In traditional medical research, numerous individual scientists work in relative isolation, often in competition, focused on their specific field of expertise. With little or no collaboration, discoveries are transferred by publication resulting in sequential investigations and greatly expanding the length of time necessary for validation and translation to further drug development and clinical trials.
Breaking the Barriers
Myelin Repair Foundation’s Accelerated Research Collaboration™ (ARC™) model offers an entirely new paradigm for medical research—it harnesses the discoveries from academic laboratories and drives them toward the development of disease-specific therapeutics.
Here are comparisons between the ARC model and traditional research:
Traditional Model |
Accelerated Research Collaboration (ARC) Model |
|---|---|
Given that the “currency” of scientific research is ideas, few scientists share results until they have completed their experiments and published the results of their work. For complex diseases like multiple sclerosis which require multiple experiments in multiple areas, progress is extraordinarily slow. |
ARC brings together a world-class team of research scientists and provides them with a collaboration infrastructure in which discoveries are shared immediately without the delays associated with the publication of scientific papers. |
Individual experiments are conducted with scientific discovery in mind, not patient treatments. |
ARC scientific team designs experiments that are part of a larger research plan focused on identifying therapeutic targets that will lead to patient treatments. |
There are no formal ties between academic science and the pharmaceutical industry. |
ARC is based on building relationships with pharmaceutical companies to encourage further drug development and clinical trials. |
Poor intellectual property protection discourages pharmaceutical companies from conducting further drug development and clinical trials. |
The ARC model provides a framework for establishing membership and technology transfer agreements with each participating university. Patents are filed on all discoveries that may contribute to potential treatments. |
The outcome for traditional scientific research is most often the publication of results. |
The outcome of ARC-based scientific research is leading directly to patient treatments. |
Applying the ARC Model to Myelin Research
Applying the Accelerated Research Collaboration model to myelin repair research has enabled the Myelin Repair Foundation scientists to:
- Share discoveries rapidly
- Coordinate simultaneous research projects
- Accelerate discovery and validation of myelin repair treatments.
Allowing concurrent, multidisciplinary research, the ARC model significantly reduces research time. The table below illustrates the shortened timeframes for ARC-based research.
To learn more about how the ARC model works and what sets it apart from traditional research methods: Download Accelerated Research Collaboration: Driving Discoveries to Treatments (PDF).
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