Biogerontology Research Foundation receives charitable status from the Charity Commission

June 11, 2008 - PRLog -- Reading, UK - On Wednesday, May 14 Biogerontology Research Foundation (BGRF) has met the requirements of the Charity Commission for England and Wales and received a charitable status with the registration number 1124054.

The mission of the BGRF is to support the application of our knowledge of the mechanisms of ageing to the relief of disability, suffering and disease in old age. The formal aims of the charity are to relieve sickness and preserve, protect and advance all or any aspects of the health of elderly persons and to advance the education of the public in the field of biogerontology

”The decision to grant the BGRF registration as a UK charity represents an important milestone in the effort to defeat the diseases of aging.  It will provide us with a platform to direct resources towards drastically underfunded scientific research projects that target the causes of age-related disease, rather than just the symptoms. We are looking forward to engaging with the wider community for support in the pursuit of this important mission”, said Damian Crowe, Managing Trustee of the BGRF.

The BGRF will actively pursue and encourage projects identified by its scientific team as key to these goals. The science of the projects will be screened by a Scientific Advisory Board consisting of world-class researchers in biogerontology and related fields, in consultation with external experts as appropriate. Although these projects may be long term in nature, they will be designed to generate interim results and products that create academic and commercial interest, thereby bringing further resources into play and accelerating progress. As a key component of this strategy, The BGRF will seek appropriate Intellectual Property protection to encourage industry to apply the results of our projects quickly. Our long-term goal is to provide medical practitioners with the tools they need to enable effective and lasting remedies for the illnesses and disabilities of old age.

"The BGRF will fill an critical gap in the funding spectrum between basic research and its application to alleviate disease in old age. Our establishment as a registered charity is an important step in realising our research and its application to treating the casuses of those diseases", said William Bains, PhD, Trustee of the BGRF.

Donations to the BGRF are welcome. For more information on how to donate to the BGRF or provide qualified services on a volunteer basis, please contact Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD at alex.zhavoronkov@bg-rf.org.uk .

Details on the Charities Commission for England and Wales registration are available at charity-commission.gov.uk/registeredcharities/showcharity.asp?remchar=&chyno=dav1124054 .


About the Biogerontology Research Foundation:
The Biogerontology Research Foundation seeks to fill a gap within the research community, whereby the current scientific understanding of the ageing process is not yet being sufficiently exploited to produce effective medical interventions. The BGRF will fund research which, building on the body of knowledge about how ageing happens, will develop biotechnological interventions to remediate the molecular and cellular deficits which accumulate with age and which underlie the ill-health of old age. Addressing ageing damage at this most fundamental level will provide an important opportunity to produce the effective, lasting treatments for the diseases and disabilities of ageing, which are required to improve quality of life in the elderly. The BGRF seeks to use the entire scope of modern biotechnology to attack the changes that take place in the course of aging, and to address not just the symptoms of age-related diseases but also the mechanisms of those diseases.

About the Charity Commission for England and Wales
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is established by law as the regulator and registrar of charities in England and Wales. The aim of the Charity Commission is to provide the best possible regulation of these charities in order to increase charities’ efficiency and effectiveness and public confidence and trust in them.
The Charity Commission for England and Wales publication The Charity Commission and Regulation describes in more detail Commission’s values and operation as a regulator.


Contact:
Biogerontology Research Foundation
Kings Lodge
194 Kings Rd.
Reading, Berkshire
RG1 4NH, UK
www.bg-rf.org.uk
Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD
+44 20 8144 7774
alex.zhavoronkov@bg-fr.org.uk