B+ Supports Global Research
Happy Memorial Day to our readers in the U.S. Please take a moment today to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice given by so many for our country. #NeverForgotten
Global Research Initiative
As I have shared in the past, The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation is proud to be the exclusive charity sponsor of ACCELERATE, a worldwide collaboration of Industry (pharma companies), Regulators (FDA, EMA, Health Canada, etc.), Academia (researchers) and Advocates (charities). It is SO tremendously important to get all of the key stakeholders around the table (or Zoom for right now) to discuss accelerating drug development, better treatments, and ultimately cures for childhood cancer.
Last week, we spent 15 hours on Zoom across three days at the Pediatric Forum on CAR-T cells. CAR, or chimeric antigen receptors, has received a lot of media coverage under the label of “Immunotherapy.” We had nearly 200 invited attendees from 27 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The breakdown of attendees was 38% from Academia, 28% from Industry, 26% Regulators, and 8% Advocates. It was really fascinating to learn about the results from clinical trials, pharma efforts, and just a general discussion about where to focus future efforts. And, I have to admit that it was pretty neat seeing Andrew’s name and our logo on the slide template along with the FDA, EMA, and ACCELERATE. I really believe we are making great progress with this worthwhile endeavor.
A great deal of progress was made and a paper will be submitted for publication in the coming months to share the learnings with the world.
FC Delco Players Cup
FC Delco, Andrew’s last soccer club, hosts over 800 teams for an annual Memorial Day weekend tournament called the FC Delco Players Cup. Ever since 2008, the Club has honored Andrew by putting his name on the U-14 Cup in the Championship (highest) division. Teams come from all over the US and Canada to Pennsylvania for this tournament. It was my honor to present the Andrew McDonough Cup today to the Penn Fusion team. Equally important, I got a chance to give a short talk to the boys – and especially the parents – about keeping life and sports in perspective. I was blown away when one of the Moms came up to me after my talk to thank us for the financial support that we provided them a few years ago when her older child was diagnosed with cancer. I was very touched.