Any research, regardless of the field, needs a place to be conducted and funds. Lots of funds.
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It is not difficult to find philanthropists to donate funds for a building. Structures and name plaques are easy to see after all, and ribbons are easy to cut. But the actual research is much more elusive. It is very professional and difficult to explain.
It also takes years to complete, and most of the time does not bear significant results. And even when it does, it is not necessarily applicable knowledge, leaving the public wondering why its taxes were invested in the project in the first place.
And even when the achievement is practical – for example, if a drug has been developed – the process will take many more years and require additional funding. After all, even the speedy development of the coronavirus vaccine is based on the scientific knowledge that has been accumulated since the 1950s.
All these factors make funding research uncommon on the agenda of politicians, and even philanthropists. However, the late Sheldon Adelson, whose one-year anniversary of death we recently commemorated, and his wife Miriam were (and she continues to be) philanthropists of a different kind.
Miriam, who is a medical professional and drug addiction expert, "dragged" Sheldon into the world of medical research, on which the two have had a special impact. The two invested in research facilities and established a fund that supports medical research worldwide, a fund that is unmatched in its uniqueness and success.
It, first and foremost, focuses on a limited number of hand-picked diseases and such focus is undoubtedly one of the reasons for success in science.
Sheldon and Miriam understood that one scientist or one institution cannot possess all the wisdom and therefore brought together the world's best scientists and doctors to brainstorm and find optimal solutions.
They understood that the actual production of the drug is the last step, and focused on the entire process, starting from basic research to its implementation, and made sure a wide range of doctors were examining the same problem from different angles.
The Adelsons also understood that modern research requires extremely expensive equipment, which they made sure was available. Another unique decision was to entrust the overview of proposals to members of the research group so that each researcher would appreciate the work of the other. Such trust highlighted the responsibility of the researchers to ensure the quality of the foundation and the leadership.
The fund delivered and its founders and members promote crucial research into cancer and degenerative brain diseases. It will continue to illuminate the medical field for years to come in the memory of the man who understood the depth of scientific research perhaps even more than we, the scientists, do.
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