Banner Alzheimer’s Institute receives prestigious grant to advance research

08/01/2024

NOMIS, a private Swiss foundation that supports insight-driven scientific endeavors across all disciplines, recently awarded the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute $2 million grant, with an additional $1 million forthcoming upon achievement of certain benchmarks. The funds will allow BAI and its partners to continue their groundbreaking research that began in 2012 in Antioquia, Colombia to find an effective prevention for Alzheimer’s disease.

In collaboration with the University of Antioquia in Colombia, Roche, and the National Institute on Aging, investigators from BAI’s Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative will be able to continue their study of and support for members of the world’s largest early-onset, autosomal-dominant Alzheimer’s disease kindred. The family in Colombia includes 6,000 descendants from a common ancestor—1,200 of whom carry a gene that causes them to develop Alzheimer’s disease and become cognitive impaired at the average age of 44.

“From the beginning, the NOMIS Foundation has played critical roles in our effort to understand and prevent Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Eric Reiman, Executive Director of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute. “We could not be more grateful for the chance to have them as our partner in this endeavor.”

NOMIS’ vision is to “create a spark” in the world of science by enabling and supporting pioneering research in the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities that benefits humankind and our planet. Their mission is to support and enable insight-driven science across all disciplines, focusing on researchers who put forth bold new ideas, exhibit a pioneering spirit, and seek to inspire the world around them. The Foundation serves as a catalyst for scientific and human progress by supporting interdisciplinary research, establishing collaborative research networks and developing strategic partnerships. In addition to providing financial support, NOMIS endeavors to develop and strengthen the conditions conducive to the pursuit of high-risk basic research.

The Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative was established in 2009 by the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute to launch a new era in Alzheimer’s prevention research. It aims to accelerate the evaluation and approval of potential Alzheimer’s prevention therapies and to discover new therapies as soon as possible to save us from losing another generation. Learn more here.

Learn more about the Colombia clinical trial here.