- Prize4Life
Prize4Life is a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization that uses theinducement prize contest concept to accelerate research intoamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known asLou Gehrig's disease andmotor neurone disease , to find an effective treatment.Prize4Life was initially founded in June 2004 by three
Harvard Business School students and several volunteers when one of the three students, Avichai Kremer, was diagnosed with the disease at age 29. The organization set out to raiseUS$ 10 million to provide as rewards to researchers and scientists who remove the largest obstacles to the development of a cure for ALS. [cite web |url=http://www.collegejournal.com/mbacenter/newstrends/20060623-wessel.html |publisher=College Journal |date=2006-06-23 |accessdate=2007-10-22 |title=Using M.B.A. Drive To Speed an ALS Cure |last=Wessel |first=David] On 6 November, 2006 Prize4Life launched its first prize offering US$1 million for abiomarker for the disease. [web cite |url=http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/84/i47/8447biomarker.html |title=Big Biomarker Prize |publisher=Chemical and Engineering News |first=Ann |last=Thayer |accessdate=2007-10-22 |date=2006-11-15]In order to launch its first prize, Prize4Life partnered with
InnoCentive anopen innovation company that takes research and development problems in biology or chemistry, frames them as "challenge problems", and opens them up for anyone to solve them. It gives cash awards for the best solutions to scientists who meet the challenge criteria. [cite web |url=http://webreprints.djreprints.com/1657770067525.html |publisher=Wall Street Journal |title=Prizes for Solutions to Problems Play Valuable Role in Innovation |date=2007-01-25 |accessdate=2007-10-22]In May 2007, Prize4Life awarded US$75,000 to five scientists and researchers who are participating in the ALS biomarker challenge for having the best ideas for so far. [cite web |url=http://network.nature.com/boston/news/articles/2007/05/16/cure-a-disease-win-a-prize |publisher=Nature Network |title=Cure a disease, win a prize |date=2007-05-16 |first=Dena |last=Desai Gopal |accessdate=2007-10-22] These scientists and many others throughout the world are competing in the US$1 million biomarker challenge that ends on November 6, 2008.
References
External links
* [http://www.Prize4Life.org Official website]
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