Vitiligo Research Foundation founder, Dmitry Aksenov, lends much needed support to neglected vitiligo patients as well as young artists.

New York, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/18/2013 -- Dmitry Aksenov is well known for heading into uncharted territories when it comes to his business activities in the Moscow building industry, but his philathropic activities are yet another area where he has chosen to head into the unknown and support neglected causes and lesser known facets of facets of the arts.

Since it's inception the Vitiligo Research Foundation, founded by Aksenov himself, has been at the forefront of the search for a cure for the much neglected autoimmune disease vitiligo, and at the forefront of patient advocacy with the World Vitiligo Day campaign, it's support of education programs, new patient support groups and the new CloudBank online patient registry tool.

Mr. Aksenov has also been an enthusiastic supporter of modern art with his patronage of the Vienna fair, the relaunch of which he was instrumental in bringing into reality in 2012. Each year is focused on giving young and up and coming contemporary artists the stage upon which to gain recognition and support for their work. This year the Vienna fair took place from October 10-13 and featured work from more than 27 countries, lectures and programmes that once again made it a center for information about the developments in the Eastern and Southeastern European art scenes.

This years World Vitiligo Day campaign saw the unexpected yet apt joining of these two areas of Mr. Aksenov's charity work when New York based mural artist Stephanie Corne joined the World Vitiligo Campaign in Detroit on June the 25th of this year to paint and photograph vitiligo patients for the awareness campaign in a new project called 'Facemotions'. As Stephanie herself says, the goal of each work was to find the beauty that lies within each subject and really make it shine. The works are now published on her website and will be exhibitied in the near future.

As profitability and mass marketing become more and more the norm, neglected diseases, like vitiligo, and cultural forms of expression like contemporary visual art are more and more thrust aside and it is the support of people like Mr. Aksenov that will truly make a difference and make the world a much more diverse and caring place.

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VR Foundation identifies more than 10 possible drug repurposing opportunities for vitiligo, a neglected disease with a severe socioeconomic burden.

New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/11/2013 -- Vitiligo Research Foundation (VRF) has identified more than 10 repurposing opportunities for existing drugs in order to expedite therapy development for the neglected disease that affects close to 100 million people worldwide.

The VRF conducted analyses of more than 30 already approved drugs, or drugs that are currently in pre- or clinical development by several biopharmaceutical companies for other, non-vitiligo indications.

"Results of potential drug repurposing analysis give us critical information with which to engage Big Pharma sooner, with a portfolio of targets that are at different stages of development," says VRF CEO Yan Valle.

Dr. Igor Korobko, VRF Chief Scientific Director adds: "We have known for some time that biotech companies across the world weigh opportunities for vitiligo drug development, but usually drop them in favor of other disease indications. This analysis identifies several companies that would make optimal partners for us to fast track one of our programs to the clinic."

Repurposing of identified drugs or compounds would minimize a complex, multi-year and multi-million dollar study necessary at the early development stage of a drug. The most promising compounds and drugs will be tested in pre-clinical trials to evaluate their ability to slow or stop the progression of vitiligo and induce regimentation.

Historical examples of repurposing from global pharma provide a clear precedent for the VRF's current repurposing activities, suggesting that success is possible.

About Vitiligo
Vitiligo is an under-investigated skin disease that affects between 65 and 95 million people worldwide. Vitiligo is a generally unpredictable disease, which results in a loss of inherited skin color over the lifetime. It is non-lethal and it does not cause any organic harm, but it has a devastating socioeconomic and psychological effect on the affected person and their family, especially in populations with darker skin.

About the Vitiligo Research Foundation
The VR Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit, disease-specific foundation. As the nation's only organization addressing every phase of vitiligo treatment development, the VRF works with a diverse group of support organizations and individuals to achieve measurable and timely results. When it comes to finding a cure for vitiligo, VRF expects to make a difference in our lifetime.

Contact:
Yan Valle
CEO, Vitiligo Research Foundation
1, Penn Plaza #6205, New York, NY
1-646-327-8169
yan@vrfoundation.org
http://www.vrfoundation.org

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Vitiligo Research Foundation receives $60,000 donation from Applied Biology to further accelerate clinical research into vitiligo.

New York, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 07/10/2013 -- The Vitiligo Research Foundation announced today that it has received a three-year, $60 thousand donation from the Applied Biology (CA) to further speed up the process of translating scientific discovery to medical treatments for vitiligo.

This donation comes a few days after World Vitiligo Day, an annual event aimed at convincing United Nations to recognize this neglected disease and mark June 25 as an international day of observance.

Since its inception three years ago, the VRF has created a unique partnership between researchers, healthcare professionals and patient support groups to coordinate research efforts and provide ongoing funding.

Focused on identifying key elements of the vitiligo pathogenesis map, the VRF provides data collection and exchange infrastructure for a team of scientists, working together virtually, from different laboratories in the U.S., China, India, Italy and Russia. By accessing first-hand clinical data and sharing their findings online and at the regular meetings, the scientists have been able to considerably accelerate research that might have otherwise taken years to accomplish.

"We are honored to receive this gift, following assessment by the Applied Biology of our R&D model and results to date," said Dmitry Aksenov, President and Founder of the VR Foundation. "This donation will help thrust our research forward, bringing us closer to our goal — lessening suffering from vitiligo by delivering real vitiligo therapeutic solutions to the vitiligo community."

About the Vitiligo Research Foundation
Funded by Dmitry Aksenov, the father of a beautiful teenager with vitiligo, the VRF is uniquely positioned as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization to work with a diverse group of support organizations and individuals to advance research into the clinical setting. When it comes to finding a cure for vitiligo, the VRF expects to make a difference in our lifetime.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm