News — CLEVELAND–Harrington Discovery Institute to University Hospitals and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) announce a joint call for tenders for the ADDF-Harrington Scholarship 2022. The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Prize is designed to accelerate the translation of innovative research that may treat, prevent, or slow Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) is open to academic researchers from accredited medical centers, research institutes, and universities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Researchers working on drug development programs that are relevant to the field of Alzheimer’s disease, but not currently focused on it, are also encouraged to apply. This award offers a combination of financial support and expert advice in drug development to provide the best chance of taking research beyond the bench to the bedside.

“The ADDF-Harrington partnership helps researchers move academic discoveries into clinical trials, bringing science closer to developing effective treatments for people living with or at risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Howard Fillit, MD. , co-founder and scientific director. of the ADDF. “Our focus on novel therapeutic approaches will add to the promising pipeline of drugs that target the many different biological pathways that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. The ultimate goal is to develop an arsenal of effective treatments that we can combine in different ways to personalize care according to each patient’s needs.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for innovative researchers looking to develop ways to protect and treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,” said Andrew A. Pieper, MD, PhD. , director of the Center for Brain Health Medicines at the Harrington Discovery Institute, Morley Mather Chair in Neuropsychiatry at University Hospitals and Rebecca Barchas, MD, Chair in Translational Neuropsychiatry at Case Western Reserve University. “The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award demonstrates our commitment to developing diverse new classes of drugs that are not traditionally sought after in the field.”

The 2022 ADDF-Harrington Scholar RFP call places a high priority on targets related to emerging therapeutic areas for dementia and seeks in particular projects related to:

• Epigenetics – including nucleosome dynamics, chromatin remodeling, DNA methylation, histone modifications [methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitylation, sumoylation]bromodomain protein modulators, isocitrate dehydrogenase modulators.
• Neurovascular health – including blood-brain barrier function and integrity, cerebral hypoperfusion, nutrient delivery to the brain, endothelial interaction with pericytes and astrocytes.

Other new targets are encouraged. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Proteostasis
• Neuroprotection
• Synaptic activity and neurotransmitters
• Inflammation
• Mitochondria and metabolic function
• ApoE
• Other targets of aging (e.g. senescent cells)

The winners will receive financial support up to $600,000 over two years, as well as dedicated drug development and project management support. Proposals must propose creative science or new approaches to treat, prevent or slow Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Letters of Intent (LOI) will be accepted by July 18, 2022 5:00 p.m. EDT. Letter of Intent applications must be submitted online here.

We encourage an interactive application process to solicit the best candidates. Requests for scientific information can be addressed either to:

Andrew A. Pieper, MD, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Drugs for Brain Health
Harrington Discovery Institute
[email protected]

Where

Meriel Owen, PhD
Deputy Director, Scientific Affairs
Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation
[email protected]

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About the ADDF-Harrington Scholar Prize
The ADDF and Harrington Discovery Institute formed a partnership in 2013 to leverage the organizations combined expertise and resources to advance highly promising Alzheimer’s disease discovery projects at academic and medical institutions. . The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award was created as a result of this partnership and helps scientists chart the course from the laboratory to clinical studies to improve the lives of people living with and at risk of Alzheimer’s disease. To learn more, visit: HarringtonDiscovery.org/ADDF.

About Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF)
Founded in 1998 by Leonard A. and Ronald S. Lauder, the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation is dedicated to rapidly accelerating the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer’s disease. The ADDF is the only public charity focused exclusively on funding drug development for Alzheimer’s disease, employing a venture philanthropy model to support research in universities and the biotech industry. Through the generosity of its donors, the ADDF has awarded more than $209 million to fund more than 690 Alzheimer’s disease drug and biomarker discovery programs and clinical trials in 19 countries. To learn more, please visit: http://www.alzdiscovery.org/.

About the Harrington Discovery Institute
The Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals of Cleveland, OH, part of the Harrington Project for Discovery and Development, aims to advance medicine and society by enabling our nation’s most inventive scientists to turn their discoveries into medicines. that improve human health. The Harrington Discovery Institute was established in 2012 with a founding gift of $50 million from the Harrington family and exemplifies the commitment they share with teaching hospitals for a vision of a “better world”. For more information visit: HarringtonDiscovery.org.