KENUP

On Friday, 18 September 2020, YUVEDO Foundation and kENUP Foundation held a high-level online conference to kick-start an open public call for projects tackling the growing threat of Parkinson’s (PD) and other neurodegenerative diseases (NDD). Despite the predictable medical, social and economic challenges of NDDs, too little has happened in recent years to address the underlying causes of NDDs.

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An expert report by Professor Maier-Rigaud of NERA Economic Consulting presented at the conference, showed that there are indications for market and regulatory failure around the development of interventions against PD and other NDDs: High risk in product development is associated with massive cost but little potential profit. This has meant that many pharmaceutical companies have stopped their R&D investment in drugs or biologicals for the prevention and treatment of NDDs.

‘Project Brainstorm aims at developing a financing mechanism setting the right incentives to eliminate underlying market failures’ says Jörg Karenfort, Co-Founder of YUVEDO Foundation and partner at DENTONS.

‘Project Brainstorm developed by patients with broad support from leading researchers constitutes a timely response to the potential market failures underlying the development of interventions against neurodegenerative diseases. I support the need for further empirical research into these issues, ideally combined with a blueprint project such as the innovative Brainstorm Fund project’ said Katarina Barley, Vice-President of the European Parliament.

Holm Keller, Executive Chairman of kENUP Foundation said: ‘Brainstorm aims at reviving the fight against NDDs by initiating a new innovative financing mechanism providing venture loans at preferential terms to incorporated, scientifically promising projects not yet pursued by the pharmaceutical industry. This will help extend the deal-flow in the domain of NDDs.’

‘In order to jumpstart and accelerate the fight against diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s I call on everyone to contribute to Project Brainstorm. YUVEDO Foundation is addressing an important public health issue that needs to be solved sooner than later’, added Elmar Brok, former Member and Committee Chair of the European Parliament.

Brainstorm is currently scouting relevant scientific and commercial communities for projects that develop interventions against neurodegenerative diseases and could contribute to the success of the portfolio. Companies interested in working with Brainstorm should contact Brainstorm at www.brainstormfund.org .

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