Organizations

Find NF organizations moving research, care, and community forward.

Explore charities, nonprofits, patient organizations, collaborative networks, and companies contributing to NF research and treatment development.

Organizations, research & community support

Organization directory

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Businesses supporting the NF community (7)
Details
Colbeck Capital ManagementAn investment management firm.Provides recurring sponsorship for NF patient programs, awareness initiatives, and fundraising events.Children’s Tumor FoundationView details

NF organization or beneficiary: Children’s Tumor Foundation

FourthIdeaA branding, marketing, and creative services agency.Has supported NF Northeast for many years, including donated branding and marketing services.NF NortheastView details

NF organization or beneficiary: NF Northeast

iGiveAn online shopping platform that helps shoppers generate donations for participating causes.Allows shoppers to select NF Network so participating retailers contribute a portion of eligible purchases.NF NetworkView details

NF organization or beneficiary: NF Network

Olivia’s OrganicsAn organic produce brand that also uses its packaging and marketing to highlight community causes.Has repeatedly featured NF Northeast on product packaging to raise awareness of NF and the organization’s work.NF NortheastView details

NF organization or beneficiary: NF Northeast

One LotteryA fundraising lottery platform that supports participating community organizations.Provides a dedicated lottery page through which ticket purchases generate recurring funding for NF support services.Nerve Tumours UKView details

NF organization or beneficiary: Nerve Tumours UK

Tiny Dog Leather StudioA small business creating handmade leather goods for dogs and their people.Commits a portion of proceeds to Jake’s NF-related medical care while raising awareness of NF.NF-related medical care and NF awarenessView details

NF organization or beneficiary: NF-related medical care and NF awareness

Trish Mahoney-Diefenbach / Eryn’s AngelsA real-estate professional whose work includes a charitable giving commitment.Pledges 10% of real-estate commissions to NF Northeast in memory of Eryn.NF NortheastView details

NF organization or beneficiary: NF Northeast

Progress across generations

Community Milestones Timeline

A selective, source-linked history of discoveries, care, organizations, advocacy, shared research resources, and treatment progress across the NF community.

Open any row for the concise history, why it mattered, and its verified source. “Then & Now” appears only when it adds useful context.

View 19 community milestones
  1. Clinical historyNF1 receives an early clinical description

    What happened

    Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen published a detailed description connecting characteristic tumors with nerves.

    Why it mattered

    The description helped establish NF as a recognizable clinical condition and shaped the language used for generations.

    THEN

    NF was understood mainly through visible signs, symptoms, and clinical observation.

    NOW

    Defined diagnostic criteria, imaging, surveillance guidance, and genetic testing can support more precise diagnosis and care.

    PubMed historical review
  2. Community organizationChildren’s Tumor Foundation is founded

    What happened

    CTF began as a grassroots organization dedicated to finding treatments for NF and supporting affected families.

    Why it mattered

    It created a major coordinated platform for NF research, clinical education, advocacy, and community participation.

    THEN

    Families and researchers had fewer coordinated NF-specific networks and shared resources.

    NOW

    CTF supports research programs, an NF Clinic Network, the NF Registry, education, and international collaboration.

    Children’s Tumor Foundation
  3. Care programThe Neurofibromatosis Institute and an NF clinic are established

    What happened

    Dr. Vincent Riccardi founded The Neurofibromatosis Institute and established a specialized clinic for patient care.

    Why it mattered

    Dedicated NF programs helped connect clinical experience, patient support, and research in a field with limited specialized care.

    NF Midwest
  4. Community organizationNF Midwest is founded

    What happened

    NF Midwest was founded to serve children, adults, and families affected by NF across the Midwestern United States.

    Why it mattered

    The organization expanded regional access to NF education, support, clinic relationships, awareness, and research advocacy.

    NF Midwest
  5. Research discoveryThe NF1 gene is mapped to chromosome 17

    What happened

    Genetic mapping narrowed the location of the NF1 gene and accelerated the work that followed.

    Why it mattered

    Mapping gave researchers a defined genomic region to investigate and helped make gene identification possible.

    THEN

    The cause of NF1 was unknown at the molecular level.

    NOW

    NF1 is understood as a tumor-suppressor gene on chromosome 17, informing testing, counseling, research, and treatment development.

    PubMed
  6. Advocacy organizationNF Network is founded

    What happened

    NF Network was founded as a national organization advocating for federal NF research funding and the development of local organizations.

    Why it mattered

    It strengthened coordinated public-policy advocacy, education, awareness, and community-building across the United States.

    NF Network
  7. Community organizationNF Northeast is incorporated

    What happened

    NF, Inc. Mass Bay Area—now NF Northeast—was incorporated and later expanded its regional identity and reach.

    Why it mattered

    The organization built continuing patient programs, education, advocacy, and an NF research-funding program that began in 1990.

    NF Northeast
  8. Research discoveryThe NF1 gene is identified

    What happened

    Independent research teams identified the NF1 gene and its role in the condition.

    Why it mattered

    Gene identification opened new paths for genetic testing, biological research, and therapies aimed at affected signaling pathways.

    THEN

    Researchers knew the chromosome region but had not identified the gene itself.

    NOW

    Researchers study neurofibromin and the RAS/MAPK pathway to understand NF1 biology and develop potential treatments.

    PubMed
  9. Research discoveryThe NF2 gene is identified

    What happened

    Researchers identified the NF2 gene on chromosome 22 and the protein now known as merlin.

    Why it mattered

    The discovery strengthened molecular diagnosis and research into tumors associated with NF2-related schwannomatosis.

    THEN

    The molecular cause associated with the condition then called NF2 was not known.

    NOW

    NF2 and merlin biology guide research, genetic testing, and the gene-based classification of NF2-related schwannomatosis.

    PubMed
  10. Clinical-care networkThe NF Clinic Network is established

    What happened

    Children’s Tumor Foundation established a network of specialized NF clinics in the United States.

    Why it mattered

    The network gave more patients a route to experienced multidisciplinary care while supporting clinical collaboration and better practices.

    THEN

    Specialized NF care was harder to identify and less formally connected across institutions.

    NOW

    The network includes more than 70 clinics across North America and serves more than 20,000 patient visits annually.

    Children’s Tumor Foundation
  11. Research collaborationREiNS collaboration is established

    What happened

    The Response Evaluation in Neurofibromatosis and Schwannomatosis collaboration formed to develop shared clinical-trial response criteria and endpoints.

    Why it mattered

    Common measurement standards help researchers compare trial results and design stronger NF studies.

    Children’s Tumor Foundation research tools
  12. Patient-powered researchThe NF Registry launches

    What happened

    Children’s Tumor Foundation established the NF Registry as a global platform for people with NF to contribute health and lived-experience information.

    Why it mattered

    Registry participation supports natural-history research, study recruitment, care planning, and therapy development.

    THEN

    Researchers had fewer scalable ways to learn directly from large numbers of people living with NF.

    NOW

    The Registry supports global participation and connects patient-reported information with research opportunities.

    Children’s Tumor Foundation
  13. Research collaborationSynodos for NF2 launches

    What happened

    CTF launched a collaborative research platform bringing multiple laboratories and medical centers together around NF2.

    Why it mattered

    The shared-work model connected tumor models, molecular data, and drug testing to accelerate research beyond isolated projects.

    Children’s Tumor Foundation
  14. Research collaborationSynodos for Schwannomatosis launches

    What happened

    An international multidisciplinary consortium launched to study schwannomatosis tumors, therapeutic targets, management, and pain.

    Why it mattered

    The project gave schwannomatosis a dedicated collaborative research effort focused on questions important to patients.

    Children’s Tumor Foundation
  15. Open research resourceThe NF Data Portal launches

    What happened

    CTF, NTAP, and Sage Bionetworks launched the NF Data Portal to make molecular and clinical data from NF studies available to researchers.

    Why it mattered

    Shared data and linked research resources make findings easier to reuse, compare, and build upon.

    Children’s Tumor Foundation research archive
  16. Treatment approvalFirst FDA-approved treatment for NF1 plexiform neurofibromas

    What happened

    The FDA approved selumetinib for certain children with NF1 and symptomatic, inoperable plexiform neurofibromas.

    Why it mattered

    This was the first FDA-approved medicine specifically for an NF condition and marked a major change in the treatment landscape.

    THEN

    For inoperable plexiform neurofibromas, options centered on monitoring, symptom management, and surgery when feasible.

    NOW

    Targeted medicines are available for certain eligible patients, although they are not cures and do not fit every person or tumor.

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  17. Diagnosis and terminologyInternational consensus updates schwannomatosis naming

    What happened

    Experts published revised diagnostic criteria and gene-based nomenclature, including the term NF2-related schwannomatosis.

    Why it mattered

    The update better reflects genetic causes and overlapping tumor patterns while improving precision in care and research.

    THEN

    NF2 and schwannomatosis were classified using older categories that did not consistently reflect genetic causes.

    NOW

    Gene-based terms improve precision, while older names remain useful search terms and may appear in historical records.

    PubMed
  18. Treatment approvalMirdametinib is approved for NF1 plexiform neurofibromas

    What happened

    The FDA approved mirdametinib for adults and children age two and older with NF1 and symptomatic plexiform neurofibromas not amenable to complete resection.

    Why it mattered

    The approval added another targeted option and covered certain eligible adults as well as children.

    THEN

    The first targeted approval in this setting applied to a narrower pediatric population.

    NOW

    More than one targeted option may be available for certain eligible patients, with treatment decisions made by an experienced care team.

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  19. Treatment approvalSelumetinib indication expands to adults

    What happened

    The FDA expanded selumetinib’s indication to adults with NF1 and symptomatic, inoperable plexiform neurofibromas.

    Why it mattered

    The expanded indication made the established treatment available to another eligible age group.

    THEN

    Selumetinib’s NF1 plexiform-neurofibroma indication was limited to pediatric patients.

    NOW

    Certain eligible adults can also be considered under the expanded indication, with individualized clinical guidance.

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Organizations & community

Updates from selected NF organizations

These are organization posts—not additional scientific evidence. Verify research claims against the original publication or official study record.

Checking selected organization feeds…

Automatically collected only from selected organizations that provide a usable public NF feed. Organization posts are not the same as peer-reviewed studies or official clinical-trial results.