Philanthropist Bert Berkley wishes to share the following endowment agreement so others inclined to arrange one can benefit from this knowledge and resource.

ENDOWMENT AGREEMENT

Mr. E. Bertram Berkley (“Berkley”) and the Joan and Bert Berkley Blue Heron Foundation (“Blue Heron” and together, with Berkley, the “Donors”) have previously made gifts to the University of Missouri – Kansas City (the “University”) for the purpose of funding a gift to support the University’s Teach Live virtual reality program at the School of Education (“Prior Gift”), which purpose of the Prior Gift is no longer viable. Donors and the University now desire to transfer the remainder and residue of the Prior Gift, and interest thereon, in the approximate amount of $XXXXX, and to transfer the remainder and residue of a separate approximate $XXXX gift, and interest thereon, to the UMKC Foundation (“UMKC Foundation Gift”), together with an additional pledge of gift by Berkley, in the amount of $XXXXX, for a total sum of at least $XXXXX, to the University for the purpose of establishing a permanently endowed Fund (the “Fund”) at the University. This Fund will provide awards to individuals and/or institutions in the field of childhood literacy at the School of Education’s annual Urban Education Forum, or any similar (community oriented) event (“Event”), within the School of Education at the University (the “Primary Purpose”), and for scholarship awards to students of the School of Education (“Secondary Purpose” and together with the Primary Purpose, the “Purpose”).

It is, therefore, agreed that the Fund be established on the records of the University, to reflect the terms of this Endowment Agreement (the “Endowment Agreement”), and to be held and administered under the following terms and conditions:

I. ENDOWMENT PRINCIPAL

A. The name of the Fund shall be the Bert Berkley Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Literacy.

B. The principal sum tendered herewith, and any other funds hereinafter contributed from any source, shall be added to the Corpus Account of the Fund (the “Corpus Account”). However, a donor may request that a particular gift be added to the Distribution Account of the Fund (the “Distribution Account”) in order to provide increased or additional awards.

C. Investment of the Fund’s assets shall be in accordance with the policy of the University in effect from time to time. The distributions from the Corpus Account shall be reinvested into the Corpus Account, until the Corpus Account reaches $XXXXX, the current endowment minimum.

i. The remainder of the Prior Gift, together with interest thereon previously contributed to the School of Education by Donors in the amount of $XXXXX will be transferred to the Corpus Account.

ii. Berkley shall request the UMKC Foundation to transfer approximately $XXXX previously contributed to the UMKC Foundation on December 31, 2019 for the benefit of the School of Education, together with interest thereon, to the Corpus Account.

iii. No later than December 31, 2022, Berkley shall fund the difference between the sum of amounts transferred under Sections I.C.(i) and (ii), above, and $XXXXX by a contribution to the University.

D. In the event that the Donor has not completed payment of the entire amount pledged within five years’ time after the date of this Endowment Agreement, the University may use the amount contributed in any manner and for any purpose that the University in its sole discretion, may deem appropriate, keeping in mind, the original Purpose of the Fund.

II. ENDOWMENT DISTRIBUTION

A. Distributions from the Fund shall be made at such times and in such amounts as are in accordance with the policy of the University in effect from time to time and credited to the Distribution Account under the following terms and conditions:

i. Funds in the Distribution Account shall be used to provide (i) first, for the cost of the call for nominations and selection process contemplated in Section II.B, (ii) second, for the cost of attendance and related expenses (including trophy or plaque and the recipient’s travel, if any), for recipients of non-monetary annual awards for excellence in the field of childhood literacy to a professional or institution in the field of education from the greater Kansas City region (“Professional Awards”), at the Event, and (iii) third, at the discretion of the Dean of the UMKC School of Education, and subject to availability of funds, for scholarship awards to students studying early childhood education (“Scholarship Awards”), which scholarship awardees shall be invited to the next successive Events.

B. Selection of recipients, expenditures, amounts, and administrative details shall be made by a committee of UMKC School of Education personnel, including the Dean if she or he chooses to be involved, selected by the Dean and authorized to act on behalf of the Dean (“Dean’s Committee”). For the Professional Awards, only, the Dean’s Committee shall, prior to making the award, collaborate with the President of the Family Committee, hereafter defined.

i. The Dean’s Committee will have a minimum of three members, a majority of whom will have experience with and/or knowledge of early childhood literacy.

ii. The call for nominations for this award will be made on a widespread basis which targets all educational institutions and professional educators in the Greater Kansas City region using the prevailing and most effective communication method then in use by the School of Education at the time.

iii. The initial president of the Bert Berkley Family Committee, a perpetual committee to be organized and maintained by Berkley (“Family Committee”) shall be Bert Berkley, at the following address: XXX, XXX, XXXX, XX. The then-current president of the Family Committee shall be responsible for providing, annually after the date hereof, the name, addresses, and telephone contact information of the current president of the Family Committee to the Dean at the following address: Dean, School of Education, Room 347 615 E. 52d Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64110. In the event that such contact information is not provided, or, in the event that no response is received from the last known president of the Family Committee on file with the Dean within ten (10) business days of inquiry from the Dean’s Committee with respect to any Professional Award, the Dean’s Committee may proceed with making Professional Awards without input from the Family Committee.

C. At the conclusion of the fiscal year, any funds remaining in the Distribution Account shall be returned to the Corpus Account on an annual basis.

III. FEES

A. Future contributions to the Fund shall be subject to the University gift assessment policies in effect at the time.

B. In accordance with the policies of the University in effect from time to time, and as permitted by Missouri law, the University may distribute a percentage of the fair market value of the Fund’s assets each year to support internal endowment administration and campus development functions. The annual fee may be changed from time to time as established in the policy of the University.

IV. GENERAL

A. Realizing that the human mind cannot predict the circumstances of the future, the University is hereby authorized to change the terms and conditions for the handling of this Fund, if in its judgment, it becomes advisable to do so, keeping in mind the original Purpose of the Fund.

B. The University shall provide the Bert Berkley Family Committee an annual report on the status of this Fund, and an invitation to the Event with opportunity to assist in presenting the award, in perpetuity, so long as the Bert Berkley Family Committee identifies itself in writing to the University and maintains its current address on file with the University.

C. Announcement of this Fund and pertinent details shall be made in the usual University publications provided for this purpose.

D. This Endowment Agreement shall be manually signed by the Donors, but may be electronically signed by the Curators of the University of Missouri, and may be delivered by facsimile or other electronic transmission in multiple counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, and all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument.

E. Each party has had opportunity to consult their own legal and tax advisors regarding this Endowment Agreement, and neither party has relied upon the other party except as expressly set forth in this Endowment Agreement.

F. This Endowment Agreement shall be governed by the internal laws of the State of Missouri without regard to conflict of law principles.

G. This Endowment Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.

H. In the event that any provision of this Endowment Agreement or portion thereof is determined to be invalid, unlawful, void, or unenforceable, such portion shall be deemed to be amended and removed, with all remaining portions of the Endowment Agreement to remain in force and unaffected thereby.

I. Except as provided herein, or as otherwise provided for by law, this Endowment Agreement may not be amended or assigned without written agreement of the University and Donors.

ASPR is proud to have helped uncover the following story: A wife shared with KSDK-TV (NBC) in St. Louis why her husband decided to take the PrecivityAD™ blood test after his doctor recommended it. He’s dealing with memory loss and other cognitive issues; they feared he had Alzheimer’s disease. Ultimately, his doctor diagnosed him with a cognitive issue other than Alzheimer’s disease. Now they have the answers they need to better plan for his care. Watch the story about their experience: https://lnkd.in/dVS32HhT

Higher education has been dealing with many COVID-related hurdles, including an enrollment drop. Operation ReEngage organized an event for the National Digital Roundtable about successful strategies for reaching adults who’ve earned some college credits but never graduated. Adam Shapiro was proud to serve as the program moderator.

ASPR is proud to help our client, the Council for Professional Recognition, and its CEO, Dr. Calvin E. Moore, Jr., tell the story of diversity. Dr. Moore shared the following in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education:

“My career has led me to serve as the CEO of the Council for Professional Recognition, the first leader of this organization to also earn a CDA. We have nearly 1 million CDA-holders around the world. We’re a powerful, insightful group that plays a key role in helping close the COVID-related learning gap while also bringing equity to education.” https://bit.ly/3tduDVO

ASPR and its client were winners on a recent JEOPARDY! show. ASPR client C₂N Diagnostics was featured in the answer to a question that contestants needed to form. The correct question was, “What is Alzheimer’s disease?” None of the contestants were able to form the correct question. The opportunity on the popular game show came about because of a strategic communications plan executed to launch the new diagnostic test. The JEOPARDY! spotlight also created important opportunities on social media to leverage this moment in the spotlight, including supportive tweets from guest host Bruno Cohen. Learn more about the PrecivityAD™ blood test that’s helping clinicians diagnose Alzheimer’s disease at www.precivityAD.com.

Patients, advocates, and physicians who have long awaited an easy to administer blood test that can help them better understand Alzheimer’s disease now have a health care innovation which they can rely upon.

A breakthrough in Alzheimer’s disease has arrived with the introduction of C2N Diagnostics’ PrecivityAD™ blood test into the clinic. Researchers at C₂N Diagnostics have found the PrecivityAD™ test predicts Alzheimer’s brain pathology in people with memory and thinking issues. Based on data from 686 patients older than 60 years of age with subjective cognitive impairment or dementia, the PrecivityAD™ test correctly identified brain amyloid plaque status (as determined by quantitative amyloid PET scans) in 86% of the patients. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) for the analysis had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.88. Further details of the test’s diagnostic performance are provided here.

The PrecivityAD™ test is a highly sensitive blood test using mass spectrometry and is performed in C₂N’s CLIA-certified lab. While the test by itself cannot diagnose Alzheimer’s disease — which is a clinical diagnosis made by a health care provider — the test is an important new tool for physicians to aid in the evaluation process.

The PrecivityAD™ test does not involve any radiation and is non-invasive. These features are expected to make the test more accessible than other diagnostic methods that physicians use to evaluate issues with memory and thinking.

Blood Test Unlocks Alzheimer’s Mysteries

The proprietary test involves a small blood sample from a person’s forearm. C₂N analyzes the blood in its specialized laboratory facility using mass spectrometry to measure the concentrations of amyloid beta 42 and 40 (Aβ42 and Aβ40), and the presence of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) isoforms in blood. The analysis process is automated and allows for C2N to process samples in a routine and repeatable manner.

C2N will send the physician the patient’s lab report. The lab report details the levels of the biomarkers and provide an overall combined score, known as the Amyloid Probability Score (APS), to assess the likelihood of amyloid plaques in the brain, which are a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

• A low APS (0-36) is consistent with a negative amyloid PET scan result and, thus, a low likelihood of amyloid plaques. Absence of amyloid plaques is inconsistent with an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and indicates other causes of cognitive symptoms should be investigated.

• An intermediate APS (37-57) does not distinguish between the presence or absence of amyloid plaques and indicates further diagnostic evaluation may be needed to assess the underlying cause(s) for the patient’s cognitive symptoms.

• A high APS (58-100) is consistent with a positive amyloid PET scan result and, thus, a high likelihood of amyloid plaques. Presence of amyloid plaques is consistent with an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in someone who has cognitive decline, but alone is insufficient for a final diagnosis; clinical presentation and other factors should be considered along with the APS.

Knowing that a patient’s symptoms may be due to Alzheimer’s can help inform a physician to prescribe specific Alzheimer’s treatments or lifestyle interventions in order to aid in the management of the disease. A recent study of patients adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors found a dramatic reduction in risk of dementia, between 37% and ~60%, depending on intensity of the behavioral changes.

Joel B. Braunstein, MD, CEO of C₂N says, “Our mission is to translate exceptional science into unique diagnostics that can help as many people as possible. The PrecivityAD™ blood test introduces a new option for patients, families and the medical community that have eagerly awaited innovative tools to address Alzheimer’s troubling problems.”

Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulators have granted C₂N’s lab a certificate; CLIA regulates clinical labs to ensure accurate and reliable test results for patient specimens.

The company is also moving ahead with development of a Brain Health Panel that seeks to detect multiple blood-based markers for Alzheimer’s disease to aid in better disease staging, treatment monitoring, and differential diagnosis.

Alzheimer’s Community Applauds Breakthrough

“This is an exciting and much-needed development,” says George Vradenburg, chairman and co-founder of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. “The advance of blood-based tests for use by physicians in the Alzheimer’s diagnostic process is occurring at a much more rapid pace than many in the field have appreciated. Accessible, affordable, and earlier testing by physicians is essential to understand the underlying cause of any cognitive impairment and to more effectively make or rule out a clinical Alzheimer’s diagnosis. It is equally important that government and private payers fairly reimburse for the costs of any Alzheimer’s test that can aid in a physician’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s so that all Americans, regardless of income, can, if they wish, know whether they have Alzheimer’s or not.”

Jeff Cummings, MD, ScD, founding director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and research professor, department of brain health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, says, “Advances in Alzheimer’s diagnostics are key to more effective identification, diagnosis and clinical trial recruitment. A blood test for Alzheimer’s is a game changer.”

Visit www.PrecivityAD.com or call 1-877-226-3424 to learn more. The test is available in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico; the exceptions are California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York, which require individual state processes for CLIA labs. C₂N is working toward the requisite certificates that will permit the PrecivityAD™ test to be available in these states in the near future. Please periodically refer to the www.PrecivityAD.com or call 1-877-226-3424 for status updates on test availability in these five states.

Details about a financial assistance program and payment plans are also available.

Development of the PrecivityAD™ blood test has been funded partially by the National Institutes of Health, GHR Foundation, Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, and BrightFocus Foundation.

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About C₂N Diagnostics

C₂N’s Diagnostics’ vision is to bring Clarity Through Innovation™. It focuses its therapeutic discovery efforts around mechanism-based approaches to prevent or stop the progression of human neurological disorders. Diagnostic efforts revolve around bringing accurate, widely accessible, and cost-effective blood tests to the clinic for the betterment of patient care and brain health monitoring. Its lead commercial product, PrecivityAD™, is a mass spectrometry-based test that measures in blood multiple analytes including Aβ42, Aβ40, and apolipoprotein E isoforms. This test predicts brain amyloid plaques as determined by PET scan results and in early 2019 it received a Breakthrough Device Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For more information visit www.C2N.com.