Pathway to Cures (P2C) held its inaugural fund meeting on Saturday, October 28th in Chicago, Illinois. Pathway to Cures, an affiliate of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF), is a venture philanthropy fund focused on investing in early-stage companies developing cures, therapies, or enabling technologies in support of the inheritable blood and bleeding disorders community.

“The creation of our venture fund sprung from the vision of a world without inheritable blood and bleeding disorders,” said Dr. Len Valentino, Chief Executive Officer, and President of NBDF, “our investments will serve as a catalyst for innovative therapies and research leading to cures for the community we are dedicated to supporting.”

The venture philanthropy update meeting took place on the 16th floor and rooftop at Portal Innovations, a laboratory incubator facility in Chicago’s Fulton Market district. The event featured presentations and networking opportunities for guests who were updated on the status of the first two investments in Anvesana and Five Liters/Spark Biomedical, Inc. as well as over $3.5 million raised towards the goal of $20 million to support P2C’s evergreen venture philanthropy fund.

“Transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (tAN) is a non-invasive method demonstrating great promise for treating various diseases. Five Liters is committed to exploring how tAN therapy could be used to improve hemostasis in women with von Willebrand Disease (VWD) with heavy menstrual bleeding,” said Dr. Navid Khodaparast PhD, Co-founder & Chief Science Officer at Five Liters who attended the fund update meeting and had a sample of their device for guests to see in person. “Improving women’s health is a passion of ours, and we would like to express our gratitude to Pathways to Cures for the generous support to ensure our technology offers a new hope for people with VWD.”

Speakers at the meeting included founding Chair of the Pathway to Cures Board, Scott Martin, who has been involved in the community since his son, Scott Jr., was born 20 years ago and is finishing his role as Chair of the NBDF Board this year after serving on the board for the past nine years. “In addition to volunteering for this great organization, it is important to my wife and I that we ensure the impact of this evergreen fund and are honored to be a lead donor so that in the very near future other parents don’t have to experience the limited resources and therapies that our son had when he was born.”

Other speakers included Michael Recht, MD, PhD, MBA, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer at both Pathway to Cures and the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (NBDF) and Chair of the Pathway to Cures Scientific Advisory Group, “I have the privilege to work alongside five high-caliber advisors on our scientific advisory group reviewing the biotechs looking for investment in their research projects. This diverse team of scientists brings together an impressive collective of knowledge in the inheritable blood and bleeding disorders community which has led some of the start-up biotechnology companies we have talked with to consider expanding their research into therapies and cures for the community we serve.”

“The future of better therapies and cures for inheritable blood and bleeding disorders is very exciting, with numerous early-stage biotech companies who are making significant strides in the rare blood and bleeding disorders space,” said Teri Willey, Managing Director for Pathway to Cures. “We have reviewed 114 companies over the past few months, whose promising research will accelerate the treatments and cures for rare diseases in the years to come. Our investment into the first two companies is just the beginning.”

For more information, visit www.pathwaytocures.org or contact Renee Peck at rpeck@pathwaytocures.org.

About Pathway to Cures

Pathway to Cures (P2C) is a venture philanthropy fund created to accelerate development of cures across all inheritable blood and bleeding disorders. In collaboration with other organizations, P2C invests in innovative therapies and technologies, leveraging the deep resources and scientific community relationships of its parent organization, the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation. By reinvesting proceeds from investments back into the Fund, P2C will amplify investment impact, support promising companies, and build a portfolio of investments that further the mission of the National Bleeding Disorders Foundation.

About National Bleeding Disorders Foundation

The National Bleeding Disorders Foundation (formerly the National Hemophilia Foundation) is dedicated to finding cures for inheritable blood and bleeding disorders and to addressing and preventing the complications of these disorders through research, education, and advocacy enabling people and families to thrive. For more information, visit hemophilia.org.

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