Alzheimer’s Research Centers & Organizations

From the organizations that raise money to fund research the the laboratories where this research is done, here are some of the best links related to Alzheimer’s research. Many of these centers have focus on understanding specific aspects of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, while other centers have more comprehensive approach.

These organizations and research centers will play a crucial role if we able to cure Alzheimer’s by 2025, which was the very ambitious goal set by Kathleen Sebelius and the Department of Health under the leadership of President Obama.

Organizations Raising Money for Alzheimer’s Research

• Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation
  A foundation focused on pharmacological strategies to prevent or cure Alzheimer’s disease
• The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
  A nonprofit foundation dedicated to fighting Alzheimer’s and supporting patients
• The Alzheimer’s Association International Research Grant Program
  The grant-giving arm of the Alzheimer’s Association
• Banner Alzheimer’s Initiative
  A leading institute for Alzheimer’s and dementia advocacy and research
• Coins for Alzheimer’s Research
  “Beginning in 1996 with Rotarians voluntarily emptying their pockets and purses of changes at weekly meetings, Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust aims to collect and provide dollars for leading-edge research for the cure and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.”
• Cure Alzheimer’s Fund
• A nonprofit that helps to fund cutting-edge research related to the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s and similar types of dementia
• Alzheimer’s Society (UK)
  Dedicated to defeating dementia through research. We fund research into the cause, cure, care and prevention of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.”
• Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research
  “Our team of internationally renowned scientists, under the direction of Nobel laureate Dr. Paul Greengard, has been at the forefront of seminal research that has provided a conceptual framework for modern day investigations into Alzheimer’s disease.”
• Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative
  The Beene Alzheimer’s Initiative has donated nearly $5 million for Alzheimer’s research, focusing much of their philanthropic giving on early detection of memory disorders.

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research Centers

While these centers may be exploring many avenues of research, we’ve grouped them based on their focuses:

National Alzheimer’s Centers

• National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC)
  “The Center coordinates data collection and fosters collaborative research among Alzheimer’s Disease Centers.”
• Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS)
  ADCS conducts clinical trials on promising compounds designed to improve cognitive functioning, slow the rate of decline, or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.” A New Yorker article explains the study is looking specifically at Amyloid clearing drugs.
• National Cell Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease (NCRAD)
  The Repository maintains a database of family histories and medical records and provides genetic researchers with cell lines and/or DNA samples.”

Centers Researching Alzheimer’s Neuroimaging

• John’s Hopkins School of Medicine Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
  John’s Hopkins Researchers are conducting numerous studies, including anti-amyloid therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. They are also researching the role of other brain chemicals in the formation of Alzheimer’s disease, such as tau, nicastrin and gamma secretase.
• Mayo Clinical Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
  Mayo Clinic researchers are studying using neuroimaging, such as PET Scans, to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.
• University of Pennsylvania Alzheimer’s Disease Center
  Among other avenues of investigation, this center is also studying promising diagnostic possibilities of brain imaging.

Research Centers Researching Genetics of Alzheimer’s

• Yale University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Unit
  Research is focused on genetic aspects of Alzheimer’s disease, in addition to new neuroimaging strategies.
• Mount Sinai School of Medicine Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
  Researchers are doing fascinating research into the genetic aspect of Alzheimer’s, and possible corresponding therapies. Some of their latest research “identifies potential therapeutic targets for Late Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (LOAD) by revealing a network of genes involved in the inflammatory response.”University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Center
  The center “emphasizes the research areas of Mitochondrial Genomics, Metabolism and neuroimaging.”
• The Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain
  Columbia University’s Alzheimer’s and dementia research center practice what they call “translational research.” Their website explains, “Translational research is an innovative approach to medical research that bridges the gap between basic science and clinical application to accelerate the development of new therapies.”

Research Centers Focusing on Diagnosis and Early Detection of Alzheimer’s

• University of Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Center
  The center conducts a wide variety of research, including studying the possible diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease with spinal column fluid.
• Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Center
  Research ranges from attempts to develop a blood test for the detection of Alzheimer’s disease, to the use of an anti-body called Gantenerumab in Alzheimer’s disease treatment.
• Arizona Alzheimer’s Disease Center/Sun Health Research Institute
  Much of the Arizona center’s research focus is on early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
• Oregon Health and Science University Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Center
  A focus of this center is the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, “demonstrating for the first time that there are structural as well as cognitive changes that can be detected in the brain years before memory problems are evident.”

Research Centers Studying Alzheimer’s Prevention and Causes of Alzheimer’s

• University of California – Irvine, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
  The center’s research extends towards nutritional factors associated with brain health, including the study of Omega-3 fatty acid.
• Washington University at St. Louis. Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
  Research center studying “causal factors” linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
• University of Washington Alzheimer’s Research Center
  The center’s focus is to investigate “the basic biological processes underlying Alzheimer’s disease and related memory disorders.”
• Emory University Alzheimer’s Disease Center
  Emory University researchers are investigating Alzheimer’s on a number of fronts. One area of research involves learning more about the role of Tau-proteins in the development of the disease.
• University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center
  Researchers in Texas are exploring whether free radicals in the brain may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

Centers with Other Avenues of Research or Comprehensive Research Strategies

• University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease Research
  The center is currently researching medication to reduce agitation in people with Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders.
• New York University Center of Excellence on Brain Aging
  The center is proud of its “comprehensive” or all-of-the-above approach to investigating Alzheimer’s disease and related kinds of dementia
• Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
  The center is currently conducting a wide variety of clinical trials, including on investigating how Tau-proteins are related to Alzheimer’s disease.

Other Alzheimer’s Research Centers

• Indiana University Alzheimer Disease Center
• Northwestern University Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center
• Rush University Medical Center Alzheimer’s Disease Center
• University of California – Davis, Alzheimer’s Disease Center
• University of Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease Center