Avi Kremer Case

Analysis of Case: (by Section 3, Group O2)

Primary issue in the case
Avi Kramer is a 29 year old student pursuing his Masters in Business administration
from Harvard school of business living in Boston. He is of Israeli origin but has come
down to the US to pursue his professional goals. In October 2004 he was diagnosed
with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
ALS is a rare disease for which no proper treatment has been discovered till date. It
is believed to have affected only less than 30000 people in the entire country. The
cause of the disease is also unknown. It affects one's nervous system by hindering
the coordination between the brain and the other body parts. It doesn't affect the
brain but eventually the patient won't be able to control his movements which
would lead to paralysis and later death. From the moment of diagnosis, the patient
is normally given 2-5 years to live.
Avi contemplates how he can devote himself in helping others suffering from the
disease after being diagnosed with the disease himself.
Problem statement

To choose the most feasible and sustainable option for starting a nonprofit
such that the operations of the organization will continue in event that a cure didnt
come in time for Avi.
Reasons
The ALS is considered as an orphan disease such that it doesnt attract for-profit
enterprise. Also, as very few people are diagnosed with ALS, the motivation factor is
latent for most of the research firms, resulting in low funding from National Institute
of Health (NIH). As most of the nonprofit organization started by the person who has
contracted the disease slowly declines after he/she passes away, to prevent this he
wants to create a drive that will keep operating even if a cure doesn't come in time
for him.
Contextual and cultural analysis
The researchers working for finding solutions for the orphan diseases are not
provided enough recognition and incentives which de-motivates them to opt for this
segment of research. The motivation factor plays a major role in finding the cure for
a particular disease. Very few people are diagnosed with ALS; hence the awareness
of the disease as well as the cure for the disease has been limited. The funding from
the government is also very low in this segment of orphan diseases which causes
for-profit organization to shrink away from the research and development activities.

Evaluations
Avi Kramer being a self-motivated person, he doesnt give up and fights back. His
goals have changed after he was diagnosed with the disease. He found out that
there is very minimal awareness about the disease among the people. He and his
colleagues have decided to work on the situation. After careful analysis they have
come out with 4 different solutions.
1. To start a new venture called prize4life which would attempt to increase the
treatment ideas for ALS by giving monetary appreciations for new discoveries
in the field.
2. To start a new foundation with Avi spearheading it which would help him meet
more researchers, prospective donors and patients .This would create
awareness among the people and also attract possible investors into funding
the research.
3. To return to Israel and continue the venture that he had started called IsrALS.
This would not only let him to return home and be with his family and friends
but also spread awareness among the people of Israel. Also the foundation is
well established and has a future if in Avis absence.
4. Avi Therapeutics is another option that they have thought about. This is a
new company which is coming out with a new medicine to cure ALS. There
has been good progress in this field with animal testing so it has a hope to
succeed.
Recommendations
The Prize4Life is the most sustainable strategy to curb the issue as it will help
spread awareness among the people. The prestigious cash award also motivates the
broader research community especially for-profit organization to participate and
provide their solution to the issue. They can use it as a medium to drive fresh minds
and move away from traditional thinking such that new innovations will help in
finding new ways to cure ALS.