Alzheimer Research Consortium Formed to Advance State-of-the-Art Alzheimer Disease Research

Alzheimer's Association
Thursday, 25 September 2003

Alzheimer Research Consortium Announces Call for Research Proposals

A novel public-private consortium designed to combat Alzheimer's disease (AD) by supporting the development of new research model systems is seeking grant applications from scientists at universities and independent research institutes worldwide. The consortium is interested in developing new research models that mimic features of the devastating human disease. The group will help make these new models available to Alzheimer researchers in academia, non-profit organizations, and in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

The Alzheimer's Association, the Institute for the Study of Aging, and Pfizer Inc, are among the founding members of the consortium, each of which has agreed to provide funds for targeted research grants leading to improvements in the diagnosis, treatment, and cure of AD. A scientific advisory board consisting of leaders in Alzheimer research will review the grant proposals and make recommendations for funding to the consortium's board of trustees.

The consortium anticipates awarding between $500,000 and $750,000 in grants by Dec. 31, 2003. Founding members expect that the amount available each year will increase as other non-profit and for-profit institutions join the consortium, which is a 501(c)(3) public charity. The deadline for research grant applications is Oct. 27, 2003. Application instructions are available on the Alzheimer Research Forum website at http://www.alzforum.org/adconsortium.asp.

"The development of effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases represents a major challenge to researchers in academia, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry," says William Thies, Ph.D., president of the consortium and vice-president for medical and scientific affairs at the Alzheimer's Association. "This consortium represents a unique partnership between non-profit and for-profit entities seeking to advance the state-of-the-art in Alzheimer research."

The cause of Alzheimer's disease is not known. What is known is that the great majority of cases are not caused by a single gene, but by a combination of multiple genetic and environmental factors. "Decades of intense research have enabled scientists to identify key events in the progression of the disease and potential therapeutic targets," Dr. Thies adds. "While we have some useful drugs for treating AD symptoms, we need to develop medications that will stop the progression of the disease as well as treatments that will prevent the disease from occurring. Better animal models of AD pathology and the underlying mechanisms of the disease will enable the scientific community to further understand the disease process and test potential drug candidates."

Howard Fillit, M.D., executive director of the Institute for the Study of Aging, a New York-based private foundation endowed by the Estée Lauder Trust, says, "We want to encourage a multidisciplinary approach to creating and characterizing novel models. Successful proposals might focus on new techniques for creating animal models, behavioral paradigms relevant to AD, brain imaging techniques, the discovery and validation of relevant biomarkers, or characterization of naturally occurring animal models."

Models developed with funding from the Alzheimer Research Consortium will be made available in an equitable fashion to both academic and corporate scientists.

"The expectation is that within three years, recipients of funds from the Alzheimer Research Consortium will have produced one or more novel models of Alzheimer's disease," says Dr. Fillit. "These models will lead to better understanding of the disease process and new tools for drug discovery."

Scientists estimate that currently 4.5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's disease, including more than 10 percent of all people over age 65 and nearly half of those over age 85. For every 5-year age group beyond 65, the percentage of people with AD doubles. The group of people over age 85 is the fastest growing segment of the population; by 2050, as many as 16 million older Americans are expected to have AD. The annual cost of AD in the US today is more than $100 billion.

For more information, or to contact Alzheimer's Association, see their website at: www.alz.org