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Donate NowAlzheimer's Association Part the Cloud Grants $5 Million to Develop Innovative Gene Targeting Treatments
Started by philanthropist Michaela “Mikey” Hoag and the Alzheimer’s Association, Part the Cloud is known for its rigorous and robust review process, encouraging other investors to follow on from its initial funding to expand these innovative trials. To date, Part the Cloud-funded studies have garnered more than $1.6 billion in follow-on funding support.
Part the Cloud provides strategic funding to advance promising investigational Alzheimer’s therapies into clinical trials. The treatment targets are varied, which is important given the growing consensus that effective treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s is likely to be a personalized combination of multiple interventions targeting different aspects of the disease.
The new awards are the first recipients of the Part the Cloud Translational Gene Targeting Challenge. More than 100 genes are associated with risk for or resistance to the development of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. As a result, there is great potential for personalized gene editing and gene-related therapies.
The new Part the Cloud grant awardees are:
- Andrew Ahn, M.D., Ph.D., Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA (Julia Shirvan, M.D., Ph.D., Co-investigator, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals). Monitoring AD Progression in Phase 1 Trial of Mivelsiran in Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease. $1 million.
- Kiran Bhaskar, Ph.D., University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM. Virus-like particle based vaccines for tauopathies. $1 million.
- Evandro Fei Fang, Ph.D., Akershus University Hospital, Oslo, Norway (Martin Vyhnálek, M.D., Ph.D., Co-investigator, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic). Phase II clinical trial on the effect of urolithin A in Alzheimer’s disease. $2 million.
- Chien-liang "Glenn" Lin, Ph.D., The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Enhancement of Tripartite Glutamatergic Synapse. $1 million.
“Our Part the Cloud initiative continues its global leadership in seeding a wide-ranging treatment pipeline that drives the field forward toward effective treatments for everyone from all communities and at all stages of the disease. Now more than ever, it is crucial to fund visionary, forward-looking grants like these,” Carrillo said.
Started in 2012, Part the Cloud is 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 trials.
“Alzheimer’s and other diseases that cause dementia affect 50 million people worldwide, including over 7 million in the U.S. alone. It affected my family directly, unexpectedly and brutally, and it might impact yours, too. We must identify and test treatments that can slow, prevent or reverse the brain cell damage inflicted by these diseases,” said Hoag.
“I believe that therapies tailored to the genetic underpinnings of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias have very high potential to supercharge the field toward major breakthroughs,” Hoag added. “Part the Cloud has raised nearly $90 million to fund clinical trials with the highest probability of slowing, stopping or ultimately curing Alzheimer's disease. These grants are truly making a difference as we work to get one step closer to our vision of a world without Alzheimer's disease.”
To learn more about Part the Cloud, including current and future funding opportunities, visit alz.org/partthecloud.
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.