KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., June 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The CSL Behring Foundation for Research and Advancement of Patient Health has awarded more than $487,000 in funding for programs designed to benefit the bleeding disorders community. The grants will support a range of initiatives, including research projects and programs developed to educate and support patients.
The Foundation awards grants on two occasions each year, and in this cycle, 10 organizations received awards.
An independent Advisory Council, with the sole authority to award grants, reviews all grants in the two areas of scientific exploration and patient care/support. The CSL Behring Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to charitable, scientific and educational purposes that advance the standard of care for persons affected by bleeding disorders such as hemophilia and von Willebrand Disease. Since its inception in 2001, the CSL Behring Foundation has awarded millions of dollars in grants to the bleeding disorders community.
"We are confident that with our continued support, researchers and advocates will work to improve the quality of life and care for patients who cope with these often debilitating disorders," said Garrett E. Bergman, M.D., executive director of the CSL Behring Foundation. "We strongly encourage all eligible organizations to submit grant requests for future consideration."
Several of the Foundation grants awarded in this round will fund research on, and educational programs for, women with bleeding disorders. The National Hemophilia Foundation estimates that more than two and a half million women in the United States have an undiagnosed bleeding disorder. Women with undiagnosed bleeding disorders can often experience life-threatening complications during childbirth, surgery, accidents or injury, and are at higher risk for internal bleeding.
A patient grant to the Western PA Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation will fund an outreach program intended to educate school nurses about von Willebrand disease in order to help identify girls at an early age who may have an undiagnosed disorder.
A research grant to Rush University Medical Center will support the development of a non-invasive, relevant marker to predict which patients with hemophilia will develop joint disease; the marker, therefore, is expected to facilitate development of effective treatment strategies to prevent irreversible joint damage.
Other CSL Behring Foundation grant recipients are: -- New England Hemophilia Association (Auburn, ME) -- Tennessee Hemophilia and Bleeding Disorder Foundation (Smyrna, TN) -- Hemophilia and von Willebrand Education Network (HAVEN) (Erie, PA) -- Hemophilia Center of Western New York, Inc. (Buffalo, NY) -- Hemophilia of Georgia, Inc. (Atlanta, GA) -- STITCHES (Macomb, MI) -- Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA) -- Puget Sound Blood Center (Seattle, WA)
About the CSL Behring Foundation
Founded in 2001 as an independent, non-profit corporation, the CSL Behring Foundation for Research and Advancement of Patient Health is the only corporate foundation dedicated exclusively to charitable, scientific and educational purposes designed to advance the standard of care for persons affected by bleeding disorders. An Advisory Council comprising healthcare professionals and advocates renowned for their dedication to the bleeding disorders community guides the CSL Behring Foundation. The Advisory Council has the sole authority to award all grants.
For more information on the Foundation, visit http://www.cslbehringfoundation.com.
About von Willebrand Disease
Von Willebrand disease is caused by a deficiency or abnormality of von Willebrand factor, a protein in the blood that is necessary for normal blood clotting. Men and women are equally likely to be affected by VWD. VWD is classified by the type of protein defect present, ranging from Type 1 (the most common and mild) to Type 3 (the most severe).
Women with VWD are more likely to experience heavy, prolonged menstruation. Other common symptoms of VWD include frequent nosebleeds and easy bruising. Bleeding can be mild or serious, and can occur as a result of injury or without any obvious cause. More serious symptoms include bleeding into joints and internal organs. The VWD patient may require special care during dental procedures, surgery and childbirth.
Treatments for VWD may include desmopressin acetate to release stored endogenous von Willebrand factor, von Willebrand factor replacement therapies to raise von Willebrand factor in the bloodstream, and oral contraceptives to reduce menstrual bleeding.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a global leader in the plasma protein biotherapeutics industry. Passionate about improving the quality of patients' lives, CSL Behring manufactures and markets a range of safe and effective plasma-derived and recombinant products and related services. The company's therapies are used in the treatment of immune deficiency disorders, hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, other bleeding disorders and inherited emphysema. Other products are used for the prevention of hemolytic diseases in the newborn, in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation and in the treatment of burns. The company also operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, ZLB Plasma. CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited, a biopharmaceutical company with headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit http://www.cslbehring.com.
Media contact: Sheila A. Burke Director, Worldwide Commercial Operations Communications Phone: +1 610-878-4209 Email: sheila.burke@cslbehring.com
CSL Behring FoundationCONTACT: Sheila A. Burke, Director, Worldwide Commercial OperationsCommunications, +1-610-878-4209, sheila.burke@cslbehring.com
Web site: http://www.cslbehring.com/