Summit for Stem Cell Foundation

Summit for Stem Cell Foundation’s mission is to support, educate and raise awareness about the development of today’s and tomorrow’s evidence-based regenerative medical therapies focused on Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. It is our goal to empower patients and their caregivers with the information to elevate their understanding in order to manage their healthcare.

We have a vision of a future with regenerative medicine integrated into mainstream healthcare for persons with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions.

Summit for Stem Cell Foundation (Summit) is a 501(c)(3) volunteer organization that is dedicated to raising funds to support evidence-based regenerative medicine for the benefit of persons with PD and other neurological conditions through these three main objectives:

SUPPORT

· Summit supports and provides funds for:

· Innovative evidence-based research

· Fellowships & Internships

· Patients in need

· Patient Advocacy

EDUCATION

· Summit provides information about evidence-based regenerative medicine for PD and neurodegenerative conditions through:

· Educational Presentations

· Conferences, Seminars & Events

· Educational Programs

RAISE AWARENESS

· Summit is dedicated to elevating public and professional awareness about:

· Evidence-based regenerative medical research

· Provide “progress reports” on the autologous dopamine neuron replacement therapy that Summit helped launch and its preparation for applying for FDA-approved clinical trials.

OUR HISTORY

· By the time of a PD diagnosis, over 50% of the neurons that make dopamine have already been lost. Earlier detection is not currently possible and no therapy exists to stop further loss of dopamine-producing neurons one a diagnosis has been made.

Summit was founded in 2011 because of a desire from a group of Parkinson’s patients to fund a stem cell-based therapy. Summit started as a small group of friends raising funds for a cause they believed in and has since grown into a large organization with supporters all over the world. Summit became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2015 with a dedicated board of diverse professionals. The organization funded and supported the work in Dr. Jeanne Loring’s lab at the Scripps Research Institute and eventually opened the Summit for Stem Cell Lab to better support the development of an autologous neuron replacement program.

Late 2018, Summit's primary objective was realized. That objective was to enable Dr. Loring's and Dr. Bratt-Leal's autologous dopamine neuron replacement therapy for Parkinson's disease​ research project to move from bench to bedside as effectively and as quickly as possible. Summit successfully supported and promoted this brilliant body of science resulting in the founding of a for-profit biotechnology company in late 2018. The iPSC-based therapy has been transferred to the for-profit biotechnology company, Aspen Neuroscience, Inc. and is now on an accelerated path to FDA-approval to begin clinical trials. Although Summit no longer directly supports the scientific development of the therapy, Summit continues to:

· Monitor the progress of the iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cell)-based therapy.

· Provide informational updates.

· Maintains a collaborative relationship with Aspen Neuroscience.

In 2019, Summit entered Chapter 2. A new board has been formed, once again, with dedicated and diverse professionals. Summit’s new mission is to support, educate and raise awareness about the development of today’s and tomorrow’s evidence-based regenerative medical therapies focused on Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. It is our goal to empower patients and physicians with information to elevate their understanding in order to manage their care.

· Drs. Loring and Bratt-Leal volunteer as scientific advisors for Summit.

· Fund and support iPSC and evidence-based research benefitting PD patients

Your donations are used to support our efforts for the benefit of Parkinson’s patients, their loved ones, and their caregivers in ways such as:

· Provide relevant information.

· Regenerative medicine.

· Early detection and prevention. Such as:

o Study at the University of Cardiff, UK. (Completed in May, 2019.)

o Fellowships and Internships. (Ongoing.)

· Outreach: 7-10 million worldwide have PD. We feel they deserveto know about the iPSC-based therapy as it approaches clinical trials.

o Educational Presentations.

· Microgravity research to study 3D cellular model of neuroinflammation affects in PD and MS, (www.StemCellsInSpace.org .)

· Provide assistance and support for those wishing to receive the autologous dopamine neuron replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease when it becomes available.

We invite you to join and support our efforts towards a Victory Over Parkinson’s with a future where regenerative medicine is a reality in mainstream healthcare for the millions suffering from Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative disorders. ​ Please donate today.

We thank you,

The Board of Directors

Summit for Stem Cell Foundation

www.SummitforStemCell.org