Courtesy of Bloomberg.com

Victoria Jackson, a cosmetics entrepreneur whose husband, Bill Guthy, co-founded direct marketer Guthy-Renker LLC, is among the new breed. Her daughter, Ali, came down with a central nervous system disorder at age 14 called neuromyelitis optica, which can cause blindness.

Since then, Jackson has spent more than $15 million on her foundation to develop treatments. Ali, now 18, has avoided severe complications by taking immunosuppressants.

Jackson says scientists often work independently with their own agendas, wasting money.

“I manage where every dime goes and make sure there is complete disclosure and collaboration among the researchers,” she says.

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