Playing catch-up

2012 MF Challenge grant recipient
Ann Mullally of Harvard in her lab

It's the beginning of March 2013 and judging from our last post date this space has been silent for too long. It has nothing to do with the level of activity going on in the world of research for PV, ET and MF, though. On the contrary, 2012 was a very busy year.  

In July we wrote the first checks for the MF Challenge, a joint grant program funded by MPN Research Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, whose aim is to help discover novel ideas of how to stop or reverse fibrosis. At the sime time we continued to fund our 6 New Investigator and Established Investigator grants. 

September brought us Blood Cancer Awareness Month, and a series of posts including how the Foundation is forging partnerships with the new MPN groups popping up. 

Northwestern's Dr. Brady Stein at the
Chicago MPN Patient Symposium

September was also our Chicago Patient Symposium. We videotaped the proceedings, which allowed patients and doctors to get together and learn. November had us checking for new MPN videos. In December our Scientific Advisory distilled the highlights from ASH's annual meeting as they pertained to the MPNs.

Judging by the first quarter of 2013, it will be another banner year in which we put MPN research at the forefront of our mission and direct funds in the manner that will best serve patients. For us this means the funding of a second installment of the MF Challenge grant program, continuing to publish our free patient newsletter, and finding a way to work with industry  to direct funds and attention to the MPNs. 

Soon we'll have progress to report on our MF Challenge, New Investigator and Established Investigator grants. We're excited to learn how their insights could impact MPN patients everywhere and to see what else this year brings. We can't wait to share with you all, a bit more frequently going forward.