Duchenne Research Fund
1056. Kerry Rosenfeld
1057. Doron Rosenfeld
Kerry and Doron Rosenfeld, from London, founded ‘Duchenne Research Fund’ following their eldest son’s diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
The charity identifies and funds research into potential treatments and cures for Duchenne. Since its inception in 2007, the charity has impressively fundraised over five million pounds which has funded 32 projects to help combat this genetic disorder. After setting up the ‘Duchenne Research Fund’ Kerry and Doron realised a lot of exceptional work was being undertaken to find a cure for Duchenne, however there was a clear disconnect with different groups and scientists working in silos. As a result, the charity has focussed on overseeing collaborations between scientists, other Duchenne charities, and innovative biotech companies, in order to accelerate the development of therapies to treat Duchenne, and to ultimately find a cure.
In a personal letter to Kerry and Doron, Prime Minister Theresa May said:
“You have responded to the difficult personal circumstances of your son Gavriel’s Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy diagnosis with tremendous strength and resolve. Through your charity ‘Duchenne Research Fund’ and your exceptional fundraising, you are accelerating the development of treatment and helping to find a cure for this debilitating condition.”
Kerry and Doron said:
“We feel humbled to receive this award from the Prime Minister’s office, in recognition of our fight to accelerate the search for treatments and a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy – the biggest genetic killer of children worldwide. The true hero of this story is our son Gavriel, who was diagnosed with this condition in 2006. Our journey since then has been a challenging one that we have been blessed to embrace with the support and generosity of our incredible family and donors. The £5.5 million the Duchenne Research Fund has raised has moved the needle of research dramatically for Duchenne. We are now at a critical point where we are hopeful that new treatments could save this generation of patients. It is a tall order, but we are in a time of great expectation and justifiable excitement. We dedicate this award to Gavriel and to the hundreds of thousands of children and young people and their families fighting every day against this devastating condition. We are proud that our work has created powerful collaborations with biotech companies, researchers and other charities, and has mobilised a formidable world-class scientific taskforce focused on ensuring boys no longer die from Duchenne but are able to live with it.”