Mission: Cure

Yesterday, I spoke at the #RareDiseaseSummit about a topic that’s deeply personal to me, how patient-driven investment can accelerate drug development for rare diseases. When my brother was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis, he was told there was no treatment, no cure, and no real investment in finding one. That wasn’t good enough. So, in 2017, we launched Mission: Cure, and in 2019, we took a bold step: we created Mission Cure Capital, an impact investing initiative to fund promising pancreatitis therapies. Mission Cure Capital has raised and invested $1.3M across 6 projects, supporting early-stage biotech companies and academic research. We’ve learned a lot along the way, including that biotech investors take patient organizations seriously when we put skin in the game. Key takeaways from my session yesterday: ? Impact investing can bridge the “valley of death”—helping rare disease therapies reach proof of concept ? Biotech companies value patient organizations as investors—it signals credibility to others in the field ? Patient groups CAN drive investment and innovation in drug development—even small disease organizations. This is just the beginning. Rare disease organizations have a unique opportunity to reshape the future of treatment development, and I’m proud to be part of that conversation today.

Funding the Fight Patient Power in Driving Rare Disease Investment Chelsey Hathaway McCarthy Megan Golden Kari Luther Rosbeck Nasha Fitter Informa Connect #RareDiseaseSummit The DDX3X Foundation Mission: Cure TSC Alliance FOXG1 Research Foundation

Yesterday, our CEO, Megan Golden, spoke at the #RareDiseaseSummit, hosted by Access USA/Informa. This event brings together key stakeholders in the rare disease space to tackle challenges in patient access, commercialization, advocacy, and innovation. In her session, "Funding the Fight — Patient Power in Driving Rare Disease Investment," Megan highlighted how Mission Cure Capital works to bridge the ‘valley of death’ in biotech funding, helping promising pancreatitis therapies reach clinical trials. Megan was joined by Kari Luther Rosbeck (TSC Alliance) and Nasha Fitter (FOXG1 Research Foundation) as fellow panelists, with Chelsey Hathaway McCarthy (The DDX3X Foundation) moderating an insightful discussion. A huge thank you to our fellow panelists and everyone who attended! Collaboration between patient organizations, biotech, and investors is essential to driving real progress in rare disease development. #RareDisease #ImpactInvesting #PatientAdvocacy

A huge thank you to the Triveni Bio team for their incredible support of Mission: Cure! In honor of Rare Disease Day, Triveni Bio hosted an employee fundraiser benefiting Mission: Cure, raising an unbelievable $14,655! Not only did proceeds from their auction support our organization but many team members and community members contributed personally as well. We are grateful to partner with such a dedicated team that believes in our mission. Together, we are making strides toward a cure!

This Friday, February 28, 2025, marks the 18th annual #RareDiseaseDay We're proud to join the global movement uniting patients, researchers, and advocates across more than 100 countries. Today, we raise awareness and drive progress for the 300 million people living with a rare disease. One of those diseases is chronic pancreatitis, a painful, progressive disease that affects more than one million people worldwide. Despite its severity, it remains overlooked and underfunded. Patients often endure debilitating pain that disrupts daily life, along with severe digestive complications, malnutrition, and diabetes. With no approved treatments available, they are left with few options for relief. This Rare Disease Day, join us in the fight for better treatments and a cure! Your support helps fund critical research, patient programs, and advocacy efforts. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference. ?? Donate today and be part of the change: tr.ee/rare-disease-day-25

Honored to be featured on Cornell Engineering’s podcast. Please listen to learn about my journey as a Biomedical Engineer and my role as Research Portfolio Manager at Mission: Cure.

Thank you to our community member Brian Kennedy for shouting out Mission: Cure in his podcast on his rare disease experience. And thank you to his employer Elsevier for supporting Mission: Cure through a datathon, volunteer efforts, and gala sponsorship over the years!

At the 2024 American Pancreatic Association meeting, Mission: Cure CEO Megan Golden met with Honit Piplani of Greenstone Biosciences, a company at the forefront of developing treatments for acute and chronic pancreatitis. Excited to see what the future holds! #APA24 #Pancreatitis

Our son, Atlas's story was recently featured, and it is such an honor to share his journey in the hope of inspiring others. With #GivingTuesday coming up, it’s a reminder of how important community and support are in all of our journeys, but especially for those fighting rare diseases. Every illness that has ever been cured was cured because there were people who stepped up to provide resources, commitment, and hope to building a better future. ?? https://lnkd.in/gKzHYnvc Please consider Mission: Cure this Giving Tuesday - https://lnkd.in/gHu7DrAG

Meet Atlas, a courageous 9-year-old battling chronic pancreatitis. For over 5 years, he's faced debilitating pain that keeps him from being just a kid. This #GivingTuesday, join Mission: Cure in transforming lives. We're: - Partnering with 3 biotech partners to advance groundbreaking treatments? - Shaping patient-centered clinical trials in 2025 - Supporting 10,600+ pancreatitis warriors with vital resources - Leading critical FDA advocacy for patient needs - Providing life-changing education programs for families "Awareness without action is empty." - Crystal, Atlas's mom Your donation provides hope for Atlas and over 1 million others living with pancreatitis. ?? Make your impact today. (?? link in comments)