Science philanthropy has played a significant role in the biomedical research being carried out throughout the world, funding up to 30% of the studies at many academic institutions. In order to be able to compete and seize opportunities that could contribute to our health and our knowledge of the causes of varied human diseases at the molecular level, researchers need the generous financial support of private donors.
My research is focused on the biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology of mast cells (MCs) and other effector cells that participate in blood coagulation, inflammation, connective tissue remodeling, acquired immunity, and innate immunity. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is just one of the many MC-dependent diseases that we have focused our attention on. COPD is presently the third leading cause of death in the world. Considering the enormous financial burden of the COPD problem to health care systems world wide ($2.1 trillion in 2010 alone; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_obstructive_pulmonary_disease), our COPD research has an enormous benefit to humanity. Nevertheless, Universities and government funding agencies continue to restrict their budgets and the number of research projects that they funds. Your generosity and personal interest in our work is needed now, more than ever.
The capacity with which donors can give to a project that’s backed-up by scientific review will allow crowd funded research to gain the public’s interest and support. Social media and technology also have made it possible for donors to better grasp science and help fund a specific research project that’s of personal importance to them.
As acknowledged in our publications, we are grateful for the financial support of the National Institutes of Health (USA), the National Medical Research Council (Australia), numerous Foundations (e.g., Arthritis Foundation, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, Harvard Club of Australia Foundation, and American Heart Association to name but a few), and even to individual donors. We welcome the tax-deductible financial support from those who desire meaningful progress in prominent inflammatory diseases (e.g.., allergy, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and COPD) without most of their donated funds going into inaccessible University and/or Hospital endowments.
The generosity of donors has helped shape the way scientists are able to do important research, and we thank you for your interest in our work and for any donations you can contribute to help sustain our biomedical research on MC-dependent human diseases.
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