CHICAGO (Feb. 3, 2004)-The Alzheimer Research Consortium, a novel public-private consortium designed to combat Alzheimer's disease (AD) by supporting the development of new research model systems, announced today that its first grants have been awarded to Emory University and Harvard University.

At Emory University, Anthony Chan, D.V.M., Ph.D., received funding for his project "Transgenic rat models of Alzheimer's disease." The grant to Harvard will fund the project "Novel fly and mouse models for the p25/Cdk5 kinase" in the laboratory of Li-Huei Tsai, D.V.M., Ph.D., a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

The Consortium seeks to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and cure of AD by promoting the development of new research models that mimic features of the devastating human disease. Models developed with funding from the Alzheimer Research Consortium will be made available in an equitable fashion to Alzheimer researchers in academia, non-profit organizations, and in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

Founding Members of the Consortium include the Alzheimer Association, the Institute for the Study of Aging, and Pfizer Inc. A scientific advisory board consisting of leaders in the AD research community reviewed the grant proposals and made recommendations for funding to the Consortium's Board of Trustees.

"The development of effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases represents a major challenge to researchers in academia, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry," said William Thies, Ph.D., president of the consortium and vice-president for medical and scientific affairs at the Alzheimer's Association. "This consortium represents a unique partnership between non-profit and for-profit entities seeking to advance the state-of-the-art in Alzheimer research."

"The expectation is that within three years, recipients of funds from the Alzheimer Research Consortium will have produced one or more novel models of Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Fillit, executive director of the Institute for the Study of Aging, a New York-based foundation. "These models will lead to better understanding of the disease process and new tools for drug discovery."

Scientists estimate that currently 4.5 million people in the United States have Alzheimer's disease, including more than 10 percent of all people over age 65 and nearly half of those over age 85. For every 5-year age group beyond 65, the percentage of people with AD doubles. The group of people over age 85 is the fastest growing segment of the population; by 2050, as many as 16 million older Americans are expected to have AD. The annual cost of AD in the US today is more than $100 billion.

Dr. Thies said that the Consortium plans to issue a new request for proposals (RFP) in the spring of 2004 for funding in early 2005. He added, "While we have some useful drugs for treating AD symptoms, we need to develop medications that will stop the progression of the disease as well as treatments that will prevent the disease from occurring. Better animal models of AD pathology and the underlying mechanisms of the disease will enable the scientific community to further understand the disease process and test potential drug candidates."

See more information on the Alzheimer Research Consortium.

Niles Frantz
Alzheimer's Association
312-335-777
Niles.Frantz@alz.org

Liz Power
Pfizer Inc
860-732-4987
Elizabeth.Power@pfizer.groton.com

Howard Fillit, MD
The Institute for the Study of Aging, Inc.
212-572-4086
hfillit@aging-institute.org