First to See the Light

DLF to Honor Spencer Trask & CO. Chairman

GREENWICH, Conn., PRNewswire/ — Spencer Trask & Co. an advanced technology development firm, today announced its Chairman Kevin Kimberlin, along with his wife Joni, will be presented with the “Lifetime in Service for Peace” award on Mon., June 5 by the David Lynch Foundation during a fundraising event held at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

The David Lynch Foundation was established in 2005 to fund the implementation of scientifically proven stress reducing modalities including Transcendental Meditation, for at-risk populations who are attempting to overcome trauma, including underserved inner city students; veterans with PTSD and their families; and women and girls who have been victims of violence.

The June 5 event, “A National Night of Laughter and Song,” is presented by The Center for Health and Wellness of the David Lynch Foundation, and proceeds from the evening will be used to teach meditation to 10,000 at-risk youth and veterans in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

“Joni and Kevin Kimberlin have enabled DLF to impact thousands of lives,” said Bob Roth, Chief Executive Officer of the David Lynch Foundation. “The ripple effect of their support is carrying our mission of world peace forward.”

Mr. and Mrs. Kimberlin are longtime supporters of the David Lynch Foundation and being recognized for their “dedication and service to educating and elevating the community, the nation, and the world family.” Joni Kimberlin, a 38-year practitioner of Transcendental Meditation, serves as a member of the nonprofit organization’s board of directors.

“We are deeply honored to receive this award and proud to support the important work of the David Lynch Foundation,” said Mr. Kimberlin, who has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for four decades. “As practitioners, Joni and I know the power of TM and it’s our pleasure to help further the Foundation’s mission.”

The one-night only event will feature appearances by Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Katie Couric, Margaret Cho, Deborra-lee Furness, Ben Folds, Angelique Kidjo, Sharon Isbin, Kesha, and Hugh Jackman. Tickets are available at the Kennedy Center Box Office, by phone at 202.467.4600 and at www.kennedy-center.org.

About The David Lynch Foundation
The David Lynch Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, was established in 2005 to fund the implementation of scientifically proven stress reducing modalities including Transcendental Meditation, for at risk populations such as underserved inner city students; veterans with PTSD and their families; women and girls who have been victims of violence, rape, and abuse, American Indians suffering from diabetes and high suicide rates; homeless adults and teens participating in reentry programs; and incarcerated adults and juveniles. For more information, visit www.davidlynchfoundation.org.

About Spencer Trask & Co.
Spencer Trask & Co. is an advanced technology development firm that helps entrepreneurs, CEOs and corporate partners start and grow high impact ventures that change the world. Spencer Trask & Co. has been instrumental in the formative stage of companies that pioneered many technological and scientific advancements in the field of genomics, the transformation of healthcare, the Internet and Open Innovation.

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The Immune Response Corporation

Revolution in Immunotherapy

DISCOVERY – Non-infectious viral vaccines.

INNOVATOR – In the history of medicine, few figures have had as profound an impact on human health and wellbeing as Dr. Jonas Salk. His polio vaccine breakthrough was the culmination of centuries of research, dating back to Louis Pasteur discovering inoculation. However, Salk’s method was different. He found a way to protect people from viruses without giving them the very disease the vaccine was designed to prevent.

Using this no-infection method, Salk worked with Kevin Kimberlin of Spencer Trask to develop cancer vaccines and an immunotherapeutic to slow or prevent AIDS. They patented and conducted preclinical studies on a cancer vaccine that demonstrated a startling 90% protection against lethal malignancies. 

IMPACT – A fusion of dendritic cells and the cancer antigen, their technology formed the basis for the first FDA-approved cell-based immunotherapy. Over 40,000 men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer have received the treatment, and it appears especially effective for African-American men who receive a 48% improved survival benefit compared to white men.

The team and facility making this immunotherapy also made clinical and commercial supplies of the first approved gene therapy, the CAT-T drug Kymriah.

The first approved cell-base immunotherapy and gene therapy prompted the FDA Commissioner to say, “New technologies such as gene and cell therapies hold out the potential to transform medicine and create an inflection point in our ability to treat and even cure many intractable illnesses.”

The noninfectious vaccine approach developed by Jonas Salk eliminated polio from the developed countries, his flu vaccine mitigated the effects of influenza for the past 75 years, and finally, the cancer vaccine developed at his Immune Response Corporation led the way to gene, cell-based, and immune therapy innovations that will impact human health for generations. In summary, Salk released the last step in enabling the most important preventative medicine – non-infectious viral vaccination.