Forbes, pharma reporter Matt Herper is summing up “Ten Lessons on Fighting Disease from Michael J. Fox.” The post recaps his conversation with Michael J. Fox and Debi Brooks at the inaugural Forbes Healthcare Summit earlier this month.

I guess it shouldn’t be that much of a shock that it took Alex P. Keaton to figure out how to catalyze drug development. Seven years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, actor Michael J. Fox decided to start a foundation to push for more research into the disease. Now the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research is playing a leading role in funding the development of new drugs – it is the sole backer of a test for a Parkinson’s vaccine – and in working with big pharmaceutical companies like Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb to keep experimental medicines moving through the pipeline. Its Fox Trial Finder helps patients find the right clinical trials for them. It has funded $313 million in clinical research, and is currently raising — and spending — money at a $60-million-a-year clip.

To read the 10 lessons, visit Forbes.com.