Prevention Pipeline

Grants to USA, Canada, and International clinicians and researchers working at universities, academic medical centers, nonprofits, and biotechnology companies for research on the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent prior to submitting a full application. Funding is intended to support studies of cognitive symptoms due to health conditions, comparative effectiveness research, and epidemiological studies that probe whether the use or choice of drugs alters the risk for dementia or cognitive decline.
The Prevention Beyond the Pipeline RFP supports:Studies of Cognitive Decline and Risk Reduction: Cognitive decline through aging and health conditions has been linked to an increased risk of dementia. The ADDF will consider funding programs to prevent and treat these conditions, including menopause-related cognitive symptoms, postoperative delirium, and postoperative cognitive decline, mild and/or repetitive traumatic brain injury, and chemotherapy-induced decline. Methods may include epidemiology or clinical trials. For clinical trial proposals, see the URL for Text, below, under “Expectations and Evaluation”.Comparative Effectiveness Research: For many health conditions, physicians have a choice of clinically equivalent drugs. Some of these drugs are being investigated for repurposing to treat Alzheimer’s or related dementias, due to potential disease-modifying properties that go beyond the treatment of their approved disease indication. The ADDF will consider funding research to generate an evidence base on whether choices in the routine clinical care of pre-existing conditions could protect from dementia. Priority will be given to the comparison of drugs that are otherwise clinically equivalent for the pre-existing condition. Methods may include randomized trials or epidemiology.Studies Leveraging the Consortium of Cohorts for Alzheimer’s Prevention Action (CAPA): Epidemiological studies contribute unmatched information on whether the risk of dementia or cognitive decline may be influenced by long-term exposure to supplements or medications. However, high-powered studies are needed, ideally with dose, duration, and responder profiles, in order to translate epidemiological research into actionable interventions for testing. Through the CAPA Consortium, the ADDF funds collaborative analyses on dementia prevention using a minimum of five longitudinal cohorts, either harmonized or analyzed through parallel analysis of cohorts using a shared analysis script. More information can be found here: https://www.alzdiscovery.org/research-and-grants/funding-opportunities/capa-consortiumType of therapy: Novel, repurposed, and repositioned drugs, as well as natural products and devices, will be considered. Therapeutic modalities of interest include small molecules, peptides, antibodies, gene therapies, antisense oligonucleotides, and stem cells. Other non-pharmacologic interventions, such as diet, meditation, and exercise, will not be considered.Drug mechanisms or modes of action: Novel drug mechanisms and modes of action related to the biology of aging and other emerging therapeutic areas for dementia are considered a high priority. These include, but are not limited to:EpigeneticsInflammationMitochondria & metabolic functionNeuroprotectionProteostasisSynaptic activity and neurotransmittersVascular functionOther mechanisms and modes of action related to the biology of aging (e.g., senescent cells)Other novel mechanisms or modes of action that are supported by compelling evidence demonstrated a rational biological connection to the disease process.