The First Step Toward a New Medicine: Who Helps Scientific Discoveries Reach Patients
For World Science Day, the Global Alliance for Science Advancement Foundation and Forbes Club brought together scientists, entrepreneurs and investors at the Moscow Center for Healthcare Innovation Technologies (MedTech Moscow). Participants discussed how promising discoveries can move from a laboratory idea to patient care, and the role venture philanthropy can play in that process.
In medicine, even a promising idea does not always attract investors right away. A researcher, for example, may believe that a new way of modulating the immune system could help fight cancer. But proving that it works takes years of research, sophisticated equipment and funding. Businesses, meanwhile, are not always willing to invest in a technology whose effectiveness has yet to be demonstrated.
This is where venture philanthropy comes in. A foundation supports promising research projects, pays for experiments and helps advance a technology to the stage where private or public investors may be willing to fund it. The Global Alliance for Science Advancement Foundation follows this model. If research leads to the creation of a company, the foundation has the opportunity to become its first investor.
Support and Results
This approach can deliver two kinds of results. The first is financial: successful projects generate returns that can fund new research. For example, the UK-based charity LifeArc helped develop an antibody used in the cancer drug Keytruda. In 2019, it received nearly $1.3 billion from the sale of part of its rights to future royalty payments and directed the proceeds toward new projects.
The second result is the development of new treatments. In 2004, the U.S.-based Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy supported research by Carl June that helped advance CAR T-cell therapy. The treatment involves modifying a patient's immune cells in a laboratory so they can recognize and destroy cancer cells. In 2017, the United States approved the first drug based on this approach.
Russian Research Advances
A Russian project is now following a similar path. In 2022, when access to foreign CAR T-cell therapies came under threat, the Global Alliance for Science Advancement Foundation funded research by Russian scientists and paid for treatment for the first five patients. Three of those patients went into remission following treatment, meaning their cancer regressed.
The technology is now gradually being incorporated into Russia's system of state-funded healthcare guarantees, and production capacity is being developed. By the end of 2026, the treatment is expected to be administered to 70 patients.
The Immune System Against Cancer
At the meeting at the Moscow Center for Healthcare Innovation Technologies (MedTech Moscow), researchers also presented other areas of research that could eventually change how diseases are treated.
Denis Logunov, director of the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, discussed mRNA technologies and the development of personalized cancer vaccines. Researchers hope to use these technologies to train the body to produce proteins that can help fight tumors based on their individual characteristics. His team is also working with Irina Alekseenko to improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy.
Vsevolod Belousov, head of the Federal Center for Brain and Neurotechnologies of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency of Russia, presented research in thermogenetics. Scientists have learned to use infrared light to influence the activity of individual nerve cells. The method is still being tested in the laboratory, but it could eventually help treat neurological disorders and restore movement. Another research area at the center is neuroprosthetics: devices that could transmit tactile sensations to users through the nervous system.
Science Needs People Willing to Believe in Its Potential
Even when a scientific hypothesis is not confirmed, the research is not necessarily wasted. The knowledge gained can help other scientists and provide a foundation for further developments. Irina Alekseenko, deputy director general for science at MedTech Moscow, noted that early-stage support matters not only for individual projects but also for building strong research teams.
Vyacheslav Shulenin, co-founder of the Global Alliance for Science Advancement Foundation and CEO of MedTech Moscow, pointed out that researchers often lack the funding they need to test their ideas and prepare their technologies for practical use. Businesses, meanwhile, are reluctant to invest in technologies whose effectiveness has not yet been established through clinical trials. Venture philanthropy helps bridge this gap. It gives scientists the resources to conduct research while allowing investors to assess its actual results.
Not every medical innovation needs to generate substantial profits. Some are intended for relatively small patient populations but could significantly improve their quality of life. Early-stage support gives these projects a chance to make the transition from research to clinical practice.
The Global Alliance for Science Advancement Foundation invites entrepreneurs and investors to join these efforts. Those interested in supporting scientific research can find more information at giaf.ru.
