The American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF), a nonprofit organization that funds innovative, early-stage research on Alzheimer’s disease, today announced it has awarded 19 new grants, totaling more than $3.4 million dollars, to scientists worldwide. Alzheimer’s disease, a degenerative disorder that destroys brain function and eventually leads to death from complete brain failure, is the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S.

Currently, more than five million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to rise dramatically with the aging of the Baby Boomer generation. An estimated 15 million Americans will suffer from the illness by 2050.
“AHAF supports the type of cutting-edge research represented in this year’s grants, to help end a disease that is so devastating for patients and their families,” noted AHAF President and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller. “Only through bold ideas and pushing the limits of scientific knowledge can we find better ways to prevent, detect, and treat Alzheimer’s disease,” she said.

“Our grantees are building upon some of the major breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s disease research announced in the last few years,” said AHAF Vice President for Scientific Affairs Guy Eakin, Ph.D. “Scientists are learning more and more about how certain cell proteins contribute to the brain function problems found in Alzheimer’s patients,” added Eakin. “Once identified, these proteins can be targeted in drug therapies. This year, we support several projects that bring us much closer to testing new drugs in human clinical trials,” he said.

Published: Monday, July 11, 2011

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/american-health-assistance-foundation-announces-19-grants-cutting-122608291.html

American Health Assistance Foundation Announces 19 New Grants for Cutting-Edge Alzheimer’s Disease Research; 22 Awards for Eye-Disease Research Also Announced