Bill Gates to 'solve world's greatest health challenges'

[Norm]

Bill Gates to 'solve world's greatest health challenges'

Bill Gates has announced a $200 million grant to help identify and solve the "grand challenges in global health."

Under the programme announced at the annual World Economic Forum, a panel of top scientists will draft a list of critical problems whose solution could lead to important advances for the developing world.

It could include new ways to combat AIDS or ways to prevent mosquitos from transmitting malaria.

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health in Washington then will award grants of up to $20 million to investigate them.

US Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, said the fight against HIV infection and AIDS is "bigger than the war on terror."

The money comes from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has focused on promoting health care in poor countries.

He said he was "super-excited" by the team working on the initiative, which he said he would monitor "with great interest" but not personally participate in.


Story filed: 17:01 Sunday 26th January 2003

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_743881.html?menu=news.scienceanddiscovery

[cindyg]

Didn't I just hear Dr. Young throw out the random figure that 10 million would probably help us somewhat? HOW oh HOW can we make our weak little voices heard when the 200 million is divided?? And how long will that take?

Did I read that right? 200 million??? What percentage is 10 of 200?

[Curt Leatherbee]

Not even worth asking, they will not consider it.

"Life is about how you
respond to not only the
challenges you're dealt but
the challenges you seek...If
you have no goals, no
mountains to climb, your
soul dies".~Liz Fordred

[cindyg]

But WHYYYYYYYYYYY NOT???????

[DA]

bill gates have made it clear...paralysis is not important enough. our cut is zero percent.

[cindyg]

Ok, how about if he just threw a little in the direction of neurological studies? Hey anyway, didn't it say a panel would be deciding the directions?

[Curt Leatherbee]

Like Chris Reeve so brilliantly pointed out the other day is that to most folks "SCI is not important until it effects someone directly to that person" Say Bill Gates son fell off his bicycle and broke his neck and became a quad, you better believe all kinds of private money would be flowing into research. Same thing with Bush, say one of his daughters got drunk and took her car into a telephone pole and became SCI, you better beleive there would be all kinds of government funded Stem Cell research, it would be a whole different ball game, we would more than likely have the cure in a few years.

The way I see it now the way things are, our main hope is other countries, thats one reason Reeve went to Australia, even a country that has far less resources, there is still much more hope for Stem Cell research there than in the USA.

"Life is about how you
respond to not only the
challenges you're dealt but
the challenges you seek...If
you have no goals, no
mountains to climb, your
soul dies".~Liz Fordred

[cindyg]

It could be arranged... Ha ha, just kidding. But to flat ignore us, would be to flat ignore ALL neurological problems. Ours will come. It has to. The world of neurobiology is too big to be ignored.

It will happen; He will share.

[CarThief]

I thought there was talk of a vaccine for HIV on the horizon, and that developing that vaccine is not as complex of a task as overcoming the hurdles involved in getting the CNS to regenerate.

[fiona shepherd]

Hello,

Is it possible that a letter can be sent to the panel regarding sci and how many people are affected by it world wide. We could list the benefits, both socially and economically, if the problem could be cured.

The problem with sci is that it is an orphan. It doesn't affect as many people as, say for example, aids and cancer. If people don't know about it they will never fund its cure.

We could get a letter from each major sci trust/foundation/charity - from all over the world and send that.

I'm in Australia and can organise a letter from the Australasian Spinal Research Trust (ASRT).

According to the CR conference a cure could be found in one year if there was enough dollars to fund the research.

It is now known that SCI CAN be cured. It really isn't fair enough for this to be true and for us still to besitting in our chairs.

C'mon guys lets looby this.

Hmmm......how do we get in touch with the decision makers. Any idea's...anyone???

[Bareback Jack]

The best thing we can do is support what Christopher Reeve's organization has started and help fund research in Australia. CR is providing much awareness and we need to be behind this organization 100 % and help fund research in Australia. Let's see, there is approx: 500,000 already sci in the US, and we are getting back $1,100 more in tax relief, what does that compute out to ? A cure for SCI ?
Our only choice is to help our owm cause and forget about help from Bill Gates or the government here, after last night, we know where we stand, or don't stand.

[Rebechi_Brazil]

We are really unknown, we needed to do A LOT OF NOISE for them to LOOK for us...

I don't understand as the most powerful country of the planet it didn't still decide to cure your deficient ones... for where is it going so much money that rotates thereabout??? will it be that anybody gives some could say thing to I respect??

Rebechi_Brasil

[Sue Pendleton]

Cindy, 5% of $200 million is $10 million. What Gates money is going to is very basic health care. The article I read spoke of clean water, basic classes on health and doing everything possible to stop the deaths of children under 5 especially from diahrrea. These are things we really do take for granted but cost many devleoping nations their entire health budgets and they still can't stop some very easily stopped diseases and conditions like blindness due to vitamin A deficinecy.

Now that doesn't mean I think we should step to the back of the line. No way! You know me Cindy. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif But CareCure now has 3200 members and if each were to raise $1,000 this year that equals $3.2 million. How? Take a peek at:

http://www.myelitis.org/

and check out Reading For Rachael, Events and Newsletters. The TM has kids who raise $6,000 just having hopping contests (Hopathons) at schools. Now if a kid can raise $6K why can't we? And giving to the TMA will also help SCI. TM destroys myelin sheathing causing non-traumatic SCIs. So give to CR, give to Dr Young's SCI Project, give to those wonderful researchers at the U of U at SLC or send it to me and I'll send it to someone. Ok, bad idea the last. I'd spend it on a cruise...

But once again people, have you checked out Igive for your internet shopping? Go to the following link, register and shop within 45 days at any store on the mall and the SCIProject gets cash for your just shopping plus more from each merchant. And they aren't all expensive stores. You can shop at JCPenny, Lands End and other places having great winter sales right now. And Valentines is right around the corner so like...check out places like AAA Gift Baskets. Nice stuff for the healthy person on your list and better than chocolates and cheaper than certain flower and pear pushers, ya know?

So my personal challenge to everyone on CareCure is to pull your weight and send a copy of that THOUSAND DOLLAR CHECK to me by December 15th and you will get a free drink on me at the cure party. Common folks arrange a bake sale at the local hospital or how about near your polling place this Fall?

http://www.iGive.com/html/refer.cfm?memberid=24101&causeid=3313

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[Wise Young]

CindyG,

It was not $10 million. It was $10 billion.

Let me try to recap the comments that I made in the "Hypothetical". Adam Spencer, the moderator, started with me and asked me what my definition of a cure was, whether I thought it was achievable, and what it would take.

I said that my definition of a cure was that if I met somebody that I could not tell had spinal cord injury, I would consider that a cure. I said that a vast majority of neuroscientists believe that it is not a matter of if a cure will happen but when it would happen. Of course, how fast something occurs is a matter of funding and effort devoted to the task. When he asked me how much, I said $10 billion. I think that a bunch of people in the audience gasped at the number. Note that this was after Premier Bob Carr had announced that they will be devoting 10 speed radar cameras in New South Wales to for spinal cord injury research (about $7 million Australian over the next three years).

Later in the discussion, somebody mentioned that there was not enough money even if there were the political will to do spend that kind of money to cure spinal cord injury rapidly. I pointed out that $10 billion really is not that much money. After all, America will probably spend over $300 billion to disarm Saddam. The care costs of spinal cord injury in the United States alone is over $10 billion per year. Of course President Bush just announced that we will be spending $10 billion for AIDS in Africa. The world, even the United States, has that kind of money. The problem is that they either do not believe that it is possible or they don't want to do it. Clearly, our government has placed many other priorities ahead of curing spinal cord injury and neurological diseases in general.

I think that we are aiming to low. Many millions of people in the world have paralysis and would benefit from regenerative and remyelinative therapies, and stem cell therapies. In the 1980's, when the AIDS community began lobbying for more research funding, the number of people with AIDS was said to be in the tens of thousands. At that time, AIDS was considered by many to be God's punishment of certain segments of the population for their lifestyle. Despite such odds, the AIDS community successfully convinced the U.S. government to spend over $2 billion per year on research by the 1990's. They got the industry to invest more than that. Finally, they galvanized the world community to spend even more on AIDS research and prevention. By the mid-1990's, over $10 billion was being spent on research per year to cure AIDS.

No, $10 billion is not too much. Of course, we should not expect $10 billion this year. Even the AIDS community took 4-5 years to reach this level of funding. We need to press hard for significant funding and at the same time try to make what funding we do have go as far as is humanly possible.

Wise.

[This message was edited by Wise Young on 01-30-03 at 00:32.]

[cindyg]

Oh my gooooooosh, I sure didn't listen well, did I? Wow, I'm sorry. I even watched and listened to you TWICE, Dr. Young. You're a terrific person, by the way, and way more loved and appreciated than you can imagine.

Thank you Dr. Young.

CindyG

[fiona shepherd]

Sue,

I agree. The SCI network needs to be a little more proactive. We know that a cure is on our horizons and we definately know that money (or lack of) is preventing us from reaching the cure.

All of us wheelies and associates need to pull together and raise some funds. A cake stall is a great way. I organised one late last year and for little effort we made $350.00's.

While I'm on the topic of fund raising.....can anybody get their hands on a celebrity shirt (and signature)for a fundraiser that the Australasian Spinal Research Trust is holding later this year. If you are able to help please send an email to me at fshepherd.asrt@cnswa.com.au

If you would like to view the items on auction and place a bid please go the the asrt web site.

[Chris Chappell]

Bill Gates would be nice but personally I'd rather have Dean Kamen. He'd have us out of these chairs in three-five years no doubt.

[Wise Young]

I have been thinking about this $10 billion goal and what would make it happen.

• Scientists. Scientists shouldn't be waiting for somebody to support their research. We must work harder. Our science must be good enough to compete for funding, the ideas must be good enough to persuade other scientists, and reviewers must be convinced that the investment is worthy. The NIH has over $30 billion and we should be able to get

[This message was edited by Wise Young on 02-08-03 at 03:51.]

[Bareback Jack]

You are absolutely right Wise. If the funds are there thru the NIH, then I believe it is the responsibility of the scientists to show the NIH the funds are needed and will lead to a cure or therapy for spinal cord injury and related neurological findings. I have wondered how you came up with the 10 billion per year figure, and obviously you have done your homework. For any successful business, there has to be a good business plan and I hope you have the organizational skills needed (or some other entity to perform the task) to outline the plan of action in applying for the necessary NIH grants. Thanks for having the intestinal fortitute to stand up with the statement you made in your previous post.

[Chris Chappell]

Dr. Young.

Whatever assistance I can provide in helping you compete for grant $$ please let me know.

[giambjj]

Includes $1 billion indowment to fund undergradute and graduate education for persons persuing degrees in Health Care. Undoubtedly, some of these students will persue careers in treating SCI persons.

Cheers;

JJG