PKD Life - Spring 2022 - 20

Onward and Upward
The PKD Foundation's
Future Focus Campaign
hit the mark.
W
hen Andy Betts took the
helm as president and
CEO of the PKD Foundation
in 2016, his mandate
was to revitalize the Foundation's
commitment to research.
" I think at the time, there was a lot
of pessimism about what could be
achieved, " Betts says. In response, he
and his colleagues embarked on an
ambitious multipronged fundraising
program called the Future Focus
Campaign. It launched in July 2017.
The overarching goal of the campaign-the
largest in the Foundation's
40-year history-was to raise
$70 million over fi ve years. As of
December 2021, more than $70 million
had been raised, increasing the
Foundation's research commitment
by 300%.
President and CEO
Andy Betts presented
Bekki and Mike
Haggard with a
plaque in recognition
of their leadership
as Future Focus
Campaign Chairs.
JUMP-STARTING
RESEARCH EFFORTS
Since the campaign began, donations
have funded more than 60 researchers,
part of the 300% increase in
spending over the past four years.
To cover the campaign's operational
costs, the Foundation's most
generous supporters established the
Founders' Council. This ensured that
every future donated dollar would be
put toward research eff orts.
By Christina Frank
Furthermore, since the campaign
began, the majority of Foundation
grantees were able to secure federal
funding to continue their PKD research
after completing their PKD Foundation
grant award. Federal funding for PKD
research grew substantially with $181
million in federal funding awarded to
PKD researchers; the PKDF's research
endowment now consists of $20
million to sustain annual grant funding
for future generations of scientists
and investigators.
Future Focus also made it possible for
the Foundation to renew and expand its
partnership with the Polycystic Kidney
Disease Outcomes Consortium (PKDOC).
PKDOC is made up of pharmaceutical
industry researchers, federal drug
regulators, and other researchers who
meet monthly to discuss ways to create or
fi nd new drug development tools. These
tools, such as biomarkers, help get more
treatments to market and approved faster.
PKDOC led to the development of the total
kidney volume biomarker, which helped
gain Food and Drug Administration
approval for the fi rst treatment for ADPKD.
" I think a lot more pharmaceutical
fi rms are looking at the space than ever
before to consider how they can launch
more clinical trials and propel the pace
at which we can get to therapeutic treatments, "
Betts says.
20 PKD LIFE * SPRING 2022
PKD Life - Spring 2022

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