Cure Alzheimer’s Fund Closes 2008 with a Huge Win!

Posted August 20, 2009

We set out three years ago to jumpstart progress toward a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and we are succeeding.

  • The Alzheimer’s Genome Project™ (AGP), targeting the full set of Alzheimer’s genetic risk factors, identified seventy new genes, a tremendous result and truly breakthrough research.New genes open extensive novel scientific avenues for better understanding the disease and development of effective therapies.
  • Publications announcing these results have begun and findings will continue to be announced in coming months.
  • Other funded work, such as the AlzGene tool which allows researchers around the world to share and analyze information, is driving progress forward in unprecedented ways.

The personal and economic impact of Alzheimer’s is enormous and the path to a cure is through research.

 

Current treatments address only symptoms of the disease. Cure Alzheimer’s Fund provides fast and flexible funding to outstanding researchers who pursue new high potential ideas for effective intervention. To use a football analogy, we give researchers the opportunity to throw a 40-yard pass instead of struggling for slow gains of a few yards at a time. Our investment in the AGP allowed that kind of 40-yard pass.

Because of our AGP accomplishments, we must significantly increase funding to take advantage of important new knowledge platforms. Already, we are identifying the next ambitious goals that will push research closer to a cure.

Cure Alzheimer’s Fund needs your continued support to maintain the momentum. Our urgency is heightened because Alzheimer’s is the only major disease with increasing rates of mortality and 78 million boomers approaching high risk. We welcome your partnership. Please join us as we support research to cure this disease in our lifetime.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season,
Henry McCance, Jeff and Jacqui Morby, and Phyllis Rappaport