Vertex Doubles Scholarship Program to Support the Academic & Professional Advancement of People Living with Cystic Fibrosis &...
October 23 2017 - 08:32AM
Business Wire
Now Accepting Applications for the “All in for
CF” Scholarship Program Through Jan. 3, 2018
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) has doubled
the number of scholarships for people living with cystic fibrosis
(CF) and their immediate family members. In its second year, the
All in for CF Scholarship program will award 80 scholarships of
$5,000 each to help people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and their
immediate family members pursue two-year, four-year or graduate
degrees during the 2018-2019 academic year. This scholarship
program is part of Vertex’s recently announced 10-year, $500
million corporate giving commitment.
“At Vertex, our passion is fueled by the hope and courage of the
CF community, which is clearly reflected in each All in for CF
scholar,” said Jeffrey Leiden, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Vertex. “We are pleased to be able to
expand this program to help even more people with CF and their
families pursue their academic and professional goals.”
“Receiving this scholarship shows how we are not letting an
illness get the best of us; it shows how we are choosing to see the
positive in the negative,” said All in for CF scholar Lila
Buchanan, whose mother lives with CF and who lost an aunt and an
uncle to the disease.
Scholarship recipients are chosen by an independent committee of
CF community members based on an applicant’s demonstrated level of
community involvement, financial need, and academic achievement, as
well as a personal essay. Applications are available here and will
be accepted until January 3, 2018. Recipients will be announced in
May 2018.
About Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a rare, life-threatening genetic disease
affecting approximately 75,000 people in North
America, Europe and Australia. CF is caused by a
defective or missing CFTR protein resulting from mutations in
the CFTR gene. Children must inherit two
defective CFTR genes — one from each parent — to have CF.
There are approximately 2,000 known mutations in
the CFTR gene. Some of these mutations, which can be
determined by a genetic test, lead to CF by creating defective or
too few CFTR proteins at the cell surface. The defective or missing
CFTR protein results in poor flow of salt and water into or out of
the cell in a number of organs, including the lungs. This leads to
the buildup of abnormally thick, sticky mucus that can cause
chronic lung infections and progressive lung damage in many
patients that eventually leads to death. The median predicted age
of survival for a person born today with CF is 41 years, but the
median age of death is 27 years.
About Vertex
Vertex is a global biotechnology company that aims to discover,
develop and commercialize innovative medicines so people with
serious diseases can lead better lives. In addition to our clinical
development programs focused on cystic fibrosis, Vertex has more
than a dozen ongoing research programs aimed at other serious and
life-threatening diseases.
Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, Mass., Vertex today has research
and development sites and commercial offices in the United States,
Europe, Canada and Australia. For eight years in a row, Science
magazine has named Vertex one of its Top Employers in the life
sciences. For additional information and the latest updates from
the company, please visit www.vrtx.com.
Vertex in the Community
Vertex has made a 10-year, $500 million corporate giving
commitment focused on providing patient and caregiver support
including access to our medicines; expanding our commitment to
science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education;
developing young physicians and scientists; and investing in our
communities.
Vertex Is All In for CF
The CF community motivates Vertex employees each and every day –
to dig deeper, to do more, to explore the “what ifs,” and to push
the boundaries of what we know. We aim to discover and develop
medicines that will treat the underlying cause of CF for the vast
majority of people with the disease, and our ultimate goal is to
cure it. Beyond our transformational medicines, we help people with
CF lead active lives and pursue higher education, and we fund
independent research and innovative patient centric programs. To
learn more please visit www.vrtxallincf.com.
(VRTX-GEN)
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Vertex Pharmaceuticals IncorporatedChris StammUS:
617-341-6992mediainfo@vrtx.com
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