher. Carriers of this Gene are predisposed to the development of Parkinson’s – and – Recent and unexpected findings show the possibility of a shared pathogenic mechanism. The Parkinson’s and Brain Research Foundation is seeking a cure for Parkinson’s by funding medical research with prominent scientists who are focusing on the GBA Link. Medical history is awash with examples of progress being made on one disease as a result of links to another disease.  Our International Scientific Advisory Board chooses cutting-edge multi-disciplinary medical research – research that takes a 21st Century approach – a new approach to solve the mystery of Parkinson’s.

One Small Discovery – can unlock the mystery. Your Gift – can help find a cure.

The only thing incurable, is our passion!

 

Our 100% Commitment

Yes – Parkinson’s and Brain Research Foundation is run efficiently. Yes – we work hard to have extremely  low administrative overhead. Yes – the founders pay, personally, for the administrative overhead. Yes – this all means that 100% of your gift goes to medical research.

Over and over we are asked, “Is it true that 100% of donations go to medical research”? The answer is YES. 100% of every donation goes to medical research.  All costs for postage, printing, website development, etc., are paid for by the founders.

There may not be another charitable organization that can make this commitment, therefore it deserves an explanation.

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Award “Best in America Seal” of excellence

For many years the Parkinson’s & Brain Research Foundation has provided a Financial Audit/Review and every year we endure a rigorous approval process for acceptance into US Federal Government  fundraising campaigns. Through this process  we have earned exclusive recognition with the award of the “Best In America Seal”. Below is the description of this honor as represented by the Independent Charities of America:

“The Independent Charities Seal of Excellence is awarded to the members of Independent Charities of America and Local Independent Charities of America that have, upon rigorous independent review, been able to certify, document, and demonstrate on an annual basis that they meet the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness.  These standards include those required by the US Government for inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign, probably the most exclusive fund drive in the world.  Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000, or 5 percent, meet or exceed these standards, and, of those, fewer than 2,000 have been awarded this Seal.”

Remember: 95-98% of your donation goes to medical research.

Brain Conference – Atlanta, Georgia

As many of you know I have been working on neuronopathic Gaucher Disease for over a decade in my lab at the Weizmann Institute in Israel. We have made great progress creating the “building blocks” of understanding.

This progress has happened because of the support received by the CGRF – or more personally – because of your generous support. However, one of the frustrating aspects with research in this area is the small number of people who have been working on this disease. The meeting that was held in Atlanta brought together in an informal setting 25 brain experts from around the world, some of whom had previously worked on Gaucher Disease and a number who were totally new to the field but work on various aspects of brain diseases. Getting this group together was of enormous importance, as it is sure to foster new collaborations and new ways of thinking about the disease.

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