NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CureDuchenne, the nation’s leading nonprofit funding scientific research and innovation for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, announced today it has entered into a three-year partnership with Baebies. A growth-stage company, Baebies is delivering innovative products and services for newborn screening and pediatric testing. As a result of CureDuchenne’s investment and partnership, Baebies will add Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common and lethal form of muscular dystrophy that primarily affects young boys, to its expanded newborn screening service. CureDuchenne’s partnership with Baebies, along with the large National Institutes of Health SBIR grant awarded to the organization earlier this year, will significantly advance the identification of newborns with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
The ability to identify Duchenne-affected newborns within the first few weeks of life will empower parents to enroll their children in suitable clinical trials and start treatment as early as possible. It will also help the community to better understand the incidence of Duchenne and learn more about early symptoms of the disease. Additionally, access to this kind of screening can provide a clearer understanding of phenotype and genotype linking that will benefit a much larger population.
“CureDuchenne’s business model is to accelerate programs, such as newborn screening, that will benefit the Duchenne community. Newborn screening allows for early diagnosis which is incredibly beneficial for patients and their families to initiate treatment as soon as clinically recommended. This can lead to better health outcomes for patients and avoidance of lengthy diagnostic odysseys, which delay crucial treatment,” said Debra Miller, founder and CEO of CureDuchenne.
Miller adds, “Our mission is to address the whole journey of a Duchenne patient, from community to physical therapy to clinical trials. Adding Duchenne newborn screening is a natural next step for us and we are excited about the benefits our partnership with Baebies will deliver to new parents and the Duchenne community.”
“It is partnerships with organizations like CureDuchenne that will help us make the greatest possible impact. With a shared mission, this partnership will enable us to find these babies when they’re born and get them started on the treatment they need as soon as possible,” said Richard West, co-founder and CEO of Baebies.
Baebies is the first of a series of strategic investments and partnerships that CureDuchenne will be announcing. To date, the organization has leveraged more than $1.3 billion in follow-on investment from venture capital, biotech and pharmaceutical companies to fund research and other initiatives to help positively impact the entire continuum of care associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
CureDuchenne breaks the traditional mold of philanthropy by investing fundraising dollars into organizations with a shared mission or the potential to make a positive impact for the Duchenne community. On October 11, the company will announce its end of year fundraising campaign designed to raise awareness and funds which can be redeployed through strategic investments in 2019.
To donate to CureDuchenne or learn more visit www.cureduchenne.org.
About CureDuchenne
CureDuchenne is the leading nonprofit dedicated to extending and improving the lives of 300,000 boys worldwide who have Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease with no known cure. CureDuchenne uses an entrepreneurial venture philanthropy model to fund impactful research and accelerate human clinical trials. Through its CureDuchenne Cares program, it provides confidence to families seeking valuable resources, trains physical therapists and other health professionals on new standards of care and provides hope, support and empowerment to the Duchenne community. For more information, please visit www.cureduchenne.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About Baebies
Baebies, guided by the vision that “everyone deserves a healthy start,” delivers innovative products and services for newborn screening and pediatric testing worldwide. Baebies provides expanded newborn screening services from its CLIA certified lab. Baebies’ products include SEEKER®, a FDA cleared and CE marked newborn screening platform for lysosomal storage disorders, and FINDERTM, a near patient pediatric testing platform that is still under development and not available at this time for sale or use in any territory. By bringing new technologies and new tests to the healthcare community, Baebies is providing hope to parents and the chance at a better life for millions of children. For more information visit www.baebies.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
