T H E

M c C O U R T

F O U N D A T I O N

N E W S FEBRUARY 2013

Upcoming Events

News from The McCourt Foundation Director On behalf of the McCourt Foundation, I want to extend our thanks and sincere appreciation to all our supporters and their commitment to our mission. With your support, the researchers at the Center for Neurological Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have made significant progress in understanding Alzheimer’s disease and MS. The strides being made in this research are cutting edge and will effect changes to the standard of care for patients with Alzheimer’s and MS. In particular, there has been a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research with a series of discoveries that are beginning to change the face of this devastating disorder. The first advanced human trial was announced as successful in slowing the decline of typical AD patients. Thanks to your support, we are making a difference!

March 2nd, 2013 Alzheimer’s Educational Update for Caregivers, Patients and Family Members Newton Marriott Hotel, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Each year, the Foundation presents educational forums highlighting the latest medical progress in Alzheimer’s and MS research. Part of the Foundation’s charter is to provide programs, free to the public, that service individuals from Greater Boston as well as parts of neighboring states. This year’s forums, held in March, collectively attracted more than 650 people. Brigham and Women’s Hospital staff are at the event to actively recruit patients for upcoming clinical trials. Pharmaceutical and Biotech companies are in attendance providing educational resources on Alzheimer’s and MS and are available to discuss one on one their current therapies.

March 2nd, 2013 Multiple Sclerosis Educational Update for Patients, Caregivers and Family Members Newton Marriott Hotel, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Dr. Dennis Selkoe

Again, this year our Foundation took part in the John Hancock’s BAA Marathon Program and our Marathon Team did a great job raising $57,500! We had a terrific team of congenial runners and they all worked hard to raise funds for the Foundation. The 2013 team is already in place and their training is well underway. We have high expectations for our runners and their fundraising efforts.

Dr. Reisa Sperling

Dr. James Stankiewicz

Dr. Howard Weiner

April 26th, 2013 McCourt Spring Event, Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel The McCourt Foundation Spring Event, with a Roaring 20’s theme, will be held at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel. We will host a special evening that will include light fare, a silent auction, dancing and live entertainment.

Last fall, the Foundation hosted its Third Annual “Tour de South Shore” ride for Alzheimer’s and MS and it was a wonderful success; we had over 250 riders. The top individual fundraiser was Mike Press, raising over $6,500. The top Team fundraiser was Team Wheelie Cool, led by Team Captain Ryan McCourt; raising over $13,000. Just an outstanding job!

October 5th, 2013 Tour de South Shore, Fourth Annual Ride for Alzheimer’s and MS Wompatuck State Park, Hingham, MA

We are already gearing up for the 2013 ride. The ride is scheduled for Saturday, October 5th. Please mark your calendars and come join the fun! The Foundation recognizes that success in reaching our goal is through the generosity of our donors. It is through your confidence and loyal support that allows us to continue investing in the health and well being of the individuals and their families who have been affected by Alzheimer’s disease and MS. We thank you for your support.

The Fourth Annual McCourt Ride for Alzheimer’s and MS will be held on Saturday, October 5th. This is a 25-mile or 50-mile fundraising bike ride that will start and end at Wompatuck Start Park. Riders will travel through the scenic towns and coasts of Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate and Norwell.

For Event Information go to: www.McCourtFoundation.org

Denise Arrondo

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Dr. Howard Weiner, a neurologist of Harvard Medical School and Founder of the Partners MS Center, and Dr. James Stankiewicz, a neurologist of Harvard Medical School and Director of Education at the Partners MS Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, will present recent scientific advances in the fight against MS. Topics will include: Theories and Causes of MS, Current and Future Therapies, Advances in MRI Imaging, Natural History Study of MS, Question and Answer Period.

These events are FREE and open to the all. Light fare served. Please contact the McCourt Foundation at 781-444-2544 to reserve your seat.

Our 2012 May Gala was a memorable evening. Thanks to all our supporters, the event attracted over 300 guests. In 2013, we are making some exciting changes to the event. The event is set for Friday, April 26th at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel. It’s sure to be a great time!

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Dr. Dennis Selkoe, a neurologist of Harvard Medical School and co-founder of the Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dr. Reisa Sperling, a neurologist of Harvard Medical School and Director of Clinical Research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital will present recent scientific progress on treating Alzheimer’s Disease. Topics will include: Current Understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease, Advances in MR and PET Imaging for Early Diagnosis, Current and Future Clinical Trials, Question and Answer Period.

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Alzheimer’s Disease Progress Update from Dr. Dennis Selkoe Co-Director of the Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Over more than 20 years, our scientific team at the Foundation for Neurologic Diseases (FND) has pioneered the concept that Alzheimer’s begins with a telltale build-up of the amyloid ß-protein (Aß), a small fragment of a healthy precursor protein called APP (Amyloid Parent Protein) that everyone makes throughout life. The FND team has figured out how APP is cut by two enzymes to release the potentially toxic Aß fragment; we identified one of those two key cutting enzymes (called the Presenilin/ß-secretase complex); we discovered many features of

how Aß forms doublets, triplets and larger aggregates; and we showed how this process perturbs nerve cells in the memory center (hippocampus) of the brain. And in the last year, we also connected this whole Aß process to the other key problem in AD – the tangles of tau protein – when we showed that doublets and larger aggregates of Aß alter the tau protein and damage the cytoskeleton of neurons. On this background, we are excited to share with you that in early October, the first advanced human trial of an anti-Aß antibody was announced as successful in slowing the decline of typical AD patients. This particular trial was conducted by Eli Lilly Company, but other companies also found evidence of benefit of their antibodies on biomarkers of the AD process (e.g., brain Aß levels and spinal fluid tau levels). While the

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benefit from Lily’s antibody (called “solanezumab”) was viewed by some as relatively small – 34% less cognitive decline during 80 weeks of treatment – it was highly statistically significant in the mild patients of two Lilly trials. In short, this fall’s news provided the first evidence in patients that the “amyloid (Aß hypothesis” that we have proposed and worked so hard on is correct and thus that lowering Aß is one useful way to slow AD. It is unclear whether Lilly’s total data set will meet all of the FDA’s stringent guidelines for approval of an AD drug, but Lilly is apparently in discussions with the FDA. We will keep you informed of how this goes and whether Lilly will need to conduct one more trial in mild AD patients prior to getting approval. Beyond this signal development, our FND scientists have made a number of other advances in elucidating the mechanisms of AD this year and have applied their approaches successfully to Parkinson’s disease, as well. We could simply not have made this progress on multiple fronts without your ongoing support. At the end of 2012, the Foundation finds itself in a challenging time for the fight against AD. The National Institute on Aging (at NIH) has cut back on the funds it makes available for new basic research on AD. Federal funding for biomedical research is likely to decline further at a time that AD is looming ever larger as a public health threat. This stark reality means that philanthropic support of our research has become even more important to our progress than ever. We are inspired to proceed, and we are grateful for your continuing friendship and support of our mission. Sincerely, Dr. Dennis Selkoe Co-Director of the Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital

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Multiple Sclerosis Progress Update from Dr. Howard Weiner Co-Director of The Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital

At year’s end, we are pleased to provide this update on our scientific progress, together with a perspective on where the MS field stands today. CLIMB — The Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (CLIMB) tracks MS patients over 25 years to collect individual profiles which help predict responses to therapy, overall prognoses, and longer-term outcomes such as defining subtypes of the disease. The CLIMB study will also help identify and validate biomarkers using advanced computerized models that allow for the analysis of multiple biologic variables. We just enrolled our 2000th patient in CLIMB and have added new studies in which we perform optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure nerve fibers in the retina which may link to disease progression. In this past year, the CLIMB has expanded to include the SUMMIT international consortium that is led by our MS Center and includes MS Centers in San Francisco, Basel and Amsterdam. New Drugs for MS & MS Biomarkers — This past year has seen the introduction of new oral medications for MS (Gilenya and Aubagio). One of the key challenges now is to develop blood tests that tell us who responds or doesn’t to MS therapy and how drugs are working. We have made major advances in our biomarker program with new techniques including antigen arrays and microRNA’s. These biomarkers will help define personalized approaches to treatment by ensuring patients receive the care best suited to their genetic make-up and individual disease condition. We increasingly look to biomarkers for their capability to foreshadow disease development (for example, CRP is a marker for those as risk for heart disease). For MS, biomarkers will be crucial in determining disease risk, development, and progression. Advanced Imaging — Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has revolutionized the care and treatment of MS. Advanced imaging techniques allow physicians to diagnose, track, and refine medical treatment. We are now moving from 1.5 Tesla MRI imaging to 3 Tesla MRI imaging, which will significantly enhance our ability to follow the disease process in MS. We have updated our computer algorithms for the 3T magnet, which will allow us to obtain quantitative numbers of the MS disease process. Bioinformatics — By applying what we learn from CLIMB, MS biomarker discovery, and gene pathways, we will be able to create bioinformatics disease modeling that will allow us to develop treatments and identify antiinflammatory drugs and neuroprotective and repairing therapeutics to help patients at multiple stages of the disease. We have initiated a program in bioinformatics, which integrates all of the data we have on MS patients.

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MS Vaccine — We are finally at a stage where we can begin to design vaccines for the prevention of MS. This program will involve studies of children with MS and the new understanding of the immune system in MS and our natural defenses in the gut. We will identify those at risk to develop MS and characterize their genetic and environmental characteristics. In the past year, we have collected gut samples to measure the microbiome and the genetic material of the 700 trillion bacteria in our gut. We know that these bacteria can affect the immune system and we are testing the hypothesis that the gut microbiome can affect the type of MS that patients have. Our goal is to administer oral test vaccines to MS patients in the next 5 years. We are inspired to proceed, and we are grateful for your continuing friendship and support of our mission.

Sincerely,

Howard L. Weiner, M.D. Robert L. Kroc Professor of Neurology Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital

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THE YEAR IN REVIEW

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2012 McCOURT GALA AND AUCTION

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2012 TOUR de SOUTH SHORE

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Major Corporate Contributors

foxrock PROPERTIES

GRAMPY’S CHARITY OPEN

PLYMOUTH ROCK FOUNDATION

Management

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Acquisition Development

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Corporate Donors BENEFACTOR

PATRON

C.N. Wood Co., Inc. Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Hinkley, Allen & Snyder, LLP NCI – Lending a Hand

A healthy Balance A.W. Perry, Inc. AAA – Southern NE Crescent Credit Union Driscoll Ins. Co. Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc. L.B. May & Associates Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Oracle Corp – Matching Gift Program PGR Media LLC RBC Foundation Rolling Realty Corp

Schwab Charitable Fund Wellington Management Co., LLP Scituate Concrete Pipe Corp State Street Foundation

FRIEND AIG Matching Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund GZA Geoenvironmental Inc. J.P. Morgan Global Foundation John Hancock Financial Services The McConnell Family Foundation

Personal Donors PINNACLE Donald Lockhart SILVER Eleanor Lynch Brian McCourt Paul McCourt Peter McCourt Maurice Meade Jennifer Reidy Julia Stevens

John Kelley Kim Loyman Gilda Lutz Paul Meade Susan & Curtis Sayers Stephen & Christine Sypek

Margaret Farley Thomas & Celine Flinn, III Nancy & Robert Holmes Jewel & Robert Kuljian Amanda Olson Stephen Vesey, PC

PATRON

In Memory of Charles Cowing, Jr. Janis Goneconte Thomas & Christina Hughes Kathy Kendal Bonnie & Matthew McKeon

BENEFACTOR

Lisa Barboza Michael & Joan Bernert Mary & John Bronski Kimberly Bumpus James & Christina Coffey Marie Donnellan Karin Emerson Jill Fisher Barbara Foley Daniel & Susanne Griffin Katherine Kovacs Ryan McCourt Paul & Stephanie Molinari Daniel & Marie Murphy Richard & Linda Orlando Jacauelyn Pike Robert Tartaglione, DDS Margie Wollam Anne & Stephen Ziobrowski

Nancy Brown Blair Corcoran Matthew George Patricia Henderson

AIG Matching Grants Program Edward & Gail Coakley

BRONZE K. Kore Anderson Gary Bruno Michael & Peggy Lynn Giunta Brendan & Ann Greene Flora Guadet Kara & John Holleran Thomas & Jane McCourt Jeffrey McLaughlin Geraldine Shea Michael & Kristyn Stevens Jeffrey Sullivan

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In Memory of Alfred Senechal Todd Boires Team at Staples Mr. & Mrs. James Dunphy Mary Pwers Carole Silvia In Memory of Janice Senechal Joan Doherty Sheldon & Joyce Ehrenzweig Ruth & Gordon Frances First Citizens’ Federal Credit Union Mary Powers In Memory of Pedro Ruy Priscilla Ruy

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In Memory of Daniel Stevens Richard & Beverly Weymouth

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Thank You On behalf of the foundation I would personally like to thank you for all your generosity. As you know our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s or MS. That’s why The McCourt Foundation works tirelessly to raise funds to advance research for these neurological diseases while supporting the families and caregivers with educational medical updates. With your help, we have been able to donate over $875,000 to the Brigham and Women’s Neurology Department. We also have hosted 14 medical update programs free to all patients, family members and caregivers. This would not be possible if it were not for your generosity to the foundation and dedication to the vision we share. Thank you again for your continued support and helping the success of the Foundation. We truly appreciate all you have done for the cause! Brian McCourt

Denise Arrondo and Brian McCourt presenting this year’s donation to Dr. Howard Weiner and Dr. Dennis Selkoe.

Sponsorship Levels for 2013 Corporate

Personal

Pinnacle $25,000+ Gold $15,000 – $24,999 Silver $10,000 – $14,999 Bronze $5,000 – $9,999 Leadership $2,500 – $4,999 Champion $1,500 – $2,499 Benefactor $500 – $1,499 Patron $250 – $499 Friend $100 – $249

Pinnacle $2,500+ Gold $1,500 – $2,499 Silver $500 – $1,499 Bronze $250 – $499 Benefactor $125 – $249 Patron $50 – $124 Friend Under $50

Please consider a gift to The McCourt Foundation. Donate Online: The McCourt Foundation is now using SharingCounts.com to handle individual donations outside of our annual events. If you’d like to make a donation to the McCourt Foundation any time during the year you can do so at the McCourt Foundation SharingCounts Cause Page: www.sharingcounts.com/causes/11

All levels include a listing in the 2014 newsletter.

Please direct questions to:

Mail Donations to:

Denise Arrondo, Director, The McCourt Foundation 617-872-2056 [email protected]

McCourt Foundation 300 Congress Street, Suite 302 Quincy, MA 02169

Fundraising Event for 2013 Join us for a beautiful bike ride along the South Shore seacoast! Saturday, October 5, 2013 25-Mile or 50-Mile Bike Ride through Scenic Coastal Course The 4th Annual McCourt Foundation Ride for Alzheimer’s and MS. A 25 or 50 mile ride that will start at Wompatuck Start Park and travel through the towns of Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate and Norwell. www.TourdeSouthShore.org A

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A big Thank You goes out to our 2012 Marathon Team for raising $57,500!

Good Luck to our 2013 McCourt Marathon Team Corey Farina Bobby Gaudreau Tanya Gillick Matt Houston Susan Marsh Katherine McGill Daniela Pasi Raymond Roy Steve Sypek

out e ing ’ll b We cheer ! re the ou on y

Steve Sypek, Chris Dorin, Shauna Gaffney, Jason Powers, Katherine McGill, Bobby Gaudreau and seated is Jennifer Welsh.

Committee Members

Save the Date for 2013

Denise Arrondo, Director

Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis Educational Updates for Patients and Caregivers

Kevin Byrne

Michelle McCourt

Lenny Clarke

Paul McCourt

John Flaherty

Peter McCourt

Ken Fitzpatrick

Robert McCourt Jr.

Peter Hourihan

Ryan McCourt

Nicole Leber

Ron Norton

Brian McCourt

Melissa Prince

Christopher McCourt

Gerri Shea

Friday, April 26th at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel

Gary McCourt

Steve Sypek

For Event Information go to www.McCourtFoundation.org

Greg McCourt

Sean Walker

Saturday, March 2nd at the Newton Marriott Hotel Reserve seats by calling 781-444-2544

McCourt Spring Event

Melissa McCourt

4th Annual Tour de South Shore Bike Ride for Alzheimer’s and MS Saturday, October 5th, at Wompatuck State Park, Hingham, MA Visit our website for more information: www.TourdeSouthShore.org

300 Congress Street, Suite 302 Quincy, MA 02169

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