Research Gifts

Help AA&MDSIF Find Better Treatments and a Cure!

Spring 2013 Research Campaign - Help Us Raise $120,000 by May 31st to Fund Promising Research

Every $60,000 given could fund a new research grant to be awarded in June.

Matching Challenge in Effect - Every Gift of $1000 will be doubled, up to $60,000 in total support.  Every Gift Counts!

AA&MDSIF is considering 26 aplastic anemia, MDS and PNH research projects for funding this spring. The number of grants we are able to award to the most promising projects depends on your support today.  More funding is needed today for all the research that our Medical Advisory Board finds outstanding. So, we are asking you, our patients, families, and friends to join together in giving to fund research toward better treatments and a cure today.  Please give generously.

---

The importance of funding research

Survival rates today are vastly increased from where they were in 1983 when AA&MDSIF was founded.  For aplastic anemia, the survival rates have increased from 75% - 95% and from 26% - 50% for MDS patients. But still today, too many people lose their battle with aplastic anemia, MDS or PNH. 

We need to get patients treated earlier and find better treatments until there is a cure.  More than 50 people a day, about 18,000 per year, are diagnosed with a bone marrow failure disease in the U.S. alone. Thanks to advances in research that have led to better treatments, there are tens of thousands more people living with aplastic anemia, MDS and PNH. These diseases do not discriminate – they can strike any person of age, gender, or race.  Today, there is no perfect cure.

It is critical for medical research to continue to improve treatments, including drug and transplantation and to search for a cure. While there are some treatments for these diseases, there is no guarantee that they'll work for each and every patient.

See how AA&MDSIF is supporting research through research grant awards established by patients, families and friends who are giving and/or raising significant contributions to ensure the funding of bone marrow failure diseases research. 

Ways to Contribute:

• Establish a Named Fund* for New and Established Researcher Awards ($60,000 minimum; can be donated/raised over 3 years).  See what our researchers have accomplished through these grants.
  
  Both researchers with established track records and younger scientists working with principal investigators are eligible for support of their research in bone marrow disease.  Research projects are selected for funding through a competitive process each year; selections are made by AA&MDSIF's Medical Advisory Board of the leading experts in bone marrow failure diseases.
  
  Funding of $60,000 is provided to selected researchers for a two-year period. These funds are donated and raised by patients themselves, as well as family members and friends who use their gifts to honor and remember loved ones.  Donors may sponsor one or both years and may take up to 3 years to raise/contribute toward the minimum.
  
  This is a particularly meaningful and loving tribute to keep the memories of loved ones alive in the hearts of so many.  The establishment of a grant can spark community involvement in fundraising, and at the same time it can raise awareness and understanding of bone marrow diseases.

• Give to a "Research is Hope" Fund (minimum gift $5,000)
  Rather than waiting for a single family to accumulate $30,000 - $60,000 in a fund, this fund combines the gifts of several individuals or families to create a research grant.  Gifts of $5,000+ are welcome to AA&MDSIF's Research is Hope Fund.  Your gift(s) to this fund are combined with similar gifts from other donors; once the fund reaches $60,000, a research grant award will be given using the funds.  You can direct your gift to the area of most importance to you: aplastic anemia, MDS, PNH or general bone marrow failure disease research.  Research is Hope donors will receive annual updates on research funded through their support. Contact Sandra Walter at (301) 279-7202 x104 if you'd like further information.

• General Research Program Support
  All contributions are welcome, regardless of amount.  Contributions less than $5,000 designated for research will be combined to support and fund a variety of projects within the AA&MDSIF research program. 

*Named funds can also be designated toward AA&MDSIF patient education, advocacy, awareness or general projects, depending on your interests.

To learn more, contact our Development Director, Sandra Walter at (301) 279-7202 x104 or walter@aamds.org.

Donate Now

• Donate now online.
• Donate by check to AA&MDSIF, 100 Park Avenue, Suite 108, Rockville, MD 20850. 
  When making your gift, please specify RESEARCH and provide additional information as appropriate.