CureDuchenne Founder Debra Miller to Present at Life Science Nation Redefining Early Stage Investments Conference in San Francisco on January 13

Newport Beach, Calif., January 7, 2015 – CureDuchenne, a national nonprofit that raises awareness and funds research to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, announced today that its founder and CEO Debra Miller will present at the Life Science Nation Redefining Early Stage Investments conference on January 13 in San Francisco. Miller is part of a panel on Orphan & Rare Disease Investors and she will speak about venture philanthropy and the important role nonprofits play in funding medical research for rare diseases.  

Miller founded CureDuchenne when her son was diagnosed with Duchenne, a progressive muscle-wasting disease that impacts approximately 1 in 3,500 boys. Boys with Duchenne are usually diagnosed by age 5, in a wheelchair by 12 and most don’t survive their mid-20s. Miller runs CureDuchenne based on a venture philanthropy model.

“We created a nonprofit business model that would allow us to help accelerate drug development for the treatment of Duchenne,” said Miller. “Rare diseases like Duchenne are underfunded so we invest in biotech companies and research projects to help move the research and development forward. We also bring scientific expertise and knowledge of the Duchenne patient community. It is a great collaborative partnership between industry and nonprofit.”

CureDuchenne has funded seven research projects that have advanced to human clinical trials. CureDuchenne has leveraged $100 million in pharma and biotech research and development investments. Now three of the projects CureDuchenne funded, Prosensa Holding N.V., Sarepta Therapeutics and PTC Therapeutics, are the closest to becoming the first drugs to be approved for the treatment of the disorder.

Miller also founded CureDuchenne Ventures LLC to attract investors and further accelerate drug development for Duchenne. CureDuchenne Ventures had a recent successful exit when BioMarin announced their acquisition of Prosensa. CureDuchenne then reinvests profits back into research to find a cure for Duchenne. 

For more information on CureDuchenne go to www.cureduchenne.org or call 949-872-2552. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About CureDuchenne
CureDuchenne is a national nonprofit organization located in Newport Beach, Calif., dedicated to finding a cure for Duchenne, the most common and most lethal form of muscular dystrophy. As the leading genetic killer of young boys, Duchenne affects more than 300,000 boys worldwide. CureDuchenne has garnered international attention for its efforts to raise funds and awareness for Duchenne. With the help of CureDuchenne’s distinguished international panel of Scientific Advisors, funds raised by CureDuchenne support the most promising research aimed at treating and curing Duchenne. To date, seven CureDuchenne research projects have made their way into human clinical trials – a unique accomplishment as few health-related nonprofits have been successful in being a catalyst for human clinical trials.

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