FasterCures to Further Accelerate Biomedical Innov

NEW YORK, March 14, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has awarded FasterCures , a center of the Milken Institute, a three-year, $3 million grant to support its quest to improve medical research systems and accelerate the pace at which patients gain access to life-saving treatments and therapies. Specifically, the funding will support two of FasterCures' key programs, Patients Count: The Science of Patient Input and Collaboration 2.0 . "Our efforts at Helmsley always seek to enhance the voice of the patient, and we believe that collaboration is the crucial key to yield great advances in the health field," said Stephanie Cuskley, CEO of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. "Patients Count and Collaboration 2.0 are both outstanding opportunities to bring patients and all stakeholders together to accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into innovative therapies that will improve lives. We are so excited to continue expanding our partnership with FasterCures through these important initiatives." "Since our founding, our goal has been to save lives by speeding up and improving the medical research system by focusing on the patient," said Margaret Anderson, executive director of FasterCures . "We are honored that the Helmsley Charitable Trust chose to fund two of our pivotal programs." About Patients Count and Collaboration 2.0 Patients Count: The Science of Patient Input As a greater number of stakeholders realize the importance of patient input to drug development and regulatory decision-making, they increasingly seek approaches that integrate the patient perspective into their work. Through Patients Count, FasterCures aims to:

• Develop a training program to help funders better understand and navigate the regulatory aspects of the therapeutic development and approval processes;
• Create an educational tool to help patients access and understand their health data, and thus increase engagement; and
• Craft model legal provisions and principles to help reduce contractual, ethical, and regulatory challenges to foundation-industry partnerships.

Collaboration 2.0 The drug development process involves an ecosystem of diverse stakeholders, each with unique goals, viewpoints, and approaches. FasterCures' Collaboration 2.0 program bridges these various parts of the ecosystem and supports cross-sector collaboration by:

• Expanding the "Consortia-pedia Catalogue," an online database of more than 400 R &D consortia, which encourages sharing of effective practices to bring partners together toward a shared goal;
• Engaging with stakeholders to identify and promote solutions for sharing data and designing innovative clinical trials; and
• Hosting Partnering for Cures , a summit that provides a dynamic opportunity for the biomedical research community to build connections and exchange information.

About the Helmsley Charitable Trust The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting effective organizations in health, place-based initiatives, and education and human services. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $1.8 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes. For more information on Helmsley and its programs, visit www.helmsleytrust.org . About FasterCures FasterCures, a DC-based Center of the Milken Institute, is driven by a singular goal: to save lives by speeding up and improving the medical research system. It focuses on cutting through the roadblocks that slow medical progress by spurring cross-sector collaboration, cultivating a culture of innovation and engaging patients as partners. FasterCures works across sectors and diseases to accelerate the process by which great advances in science and technology are turned into meaningful medical solutions for patients. www.fastercures.org | @fastercures About the Milken Institute The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank determined to increase global prosperity by advancing collaborative solutions that widen access to capital, create jobs and improve health. It conducts data-driven research, convenes action-oriented meetings and promotes meaningful policy initiatives. www.milkeninstitute.org | @milkeninstitute

Karen Rogers Director, Strategic Outreach 202-336-8919 krogers@fastercures.org Laura Fahey Communications Officer 212-953-2814 lfahey@helmsleytrust.org