FasterCures Spotlights Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute's Innovative Research Programs

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21, 2012  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute's research portfolio is the featured innovator in FasterCures online platform for venture philanthropy in medical research. The innovator profile features a Q&A with Steven Young, president and COO of ALCMI, sister foundation of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (BJALCF).

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FasterCures, a nonprofit focused on accelerating the process of turning a scientific discovery into a viable therapy developed this resource to allow real-time sharing of innovative approaches to disease research. Called TRAIN (The Research Acceleration and Innovation Network) Central Station, it features best practices, leadership insights, tools and resources for the medical research foundation community.  ALCMI's innovator spotlight is the fifth of the series.

"ALCMI has made remarkable progress by applying innovative approaches to the conduct of research – from the shared infrastructure that links researchers to the way it effectively collects biological samples from patients. Approaches that are critical in bringing us closer to giving patients with lung cancer effective therapeutic options," said Margaret Anderson, executive director of FasterCures. "Amplifying lessons learned, sharing ideas as they happen, and facilitating an open exchange of strategies and approaches are the hallmarks of FasterCures' TRAIN program."

"To be recognized by FasterCures and TRAIN is an honor and a gift to all lung cancer patients," says Bonnie J. Addario, lung cancer survivor and founder of BJALCF and ALCMI.  "I am thrilled to be held accountable and to be on the same TRAIN team with collaborative giants like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Livestrong, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and others. Most important, I am happy that lung cancer research is at the TRAIN station and moving forward every day with an aggressive schedule to get the right therapies to the right patients at the right time. We're in a hurry."

Interview Excerpt:
Q: What prompted the creation of the institute?
A: In late 2007, the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation invited leading physicians, clinicians, scientists, researchers, representatives from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, venture capitalists, international investors, and lung cancer survivors to convene at a Summit. They were invited for one purpose—to answer the following question: "If money for research and development was not a barrier and a true collaboration could be achieved, what would you do to improve lung cancer patient survival in the least amount of time and how much would it cost?" The unanimous answer: "We need a national lung cancer institute—an honest third-party broker—with a virtual specimen repository, connecting existing biobanks and researchers worldwide through a unique real-time IT platform and better means of collaboration." In response, the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI, voiced as "Alchemy") was founded in 2008 by lung cancer survivor Bonnie J. Addario and supporters to positively impact on lung cancer patient survival.

ALCMI is a contractual consortium of academic and community-based researchers structured to directly advance the understanding of disease biology and accelerate the development of significantly more effective treatment options. ALCMI links researchers via shared infrastructures and prioritized research programs including standardized biorepositories, data systems, contracts, study protocols, and, as significantly, through ongoing collaboration discussions among the scientists.

To read the entire Q&A interview, visit http://www.fastercures.org/train/CCC/spot.html.

For more information, or to learn more about how you can participate in eradicating lung cancer in our lifetime, please visit www.alcmi.net and/or www.lungcancerfoundation.org. To arrange interviews with Bonnie J. Addario and/or Steven Young, contact Sheila Von Driska at 415.357.1278 or [email protected].

About the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
BJALCF is one of the largest philanthropies (patient-founded, patient-focused, patient-driven) devoted exclusively to eradicating lung cancer through research, early detection, education, and treatment. The Foundation works with a diverse group of physicians, organizations, industry partners, individuals, survivors, and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change. BJALCF was established in 2006 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and has raised over nine million dollars for lung cancer research.

About the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI)
ALCMI was established in 2008 as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization with the ultimate goal of significantly impacting survival by directly catalyzing and accelerating discovery of new and more effective treatment options for all lung cancer patients.  Presently, ALCMI has 13 academic and community medical centers in the United States and Europe closely collaborating on cutting edge research initiatives.

SOURCE Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute