2007 Annual Report - Foundation for the National Institutes of Health

MAY 2008
Dear Friends:
2007 was especially gratifying for the Foundation for NIH, as some of the largest and
most complex programs we’ve ever undertaken have begun to bear fruit. As the congressionally
chartered non-profit organization that supports the life-saving research
mission of the National Institutes of Health, our promise has been not only to create
public-private partnerships that advance scientific discovery, but to do so efficiently
and effectively.
In a little over a year, The Biomarkers Consortium, a ground-breaking partnership
focused on developing new biomarkers, involved over 75 organizations across
the public, private, academic, and non-profit sectors. Currently, it has two projects
underway and several more in development. The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging
Initiative, another ambitious program, was able to expand its scope significantly,
thanks to additional support secured by the foundation.
Data are emerging from two other major programs: within 18 months of its establishment,
the Genetic Association Information Network (GAIN) completed six major
genotyping studies, depositing the results for use by genetic researchers in a National
Library of Medicine database; while the Osteoarthritis Initiative began posting data
and images on its secure web site. These steps help fulfill the foundation’s commitment
to making data available to the broadest research audience possible, spurring further
work to speed our understanding of disease and the therapies to prevent or treat it.
Hundreds of researchers from dozens of countries are already using these data.
In 2007, the foundation also expanded its unique ability to convene disparate stakeholders
to address significant common goals. It initiated important summits focused
on breast cancer, age-related brain changes, and global emergency preparedness. As
a non-commercial organization whose sole agenda is advancing human health and
which is uniquely authorized by Congress to support NIH, the foundation is often
the only entity that can make such collaboration possible.
Finally, the foundation is proud of its role in supporting programs whose innovative
methods, tools, and procedures are setting the standard in research and training, and
serving as a model for others to follow.
2007 saw the Foundation for NIH deliver abundant evidence of its commitment
and ability to create and manage public-private partnerships to advance human
health. By judiciously leveraging the expertise, resources, and funding of NIH and
many other individuals and institutions, we continue to earn the trust and confidence
of our partners, donors, and the public as a whole.
Charles A. Sanders, M.D.
Chairman
Amy McGuire Porter
Executive Director