PPN

What PPN does

PANDAS Physicians Network (PPN), a division of the Foundation for Brain Science and Immunology, Inc. (a North Carolina nonprofit founded in 2014), is a physician network and clinical guidance organization dedicated to advancing recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) and PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections). PPN connects medical professionals across pediatrics, neurology, psychiatry, and immunology, serving as the authoritative resource for clinicians worldwide who treat these immune-mediated neuroinflammatory conditions. The organization is led by President Dr. David Brick, Chief Science Officer Dr. Susan Swedo (the NIMH scientist emeritus who first described PANDAS in 1998, joined 2019), and Executive Director Susan Boaz.

PPN's core product is the PPN Guidelines for Diagnostics and Therapeutics — a suite of structured clinical resources including PANS and PANDAS diagnostic criteria, severity-based treatment flowcharts (mild, moderate, severe/extreme cases), the PANS Symptom Rating Scale, and treatment protocols covering antibiotics, immunomodulatory therapies (IVIG, plasmapheresis, steroids), and CBT/ERP. These are living documents developed and updated by multidisciplinary expert committees from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Georgetown, NIH, and NIMH, published in part through the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology (2017). Complementary products include a Practitioner Directory (6,000+ users since May 2017), CME-accredited on-demand webinars, a curated research library, and translated clinical materials in 10 languages.

PPN operates a nonprofit business model with no product sales. Membership is free for physicians and medical professionals, providing email alerts, research updates, grant eligibility, and directory inclusion. Revenue is generated entirely through charitable donations and grant funding; the organization has awarded over $500,000 in research grants across 6+ institutions including Stanford ($240,000 multi-year commitment), Harvard, Columbia, Massachusetts General Hospital, and University of Oklahoma. Outreach channels include medical journal advertising (AAP News, Pediatrics), national conference exhibiting (AAP, AACAP, IOCDF, AAFP), social media, email newsletters (33% open rates), and printed clinical materials distributed to medical offices and school nurses.

Name

PPN

Legal name

Foundation for Brain Science and Immunology, Inc.

Website

https://pandasppn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PANDAS Physicians Network (PPN) is a North Carolina nonprofit physician network that develops and disseminates evidence-informed clinical guidelines, diagnostic flowcharts, and CME education for PANS and PANDAS. It serves clinicians worldwide via a free membership model funded by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mooresville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Research Funding: PPN operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations and research grants. The organization awards grants to researchers studying PANS/PANDAS and relies on charitable contributions to support operations, outreach, and educational initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PPN provides evidence-informed clinical guidelines, severity-based diagnostic and treatment flowcharts, CME-accredited education, and a practitioner directory for physicians diagnosing and treating PANS and PANDAS. The organization also funds research grants and operates a free membership program for medical professionals across pediatrics, neurology, psychiatry, and immunology.

Product overview

PPN (PANDAS Physicians Network) is a medical professional organization that provides evidence-informed clinical resources for the diagnosis and treatment of PANS and PANDAS. The organization operates a suite of interconnected products including diagnostic guidelines (PANS and PANDAS), severity-based treatment flowcharts (mild, moderate, severe cases), a practitioner directory, CME-accredited education, research publications, and membership programs. The PPN Guidelines for Diagnostics and Therapeutics are developed by committees from top academic medical institutions and serve as industry-standard clinical references.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PPN Diagnostic and Treatment Flowcharts Evidence-informed diagnostic and treatment pathway flowcharts for clinicians managing PANS and PANDAS patients, with severity-based protocols covering antibiotics, immunomodulatory therapies, CBT/ERP, and other interventions.
• PANS Diagnostic Guidelines Clinical diagnostic criteria for PANS based on abrupt onset of OCD or severely restricted food intake with concurrent neuropsychiatric symptoms from at least 2 of 7 categories.
• PANDAS Diagnostic Guidelines Clinical diagnostic criteria for PANDAS developed with input from NIMH, including presence of OCD/tics, age requirements, acute/episodic course, GAS association, and neurological abnormalities.
• PPN Practitioner Directory Online directory connecting families with physicians and medical professionals experienced in evaluating and managing PANS and PANDAS. Used by nearly 6,000 users since launch.
• PANS/PANDAS Treatment Guidelines (JCAP 2017) Treatment guidelines published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology covering antimicrobials, immunomodulatory therapies, and infection management based on symptom severity.
• CME-Accredited Education CME-accredited continuing medical education programs for physicians and medical professionals, including webinars and educational materials on PANS/PANDAS diagnosis and treatment.
• PANS Symptom Rating Scale Clinical assessment tool to evaluate and track the presence and severity of PANS symptoms for clinical evaluation and treatment planning.
• PPN Research Library Curated publications and clinical insights on the evolving understanding of PANS and PANDAS for medical professionals.
• Seeing Your First Child with PANS/PANDAS Practical guidance document for clinicians managing a child with suspected PANS or PANDAS, highlighting initial evaluation steps, key clinical signs, and early management strategies.
• PPN Membership Program Free membership program for physicians and medical professionals providing email alerts, practitioner directory inclusion, grant eligibility, and access to clinical resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reached 10,000+ clinicians through outreach in 2021
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Stanford University - Immune Behavioral Health CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026PPN awarded an $80,000 gift to support clinical operations and research at Stanford's Immune Behavioral Health Clinic, including a dedicated program manager and whole genome sequencing initiatives. This is part of a $240,000 multi-year commitment supporting advances in PANS/PANDAS care and scientific research. PPN has also supported Stanford's bio-repository building efforts ($150,000 over 3 years), metabolomic and biomarker research ($25,000 in 2025), and multiple individual researcher grants totaling over $250,000.
• Columbia University - Agalliu LabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025PPN awarded $30,000 to Dr. Uğur Akcan in the Agalliu Lab to study how RXRA genetic risk factors affect immune responses triggering immune-mediated neuropsychological changes including obsessive-compulsive behaviors. This research provides insights into how the adaptive and innate immune systems contribute to post-infectious sequelae in the brain.
• University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025PPN awarded grants totaling over $80,000 to Dr. Chandra Menendez and the Cunningham Lab for research characterizing specific immune responses and identifying pathogenic autoantibodies in PANS/PANDAS, with focus on Th1/Th17 pathways and B cell dysregulation. Work includes distinguishing neurological signaling functions of autoantibodies targeting dopamine receptors.
• Harvard Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024PPN awarded $50,000 to Dr. Lauren Breithaupt at Harvard Medical School for development and evaluation of a clinical assessment for PANDAS and PANS. This project represents a new partnership between Harvard and Stanford, collaborating with Dr. Jennifer Frankovich and Dr. Allison Vreeland to establish standard guidelines for assessing PANS/PANDAS criteria and severity.
• American Academy of PediatricsmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022PPN exhibited at the AAP national conference and coordinated educational ads reaching pediatricians. Over 20,000 conference attendees learned about PANS/PANDAS through PPN resources at this and previous AAP conferences.
• International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021PPN is an official educational partner of IOCDF. PPN had a virtual booth at IOCDF's conference with 2,500 attendees and helped coordinate sessions including research updates and community discussions. Collaboration includes town hall events featuring PANS/PANDAS experts.
• Dr. Madeleine Cunningham (University of Oklahoma)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020PPN awarded grant to Dr. Madeleine Cunningham to identify biomarkers for PANS/PANDAS and Sydenham Chorea. The goal is to improve diagnosis with as much accuracy as possible to confirm diagnosis with biomarkers rather than by exclusion.
• Massachusetts General HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019PPN awarded $10,000 to Dr. Kyle Williams to evaluate the treatment effect of NSAIDs on PANDAS symptoms in the first controlled trial of its kind. Dr. Williams directs the Pediatric Neuropsychiatry and Immunology Program in the OCD and Related Disorders Program at MGH.
• Dr. Elizabeth Mellins (Stanford University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019PPN awarded research grant to Dr. Mellins to investigate immune cells that travel through blood to the brain during PANS. These cells are not found in other types of inflammation and may provide important clues to the basis of PANS.
• Dr. Jennifer Frankovich (Stanford University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016PPN awarded grant to Dr. Frankovich for work on genetic markers and immunophenotypes associated with PANS. Early findings from Stanford's PANS clinic showed significant correlation of a genetic marker in patients with PANS symptoms.

Scale indicators20 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American College of Rheumatology (ACR): Major US professional society for rheumatologists, with several of PPN's grantees (e.g., Stanford PANS Clinic, Cunningham Lab at Oklahoma) operating in pediatric rheumatology. Comparable as a clinician-education and research-grant organization, but with broader scope and substantially larger scale than PPN.
• National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD): Large US rare-disease advocacy nonprofit that supports research and clinician resources across hundreds of conditions. While not focused on PANS/PANDAS specifically, NORD is structurally comparable as a donor-funded nonprofit advancing awareness, guidelines, and research funding for under-recognized conditions.
• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): The dominant US pediatric professional society with which PPN partners (AAP conferences, AAP News features, AAP chapter outreach). Comparable as a pediatrician-facing clinical authority and CME provider, but vastly larger in scope and resources and not focused on PANS/PANDAS.
• Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS): Professional society advancing pediatric infectious disease research, training, and clinical guidance. Directly relevant because PANDAS is defined by its post-streptococcal infectious trigger; PIDS operates the same physician-education, research-grant, and conference model as PPN but at much broader scale.

Direct peers

• Immune Deficiency Foundation (IDF): Patient and physician nonprofit focused on immune-mediated conditions, providing clinician education, CME resources, research funding, and advocacy. Operates a near-identical model to PPN (donor-funded nonprofit producing clinical guidance and research grants for an immune-mediated condition niche).
• International OCD Foundation (IOCDF): Nonprofit organization focused on OCD and related disorders including PANS/PANDAS. IOCDF is already a formal educational partner of PPN, serving overlapping clinician and patient communities with conferences, research support, and clinical resources — directly comparable in mission, audience, and delivery model.
• PANDAS Network: Patient-advocacy nonprofit dedicated to PANS/PANDAS awareness and physician education. Operates in the same disease niche as PPN with overlapping stakeholder communities (families, clinicians, researchers), making it the most directly comparable peer in terms of condition focus and audience.
• Tourette Association of America: National nonprofit serving patients with Tourette Syndrome and tic disorders, which clinically overlap with PANS/PANDAS (tics are part of PANDAS diagnostic criteria). Operates with the same clinician-education-and-research-funding model targeting pediatric neurology and psychiatry audiences.

Emerging players

• Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA): Pediatric rheumatology research consortium funded by grants and member institutions to develop treatment protocols for juvenile autoimmune conditions. Comparable in operating model (nonprofit coordinating research across academic centers and producing clinician-facing protocols) and topical overlap (autoimmune-mediated pediatric disease).
• Moleculera Labs: Commercial clinical laboratory offering the Cunningham Panel of antibody tests for PANS/PANDAS and related post-infectious autoimmune conditions. Addresses the same diagnostic gap PPN's guidelines target but as a for-profit testing service rather than an educational nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pandasppn
• Facebookfacebook.com/pandasphysiciansnetwork
• Instagraminstagram.com/pandasppn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about PPN