CORE MISSION AND PROJECTS

DUCHENNE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

Matt’s Promise was founded in 2003 by Matt Wiederkehr, a thirty-three-year-old employee of Google, father, and husband, who was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. Matt spent the last nine months of his life fighting the disease, and during the course of his treatment became deeply concerned with young people battling terminal illnesses and with the quality and nature of their care. This new awareness drove Matt to focus his time and energy on the creation of Matt’s Promise – a vehicle that would outlive him and make a positive and far-reaching difference in a world in which too many young people are battling terminal illness.

Matt’s Promise continues today to carry on this vision. In just a few short years, we have raised millions for cutting-edge research delivered by scientists and researchers who are on the brink of enormous discoveries that will help prevent diseases and change the way people are diagnosed and receive treatment.

The cornerstone project of Matt’s Promise is research for the treatment and cure of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). While receiving treatment for his own terminal disease, Matt learned that the then three-year-old son of his childhood best friend was diagnosed with this dreadful and devastating disease. The news hit Matt hard, and he was determined to do all that he could to help Charley and other young people receive the best medical care and emotional support available and to fund research to find a cure.

The disease, which affects approximately 60,000 male children, is traced to a genetic mutation that results in the degeneration of the muscles. Typically, by the time a child with DMD enters his teens, he uses a wheelchair, and in most cases, by the time he is twenty, he dies from respiratory or heart failure. Matt’s Promise, in partnership with Charley’s Fund, has directed funds into the hands of researchers who have the best shot at developing a treatment or cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Read more about Charley’s story here. To learn more about pilot trials and the work that Matt’s Promise has contributed to, click here.

Sarcoma Targeted Therapy Research – Matt’s Promise is proud to support the research of Dr. Melinda Merchant, at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, which explores the development of new targeted therapies against sarcomas such as Ewing’s sarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and desmoplastic small round cell tumor. Sarcoma is a type of cancer that develops from certain tissues, like bone or muscle. Read More

Colorectal Cancer Registry – Matt’s Promise has funded a new cancer registry led by Dr. Thomas K. Weber, Professor of Surgery & Molecular Genetics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Chief of Surgery at Einstein Hospital, Montefiore Medical Center, New York City. The Registry provides the public with information on screening, surveillance, treatment, and locating a health-care provider to obtain a screening test. It also provides information on current colorectal cancer research opportunities. Read More

Computation Biology – Matt’s Promise funded the work of Dr. Chris Sander at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, who is on the cusp of acquiring incredible knowledge using computation biology, a medical technique that aims to use mathematical algorithms and information systems to simulate the behavior of molecules, cells, and organisms and to make useful diagnostic and therapeutic predictions. Read More