HudsonAlpha gets anonymous $2.5M donation for Alzheimer’s research
HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) - The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology has revealed it got a pleasant surprise in December: an anonymous $2.5 million donation for the Institute's Memory & Mobility Fund.
The M&M Fund was founded in 2016 to research neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS, Huntington's disease, and other neurodegenerative conditions.
This donation brings the M&M Fund about $400,000 away from its $4.3 million goal for the Alzheimer's project.
"We are overwhelmed with gratitude and deeply humbled. This generous gift allows us to begin a unique Alzheimer disease project that has the potential to lead to earlier diagnosis and new treatments," said HudsonAlpha president and science director Rick Myers, who also leads the Alzheimer's project.
The project involves genomic sequencing for more than 1,500 patients with Alzheimer's and other dementias. Additionally, researchers will study the immunogenomics of neurodegenerative disease.
"HudsonAlpha has a rare opportunity to conduct truly groundbreaking research in Alzheimer disease through this project. What we learn could help us diagnose earlier, monitor treatments better and lead to drug discoveries for new treatments," Myers said in a press release.
HudsonAlpha must raise an additional $1.5 million through the M&M Fund in order to treat the entire set of patients, which includes an additional 750 sufferers of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
"These diseases impact tens of millions of people every year, and their families as well. I believe we will change their stories through this work. It is an incredibly compelling reason to give," said Myers.
Learn more about the M&M Fund at HudsonAlpha here.
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