On Saturday, September 18, 2021, The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) will host its 20th Annual International Race for Research in-person on their Peabody, MA course. The first Peabody race since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, PRF’s 20th Annual Race for Research will provide an opportunity for the Peabody community to come together. This year, the race will also feature a virtual component so supporters can participate from all over the world.
Sponsored by PRF and its long-time partner, North Shore Bank, this signature event includes a 5K road race and a 2-mile walk. Participants will have the opportunity to walk or run in-person in Peabody or virtually in their own communities in support of PRF’s mission to discover treatments and the cure for Progeria and its aging-related disorders, including heart disease.
Kevin M. Tierney, Sr., Chief Executive Officer of North Shore Bank said:
We’re really excited to be a part of this hybrid event. PRF’s passion and determination to find a cure for this fatal disease is inspirational.” He added, “We’re thrilled to once again be the title sponsor of the International Race for Research.
All race proceeds will go to PRF’s mission. Without treatment, children with Progeria die of heart disease at an average age of 14.5 years – the same heart disease that affects millions of normal aging adults.
Audrey Gordon, President and Executive Director of PRF said:
We’re so thrilled to be back together in-person this year and to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our signature road race with our wonderful Peabody community! We are also excited to have our long-standing partnership with North Shore Bank continue. Their support of our races and other events has had a profound impact on children with Progeria, enabling us to discover treatments that are giving these remarkable children longer, healthier lives, and putting us firmly on the path to a cure. We hope to make our 20th race year the best one yet!
Participants at the in-person race in Peabody will include co-founders Drs. Leslie Gordon and Scott Berns and PRF Executive Director Audrey Gordon, and will include a few surprises in celebration of the 20th year. Access online registration at
www.prfroadrace.org or by calling 978-535-2594.
About The Progeria Research Foundation
The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) was founded in 1999 by the family of Sam Berns in response to the complete lack of attention to, and progress being made in, Progeria research. The original mission: to discover the cause, treatments and cure for Progeria. In 2003, the PRF Genetics Consortium discovered the Progeria gene, a collaboration led by Dr. Francis Collins, then Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, and who is currently Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In 2020, history was made with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of lonafarnib (trade name Zokinvy™), a farnesyltransferase inhibitor, or FTI, as the first-ever treatment for Progeria and Progeroid Laminopathies. Zokinvy (lonafarnib) has been shown to improve many aspects of the disease including the vital vascular system, and increase average survival time by 2.5 years. Today, PRF continues to be the only organization in the world solely dedicated to finding treatments and the cure for Progeria and its aging-related conditions, including heart disease. The organization fills a void, taking these children out of the background where they had been for more than 100 years and putting them at the forefront of scientific efforts. For more information and to donate to PRF, please visit
www.progeriaresearch.org.