2015 Annual Report

 

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR CEO

 

Dear Friends,

 

The last year has been an exciting one for the researchers and staff at the John Paul II Medical Research Institute. We are at a point where scientific discoveries being made by researchers will in the coming years play a very significant role in altering the manner in which many diseases are treated. We are confident that in many cases, the diseases being researched may even be completely cured. Through our Institute's own efforts, exclusively utilizing adult stem cells and Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells, we hope to make discoveries that will meaningfully improve the quality of life for many who are currently suffering from, or will unfortunately be diagnosed with, various debilitating diseases. While the John Paul II Medical Research Institute has already taken significant steps on this promising path, there is much work left to be done for which we need your continued support. In this Annual Report, I hope to share with you what the Institute has accomplished to date, how we have used or plan to use the valuable funds that we have been entrusted with so far, and our plans for the future. Please join me to learn what makes John Paul II Medical Research Institute unique and a world leader in developing adult stem cell therapies.

 

While there are over 300 nationally known medical research organizations, the John Paul II Medical Research Institute is one of only a select few organizations that upholds pro-life values when carrying out all of our research objectives. We do NOT use or support embryonic stem cell use in research. The Institute uses adult stem cells and IPS cells to advance research in 4 core areas that impact many lives, these include: 1) Cancer; 2) Neurodegenerative Diseases (ALS, Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s etc.); 3) Rare Diseases; and 4) Adult Stem Cell Therapies (Pulmonary Disease, Diabetes, Ocular Problems etc.). The progress that our Institute has already made in advancing research in these core areas is highlighted below in this Report. While we continue to refine and expand our platform technologies in the laboratory setting, we are also working diligently on applying our discoveries into a clinical setting. In order to accomplish this transition, the FDA requires that all operations be conducted in a "clean room" environment. As many of you may know, this is an expensive proposition for which we need your financial support. The Institute is currently in the midst of a One Million Dollar Capital Campaign in order to raise the necessary funds to purchase and operate a modular clean room. The sooner we can secure the funding to purchase this required equipment, the sooner our Institute can begin setting up clinical trials that will lead to better treatments and cures. While larger financial gifts will help us reach this milestone sooner, it is important to remember that every dollar adds up and plays a critical role to a healthier tomorrow.

 

At John Paul II Medical Research Institute, we are very diligent about how we spend each and every dollar that we receive. While many medical research institutes in the nation receive millions of dollars each year, it has been widely publicized that most only spend anywhere from 15 to 25 percent of their annual budgets towards actual research efforts, with the rest going towards administrative expenses and marketing. At the John Paul II Medical Research Institute, we strive to apply the majority of every dollar received directly towards research. We have included pie charts below in this Report that summarize how our funds were allocated during fiscal year 2014. You will note that the Institute applied almost 65% of our general funds towards medical research last year. As an Institute, we strongly believe that when you donate your hard earned dollars to us that you rightfully assume that those funds are going to be applied in large part to advance research efforts to discover new therapies and cures. Before you donate to any research organization, ours included, we ask that you take a minute to look into that organization to see if it aligns with your moral and social values and to learn how they spend your donation to meet their mission objectives.

 

Many of you first became aware of the John Paul II Medical Research Institute last summer as a result of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. When individuals discovered that the national ALS Association was conducting research using an embryonic stem cell line, they sought an alternate organization to support which did not use embryonic stem cells. As a result of your independent social media efforts and word of mouth, our Institute was fortunate to receive funding from all 50 states and 38 countries through the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. While some of you donated to help with our general research efforts or for other specific diseases dear to you, many of you also donated specifically to advance our ALS research program. You will be happy to learn that we applied 90 percent of every dollar that was earmarked for ALS directly towards our research program. Thanks to your support, our researchers have already been able to create IPS cells from patients suffering from ALS and also discovered how to convert these IPS cells into the motor neurons that are lost or affected by ALS. This is a very complicated research process and a critical step in being able to understand and better treat ALS. With your continued support through annual Ice Bucket Challenges, we hope to advance our ALS research efforts and begin clinical trials to improve current therapies.

 

It is important to understand that the technologies that we have developed and the platforms that we continue to build will have broad application to address various diseases in the four core research areas we have identified. What that means in simple terms is that when you donate to help research efforts for a particular disease, the advances we make in researching that particular disease will have broad beneficial implications to treat other similar diseases in each of the core groups mentioned. To help us grow and meet our milestones, we need your help in spreading the word through your network of family and friends and we need your continued financial support. I would like to personally thank each and every one of you who has generously donated to our cause. You, our loyal donors, are the reason why John Paul II Medical Research Institute exists and works tirelessly to bring hope to those who desperately need better treatments and cures. Please join us on our path to create a healthier tomorrow.

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Kind regards,