THE CARDINAL FAMILY SCHOLARS FUND FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RESEARCH


Accelerating scientific discovery while supporting the next generation of leaders in Alzheimer’s research


Providing extraordinary support to early- and mid-career scientists emerging as the next generation of Alzheimer’s disease leaders, Cardinal Family Scholars receive robust two-year support for research, personnel, supplies, scientific communication, and professional development opportunities unique to the program. Scholars are enabled to expand the reach of their research programs, strengthen mentorship within their teams, and build the leadership capacity needed to advance transformative progress in the field. Each cohort will include at least five Scholars, with a goal of supporting a minimum of twenty Scholars between 2026–2030.

In 2025, the inaugural cohort of six Cardinal Family Scholars received support toward their CureAlz-funded projects.

Rachel Bennett
RACHEL BENNETT, PH.D.
Harvard Medical School | Massachusetts General Hospital
“Alzheimer’s Disease Tau Consortium: Toxic Consequences of Early Tau Seeding”
Read the lay summary

 

Lulu Jiang
LULU JIANG, M.D., PH.D.
University of Virginia
“The Role of Planar Cell Polarity Proteins in Tau Oligomer-Induced Synapse Degeneration”
Read the lay summary

 

Doo Yeon Kim
DOO YEON KIM, PH.D.
Harvard Medical School | Massachusetts General Hospital
“Exploring Novel Drug Candidates for Alzheimer’s Disease Through Integrative Pathway Analysis and Validation in 3D Cellular Models”
Read the lay summary

 

Jorge Palop
JORGE PALOP, PH.D.
Gladstone Institutes | University of California, San Francisco
“Developing Cell-Type-Specific Enhancer-AAV Vectors to Characterize and Restore Amyloid Beta- and Tau-Dependent Circuit and Cognitive Deficits in Humanized Alzheimer’s Mouse Models”
Read the lay summary

 

Hagen Tilgner
HAGEN TILGNER, PH.D.
Weill Cornell Medicine
“A Three-Dimensional Tissue Model Linking Tau Tangles, Amyloid Beta and Microglial CD33-Isoform State to Gene- and Isoform-Expression Dysregulation”
Read the lay summary

 

Andrew Yang
ANDREW YANG, PH.D.
Gladstone Institutes | University of California, San Francisco
“Decoding Protein Transport Across the Blood-Brain Barrier to Enable New Alzheimer’s Therapies”
Read the lay summary