Global research program provides strategic funding to fuel Alzheimer’s and dementia science and accelerate treatment
CHICAGO, AUGUST 25, 2020 — The Clinical trials investigating 16 promising therapies for Alzheimer’s and dementia are taking off thanks to $24 million in new grant funding from the Alzheimer’s Association’s Part the Cloud global research grant program and Bill Gates.
With this new funding, research teams from around the world will explore high risk, high reward therapies that focus on how brain cells use energy and fuel, how brain cells remove waste and debris from the brain, and how blood supply in the brain is maintained. The group of grants includes both experimental drugs and devices, and a mix between phase one and phase two trials.
“We must leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding treatments for Alzheimer’s and all other dementia, and Part the Cloud is designed to explore every feasible option in order to drive research forward to get potential treatment options to people living with Alzheimer’s faster,” said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association chief science officer.
In November 2019, Bill Gates joined the Alzheimer’s Association Part the Cloud global research grant program led by visionary philanthropist Mikey Hoag. Gates’ award of $10 million stimulated an additional $20 million in funding by the Alzheimer’s Association, through Part the Cloud, doubling the program’s total clinical research investments to $60 million in just one year.
"I couldn’t be more thrilled to see how Part the Cloud has grown. Thanks to philanthropic partners like Bill Gates, Part the Cloud is able to invest in more cutting-edge science, and fund researchers who are pushing science into new territories,” said Mikey Hoag. “Having seen both of my parents suffer from Alzheimer's, it is my mission to help move this innovative research forward to find answers."
With dementia affecting 50 million people worldwide, and
5 million in the U.S. alone, there is an urgent need to identify therapies capable of preventing or reversing brain cell damage inflicted by Alzheimer’s and other causes of dementia. Part the Cloud awards are specifically designed to accelerate translation of findings from the laboratory, through trials, into possible therapies — filling the gap in Alzheimer's drug development by providing essential support for early-phase clinical studies.
Part the Cloud is part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s robust research platform, the largest nonprofit research program focused on Alzheimer’s and dementia globally. This research program actively brings together government, academia, companies and philanthropists to support the efforts of researchers and accelerate science to achieve effective treatments.
The 2020 Part the Cloud-Gates Partnership Grant Program awardees include:
- Anat Biegon, Ph.D., The Research Foundation of SUNY- SUNY at Stony Brook, USA
- Christopher Wright, MD, Ph.D., Cyclerion Therapeutics Inc., USA
- Davangere P Devanand, MD, Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Inc. at New York State Psychiatric Institute, USA
- Einor Ben Assayag, Ph.D., and Hen Hallevi, MD, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel
- Eti Yoles, Ph.D., and Michal Schwartz, Ph.D., ImmunoBrain Checkpoint, Inc., USA
- Hung-Kai Chen, MD, Ph.D., Elixiron Immunotherapeutics Inc., Taiwan
- John Didsbury, Ph.D., T3D Therapeutics, Inc., USA
- Krista L Lanctôt, Ph.D., Sunnybrook Research Institute, Canada
- Li-Huei Tsai, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
- Miia Kivipelto, MD, Ph.D., Imperial College London, United Kingdom
- Nir Grossman, Ph.D., Imperial College London, United Kingdom
- Paul Edison, MD, Ph.D., MPhil, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
- Sudha Seshadri, MD, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, USA
- Thomas Wisniewski, MD, New York University School of Medicine, USA
- David Celermajer, Ph.D, D.Sc., The Brain Protection Company, Australia
- Dan Iosifescu, MD, New York University School of Medicine, USA
To learn more about the Part the Cloud-Gates Partnership Grant Program, including current and future funding opportunities, visit
alz.org/speed.
About the Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia®. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.