SEATTLE, March 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Alzheimer's disease, a severe and progressive degenerative
condition that leads to dementia, affects millions of people in the
U.S. At present, there is no cure. Unless new treatments emerge,
the Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately 13.8
million people in the U.S. will live with Alzheimer's-related
dementia by 2050.
With the help of the Ellison Foundation's $6 million investment — especially valuable as
the funding from the National Institutes for Health continues its
decline — UW Medicine's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC)
will begin a project unique in the U.S., one that could
revolutionize care for Alzheimer's.
Finding treatments for Alzheimer's disease is an outcome the
Ellisons are eager to achieve. "We have Alzheimer's in our family,
so the issue is quite personal," says Sue
Ellison. "But it's also a huge public health issue, and we
need to make progress on it. Tom and I hope that UW Medicine can
really help move the field forward."
The Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UW Medicine
celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2015, and no other
ADRC possesses the three elements UW Medicine brings to the table
for moving the field forward: research expertise in the genetics of
Alzheimer's, expertise in the disease's biomarkers, and a
precision-medicine approach to clinical trials.
Precision medicine is the next wave in medical care. In this
approach, a patient is assessed — genetically, and in other ways —
for the treatments that will work best for their individual
condition. It's a valuable concept, especially in complex
conditions like Alzheimer's disease.
"Alzheimer's is driven by genetics, but it isn't just one
disease," explains Thomas J.
Montine, M.D., Ph.D., the chair of the Department of
Pathology and director of the UW Medicine Alzheimer's Disease
Research Center. "It's a disease that has many different subtypes,
and one treatment won't work for everyone. Instead, the goal is to
create multiple treatments — and see which ones work best for each
patient."
With the Ellison Foundation's gift, researchers at UW
Medicine will take important steps in using precision medicine for
Alzheimer's disease: from understanding the genes and other factors
that drive Alzheimer's, to creating or finding drugs to treat it,
and finally to understanding how different patients respond.
"We invested in this research because UW Medicine is uniquely
equipped to succeed at it," says Tom
Ellison of the Ellison Foundation. "Dr. Montine and his
colleagues have done amazing work in Alzheimer's, and their
knowledge base will be key in creating the first part of the drug
discovery pipeline."
The drug discovery pipeline is shorthand for the
years-long process of medical science: the work in the lab; the
testing of potential drugs; FDA approval; and, finally, the
prescription at the physician's office. With the Ellison
Foundation's gift — $6 million out of
a $20 million project — UW Medicine
intends to improve the drug pipeline by:
Using exome sequencing to identify Alzheimer's
risk. UW Medicine's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center will
use exome sequencing — a focused type of genomic sequencing — to
test patients' genes. Testing will help determine a patient's risk
of acquiring the disease.
Testing more drugs, faster. Researchers
will use patient-derived stem cells to test potential
Alzheimer's-defeating drugs at the Quellos High-throughput
Screening Core at UW Medicine, a facility that allows fast and
efficient testing.
Recruiting a leader. UW Medicine will
recruit a senior scientist to lead the clinical trials team, the
group that will, eventually, test drugs in human volunteers.
Finding Alzheimer's earlier. The gift also
will help test the efficacy of an imaging tool called fMRI in
detecting physiological changes in the brain — ones that may warn
of impending Alzheimer's — before dementia develops.
"The Ellison Foundation's gift is giving us a wonderful start —
they're funding this first, essential phase of our project," says
Paul G. Ramsey, M.D., CEO of UW
Medicine. "When we know more about the genetics behind Alzheimer's
disease, and more about the drugs that may work on our patients,
we'll be able to move on to our second phase: drug testing in
clinical trials. And the impact will be global."
About the Ellison Foundation
The Ellison Foundation,
headquartered in Bellevue, Wash.,
was established in 2003 by Tom and Sue
Ellison. The foundation partners with innovative nonprofit
organizations in medicine, education and human services.
About UW Medicine
UW Medicine's mission is to improve
the health of the public, and it does so by conducting
ground-breaking research, providing a superb education to medical
professionals, and providing exemplary care for patients in the
Pacific Northwest region. The organization's work in Alzheimer's
research and care is part of a larger emphasis on promoting brain
health and wellness. Learn more at uwmedicine.org, or follow UW
Medicine via Facebook and Twitter.
Note for Editors: For additional photographs, visit:
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