Latest news with #CatalystAward
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Solve M.E. Selects Simmaron Research As Recipient of ME/CFS Catalyst Award to Accelerate Low-Dose Rapamycin Trial for ME/CFS, Long COVID, and IACCs
The Catalyst Award will expedite the hunt for a validated test-to-treat model for ME/CFS, a disease for which there is currently no FDA-approved treatment. LOS ANGELES, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Solve M.E. is proud to announce the second recipient of its 2025 ME/CFS Catalyst Award: Simmaron Research. Simmaron will receive targeted funding to accelerate their study, "Low Dose Rapamycin in ME/CFS, Long-COVID, and Other Infection Associated Chronic Conditions (NCT06257420)." The study hypothesizes that mTOR inhibition through rapamycin may address observed findings of autophagy impairment and symptoms in a subset of patients with ME/CFS and other infection-associated chronic conditions and illnesses (IACCIs). Solve M.E. is a national nonprofit dedicated to making ME/CFS, Long Covid, and associated conditions widely understood, diagnosable, and treatable. Solve invests in translational research essential to turning biological discoveries into real-world therapies. Simmaron is a non-profit research center dedicated to developing treatments for ME/CFS and Long Covid. Simmaron is focused on developing 1st-in-kind animal models, finding key treatable mechanisms, and defining subsets aimed at changing the lack of evidence-based treatments for patients. Leading its Catalyst Award-winning project will be Dr. C. Gunnar Gottschalk (Simmaron, PI and chief executive officer), Dr. David Kaufman (Center for Complex Diseases, founder), Dr. Stephanie Grach, MD (Mayo Clinic), and Dr. Avik Roy (Simmaron, chief scientific officer). The Solve ME/CFS Catalyst Awards are a focused initiative to ensure that promising research doesn't lose momentum—especially in the face of unpredictable federal funding cycles. These awards provide strategic support to help studies reach key milestones such as publication, translation to clinical application, or advancement to the next phase of investigation. Solve President and CEO Emily Taylor noted, "We are so proud to support this bold and rigorously designed study that not only builds on promising biological insights but also advances an already FDA-approved drug as a potential treatment. This is exactly the kind of patient-centered, translational science our community needs. Our Catalyst Award will enable Simmaron to enroll more participants and collect more samples from more time points, making real movement toward meaningful care." In 2022, Solve awarded Dr. Avik Roy a Ramsay Research Grant to study how symptoms of ME/CFS relate to problems with autophagy. Autophagy is the cellular process of clearing unwanted debris (like unnecessary proteins or damaged mitochondria). With Dr. Roy's Ramsay Research Grant funds, follow-up funds from the NIH, and substantial investment by Simmaron's private donors, the Simmaron team showed that a subset of people with ME/CFS have problems with muscle-cell autophagy and that these problems increase post-exertional malaise. They established animal models for studying autophagy and post-exertional malaise (PEM) in the context of ME/CFS and started a multicenter clinical trial to test whether they could repurpose the drug rapamycin (an FDA-approved drug that reverses problems with autophagy) for reducing post-exertional malaise and cognitive dysfunction in the subset of people with autophagy-related symptoms. Before announcing the Catalyst Award funding, Solve supported this trial by helping recruit participants. A key strength of the study is tracking autophagy biomarkers to determine if these markers will help predict patients most likely to respond to this treatment. Early results from almost 80 participants are highly encouraging—rapamycin treatment is significantly lowering fatigue, post-exertional malaise, orthostatic intolerance, and sleep issues for participants. Now, Solve is awarding the research team more funds to enroll more participants and to collect more samples from more time points. "This funding from Solve M.E. will help us continue enrollment in our ongoing expanded phase in collaboration with AgelessRx and cover the cost of study drug and safety labs in this decentralized study," noted Simmaron CEO Dr. C. Gunnar Gottschalk. "Our goal is to develop a predictive test to identify which patients are more likely to benefit from rapamycin or other mTOR-targeted therapies." Solve has a long history of funding innovative research projects in pursuit of treatments and cures for ME/CFS and associated conditions. Through its Ramsay Research Grant Program, Solve M.E. has supported nearly 100 early-career investigators with seed funding—yielding a 34x return on investment in follow-on grants and external funding. Now, with its Catalyst Award program, Solve is helping existing studies reach completion faster. The 2025 Catalyst Awards reflect Solve M.E.'s continued dedication to accelerating scientific breakthroughs, bridging research between ME/CFS and Long Covid, and delivering hope and impact to millions worldwide. Learn more about the Catalyst Award to Simmaron here. Solve will host Simmaron CEO Dr. C. Gunnar Gottschalk and Dr. Avik Roy (Simmaron, chief scientific officer) for a free webinar about their Catalyst Award-winning rapamycin study on Thursday, September 4th at 3 pm PT /6 pm ET. Register here. About Solve M.E.:The Solve ME/CFS Initiative (Solve M.E.) is a non-profit organization that serves as a catalyst for critical research into diagnostics, treatments, and cures for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), Long Covid, and other infection-associated chronic conditions and illnesses (IACCIs). Our work with the scientific, medical, and pharmaceutical communities, advocacy with government agencies, and alliances with patient groups around the world are laying the foundation for breakthroughs that can improve the lives of millions who suffer from various "long haul" diseases. For more information, visit About Simmaron Research:Simmaron Research is a 501c3 non-profit organization based in Incline Village, Nevada, with laboratory facilities at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. The foundation unites patients, doctors, and scientists in a quest for breakthroughs in ME/CFS, Long-Covid & neuroimmune disease. Simmaron drives treatment-focused research, identifying key treatable mechanisms and building groundbreaking animal models, all in a strategic effort to spur discovery and attract pharmaceutical investment in treatments. For more information, visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Solve M.E. Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
How Elevate Prize Is Supporting Sesame Workshop With Its 2025 Catalyst Award
Elevate Prize CEO Carolina Jayaram, Teen Vogue Editor Versha Sharma, global legends Bert and Ernie, ... More Elevate Prize Founder Joe Deitch, and Sal Perez, Executive Producer and VP, Sesame Street productions, at the 2025 Elevate Prize Summit in Miami For 55 years, the characters of Sesame Street have taught us how to count, how to read — and as importantly, how to be kind, empathic and compassionate. Now, their important work can continue - thanks to the Elevate Prize. At the Elevate Prize Foundation's Make Good Famous Summit, the Sesame Workshop, was honored with the Catalyst Award — a prize previously given to changemakers like Malala Yousafzai, Dwyane Wade, Matt Damon, and George and Amal Clooney. The award includes $250,000 in unrestricted funding and is given to cultural icons using their influence to inspire global social action. But this time, the spotlight was on the characters, with Bert and Ernie were on stage in Miami, and Sal Perez, the Executive Producer of Sesame Street, accepting on their behalf. And it couldn't have come at a more important time for the wellbeing of children around the world. Sesame Street is powered by a global nonprofit, Sesame Workshop. It creates joyful, lovable content — yes — but behind that is a deep, strategic mission to help kids grow 'smarter, stronger, and kinder.' And in a world where 1 in 5 children now struggles with mental health challenges, that mission has never been more urgent. 'Not a lot of people know that Sesame Workshop is a global nonprofit,' said Sal Perez, Executive Producer of Sesame Street. 'To be able to have an opportunity to highlight that work that we do, not just on the show Sesame Street, but the work that we do helping kids and families around the world around those challenging topics, it's a great opportunity for us to show that in a lot of ways — to elevate that, pun intended.' Sal Perez, Executive Producer and Vice President Sesame Street Production Perez oversees the show's global live-action content — from long-running co-productions in Germany, Jordan, and Latin America, to YouTube and social media. Sesame Street now reaches more than 150 countries and speaks in over 70 languages. But while its global footprint is vast, the show's message remains deeply personal. Every year, the team sits down with educational advisors to ask one question: What are kids struggling with right now? 'In this moment in time, emotional well-being and mental health are so important,' Perez said. 'We show our characters identifying emotions. Just naming a feeling is powerful. Then we offer a tactic to help — but we do it in a Sesame way.' In one recent episode, Elmo gets angry when a ball knocks over his block tower. Rather than skipping over the meltdown, the show teaches a 'volcano breath' — with Elmo practicing alongside a puppet volcano. It's silly, it's specific, and it lands. This kind of modeling isn't just for the screen — it ripples out into real life. As one mother, Johana, shared: 'Now when my 6-year-old son is feeling angry or frustrated, he stands up and breathes like Ernie. It has helped my children a lot, and me as well.' 'It's funny and really emotional at the same time,' Perez said. 'That's how we connect.' That connection extends far beyond the screen. On their website, parents and caregivers can find a deep library of free bilingual resources — designed to help families navigate everything from grief and food insecurity to parental addiction and incarceration. Some content is for kids. Some is for adults. All of it is practical, compassionate, and accessible. 'This award helps sustain that work,' said Perez. 'It pushes forward what we're doing.' The timing couldn't be more fitting. May is Mental Health Awareness Month — a time when millions of children are quietly struggling with big feelings and few tools to process them. What Sesame Street offers isn't just emotional literacy — it's relief. It's hope. And they do it without preaching. 'If we rammed the message down, we'd lose the audience,' said Perez. 'Kids are honest about what they like.' He added, 'We lean into what feels organic to our characters. When we lead with story and humor, that's what really connects and makes an impact.' It's a powerful reminder for anyone working in impact storytelling: lead with the emotion. Lead with the story. Sesame Street That philosophy is now guiding the show into its next chapter. Sesame Street has just started production on its 56th season — even without an announced distributor. But instead of pausing, the team is reimagining. 'We're introducing a new format and an all-new animated segment,' Perez said. 'It's about delivering more comedy and playability — so kids can extend the experience beyond the screen by imagining themselves playing with or as their favorite Sesame Street friends.' That evolution reflects a deeper truth: the media landscape keeps changing, and Sesame Street continues to change with it. 'Wherever kids are, we try to be — streaming, YouTube, WhatsApp, our website, even direct service in communities,' Perez said. 'Media keeps evolving. When we started, TV was the new technology. We're always thinking about what's next.' But amidst all that change, the core emotional magic of Sesame Street remains. Perez sees it every time someone visits the set. 'When people walk onto the Sesame Street set — celebrities, partners, even parents — they cry,' he said. 'It's like their childhood explodes in front of them.' He added, 'It's an emotional responsibility. You feel the weight of the 50-year legacy and the importance of carrying it forward.' That sense of belonging — that magic — is something Carolina García Jayaram, CEO of the Elevate Prize Foundation, remembers deeply. 'I was a toddler when I moved to this country — a little girl, a Latina, an immigrant child of exiles from Cuba,' she said. 'When I came here in the mid-70s, we didn't have a million channels or the internet. So we were all watching Sesame Street. And to me, it gave me the language and understanding of what it was to be in a multicultural country in the most beautiful way.' Carolina García Jayaram, CEO of the Elevate Prize Foundation She continued: 'I saw myself in Sesame Street. They had hosts who were Latina. And then I saw so many other kinds of people and stories that opened my eyes and my mind. That planted seeds that, now many years later, have blossomed into my absolute love for diversity, for difference, for where people come from.' 'Ultimately, what drives that love more than anything,' she added, 'is the desire for connection — to really know other people and other humans. And what does that take? It takes tolerance. It takes openness. It takes the willingness to be wrong. All these things that Sesame has taught children for so many generations — in seemingly simple lessons that are profoundly important. And more than any time in my 50 years on this planet, we need to tap back into that.' That's the kind of storytelling the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award exists to uplift: not just culture that entertains, but culture that transforms. In a moment defined by anxiety, disconnection, and division, Sesame Street isn't just part of the past. It's a vital tool for the future we all hope to have for our children. And that's something worth celebrating.
Yomiuri Shimbun
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Sesame Workshop Receives Elevate Prize Catalyst Award as It Charts a New Path for ‘Sesame Street'
The Associated Press Sal Perez, executive producer and VP of Sesame Street at Sesame Workshop, talks to Bert and Ernie after winning the Elevate Prize Foundation's Catalyst Award, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Miami Beach, Fla. MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Elmo, Abby Cadabby and the rest of the 'Sesame Street' gang will get some high-profile help as they travel down a new road. The Sesame Workshop – founded in 1969 and currently working on its 56th season, but its first that will not be distributed by PBS or HBO – received the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award Wednesday, which will provide the nonprofit a $250,000 grant as well as support in promoting its work from the Elevate Prize Foundation. Previous winners of the award include Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, actor Michael J. Fox, and NBA great Dwyane Wade. 'They haven't just entertained generations – they've educated, advocated and inspired real change,' Elevate Prize Foundation CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram, said as she presented the award to The Sesame Workshop at the foundation's Make Good Famous Summit in Miami Beach, Florida. 'And their work hasn't just been confined to the screen. Through their nonprofit, they've expanded their mission globally. They've created real world programs that bring education, health and hope to millions of children in over 150 countries.' Sal Perez, the show's executive producer and a Sesame Workshop vice president, said the organization planned to use the award to let more people know that its nonprofit work extends beyond the TV show. 'We do a lot of work around the world with direct services, trying to provide content for families that talks about some of those harder to talk about subjects, whether it's trauma, whether it's homelessness and things of that nature. So this is an opportunity to highlight that kind of work.' Perez told The Associated Press in an interview before the ceremony that there would be news about Sesame Workshop's future released 'in the coming days.' Last year, Warner Bros. Discovery decided not to renew its deal for new episodes that air on HBO and Max, though episodes will remain on the streaming service until 2027. ''Sesame Street' is not going to go away,' Perez said. 'It will never go away. It's obviously been a beloved show for so long.' However, there are changes coming to the new season, which currently has no distribution deal. Perez said the segments on the new season will be longer and 'really focused on character,' while also focusing on its audience's emotional well-being and development. 'The more kids want to hang out with our characters on 'Sesame Street,' the more they're going to take in those lessons,' said Perez, adding that there would also be updates to the show's look and feel. The new season will also feature more exploration of the 'Sesame Street' neighborhood and a look inside the legendary two-story brownstone at 123 Sesame Street. Though Sesame Workshop does not currently receive any government funding, Perez urged viewers to support public media, especially following President Donald Trump's recent executive order to cut funding to PBS and NPR. 'We believe in the power that public funding has for children's media,' he said. 'I think people should support their local PBS affiliates and support children's media because it is an entry point for children to really start to see the world outside of their homes.' Jayaram said she felt the time was right to for the Elevate Prize Foundation to stand with The Sesame Workshop and its work. 'This is a foundation that's about social impact,' she said. 'So the symbolism of us joining forces with a children's program is to say that even though our leaders are grown adults, it's the child in all of us that we need to revive and remember our essential values as humans.' Famed roommates Bert and Ernie were on hand to receive the award alongside Perez with their trademark banter. 'We are so proud to make the Catalyst,' joked Ernie. 'One day we'd also like to make the Dog-alist.' In a video acceptance, Abby and Elmo took their own swing at explaining the award. 'It's like a spark that makes good change happen – kinda like magic,' explained Abby. 'Elmo really likes being a catalyst,' said Elmo.
