Campbell Foundation Funding: We See Results
Funding AIDS research isn’t just about finding a cure for the disease. Funding AIDS research means a lot more to us at The Campbell Foundation. When Richard Campbell Zahn established this foundation, it was his desire to not only support clinical laboratory-based research into the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, but also conditions and illnesses that go along with the disease.
Since 1995, The Campbell Foundation has funded alternative, nontraditional avenues of research that are expected to have direct clinical impact and relevancy to the HIV care and research community within five to seven years. And, we are proud to say that your donations have made a difference.
We know this because researchers who benefit from our funding must provide The Campbell Foundation with reports detailing how the money was used and the outcome of their research. Results don’t happen overnight, but they do happen.
Just ask the Lauren Sciences research team at Ben Gurion University. In 2013, they were awarded a grant for $86,130 to study the delivery of the drug Tenofovir across the blood brain barrier (BBB) for the treatment of neuro-HIV. The team was able to demonstrate delivery to the brain of Tenofovir using its novel V-Smart™ technology.
"The Campbell Foundation's award provided an opportunity to develop an innovative V-Smart™ therapeutic for neuro-HIV and the successful outcome confirms the strong potential of our delivery system to overcome the challenge of developing drugs that cross the BBB," says Susan Rosenbaum, J.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lauren Sciences.
As a result of that success, The Campbell Foundation, in 2015, awarded the same research team a $100,000 grant to take their research to the next level. This grant allows scientists to continue their research to prove that they can deliver the HIV medication Tenofovir through the blood brain barrier in mice using V-Smart™.
We know that donors today want to know that their money is going and that the nonprofits to which they give are accountable. Just like our donors, we expect accountability in return from those we fund. Organizations funded by The Campbell Foundation are required to report back to us each quarter on their progress and research outcomes, as well as providing financial reports showing all expenditures.
We like to consider our funding like the water that helps the seeds of ideas to grow. While not every project will result in a success, those that do have been able to take their successes and go on to receive additional grants from other grant-making and/or governmental organizations to further their research.
This blog was created to keep our donors up-to-date on those successes and to let them know how they are helping those who are living with HIV/AIDS.