Since its inception in 2012, Part the Cloud has raised more than $65 million accelerating 65 high risk, high reward research projects, and researchers have gone on to receive more than $1 billion in follow-on funding. Six new projects across the globe were selected, including projects that explore the potential of intranasal insulin and other innovative targets to treat mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s and other dementia. 

The recent Part the Cloud grant awardees include:

• Ross Paterson, Ph.D., Institute of Neurology, University College London, United Kingdom: Capturing tau kinetics in a clinical trial of ASO NI0752 in Alzheimer's.

• Jan Johansson, M.D., Ph.D., Artery Therapeutics, Inc., San Ramon, CA, U.S.A.: Human proof of concept of ABCA1 agonist CS6253 treatment.

• Hung-Kai Kevin Chen, M.D. Ph.D., Elixiron Immunotherapeutics, Taipei, Taiwan: Modulating neuroinflammation by targeting microglia with the CSF-1R inhibitor EI-1071.

• Suzanne Craft, Ph.D., Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, U.S.A.: A Phase IIA Trial of Empagliflozin and Intranasal Insulin for MCI/AD.

• Michal Schnaider Beeri, Ph.D., Sheba Medical Center, Israel, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, USA: Combination of intranasal insulin and dulaglutide to improve cognition in older adults with metabolic syndrome and high dementia risk

• Amala Soumyanath, Ph.D., and Joseph Quinn, M.D., Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.: Safety and Target Engagement of Centella asiatica in Cognitive Impairment.

Read more about the six new Part the Cloud grants.

In a recent Wall Street Journal Opinion piece, Andy Kessler focused on “The Alzheimer’s Cure Conundrum” and how innovative programs like Part the Cloud aim to address the wide gap in drug development, also known as the “valley of death.” Heather M. Snyder explains how Part the Cloud, in partnership with the Alzheimer's Association®, evaluates and funds high-risk, high-reward research. Read how we’re moving the needle in research through philanthropy.

In this recent NPR piece, Jon Hamilton reports how people with Down Syndrome are crucial participants for clinical research in Alzheimer’s because an extra copy of chromosome 21 increases their risk of getting the disease. In partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, Part the Cloud-funded researcher Huntington Potter, Ph.D., talks about establishing his proof of concept, which led to more funding and expanding the trial to study the drug leukine in more populations. This is a powerful example of why we must continue to fund potential therapies based on strong science to move forward to the clinic that may benefit all people living with Alzheimer’s disease and all other dementia. Read more here.

Peter Ljubenkov, M.D., University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has been fascinated with the brain ever since he began studying neuroscience. “It's fascinating that these key aspects of your human experience and what you remember – what you love and ways you interact with other people – have a root in a physical organ, your brain,” he says.

In this instance, all the sites have specific and focused expertise on frontotemporal dementia, such as Mayo Clinic, University of Pennsylvania, Houston Methodist, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, and Northwestern University, in addition to UCSF. These sites are affiliated with the NIH-funded ALLFTD multicenter cooperative study, and have collaborative experience collecting data in a standardized way, which is important to advance knowledge and research.

Read how a personal connection to Alzheimer’s disease inspired Dr. Ljubenkov to begin his journey.

The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference^® (AAIC^®) 2022 is the largest and most influential international meeting dedicated to advancing dementia science. Each year, AAIC convenes the world’s leading basic science and clinical researchers, next-generation investigators, clinicians and the care research community to share research discoveries that'll lead to methods of prevention and treatment and improvements in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

To stay up-to-date on the latest research news from Part the Cloud funded researchers at AAIC, download the Science Hub app, available where you get your apps.