Barbara Handelin of Audacity Therapeutics is on an important mission to change the way in which funds can be raised for drug development and/or repurposing to meet the needs of the 90 per cent of us who have a condition with no effective treatment. She and her team’s work may likely change an industry.

What I am talking about here is a change from focusing on headline-grabbing “blockbusters” engineered by Wall Street/Pharma,  to instead developing products to treat any disease based on huge medical impact vs market value.  ( much less profitable…but, nonetheless much needed.)

Given she is a woman with a Ph.D. with significant credentials as a pioneer in her field, is it proper to portray her in a cartoon? To place her important work and mission into a mini graphic-novel? A piece of art that appears as a circular mandala exhorting in an almost spiritual way why change is needed in the business model in her industry?

Yes.

If for one reason alone, the ability of a cartoon to get complex messages across in a visual fashion that is simple, colorful and impactful is undisputed. Otherwise, consider the near-impossibility of rendering 40 years of professional and industry experience and scholarly writings into a medium that doesn’t require its audience to have an advanced degree. But, to still come away educated and appreciative.

As any schoolteacher can attest to, the interest generated by a cartoon in its reader can often lead that person into a deeper dive and more traditional way in which to get educated and then take action on that learning.

So, take a tour of Barbara’s professional life and see if you can identify with the purpose and importance of her mission.  You do? You can reach her directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Before doing so, you might want to read her article titled “ We can have our medicines and afford them too.”