THE ZACHARY & ELIZABETH M FISHER CENTER FOR ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Programs
Program 1 [2020]
A MAJORITY OF OUR GRANT FUNDING GOES TO THE ZACHARY AND ELIZABETH M. FISHER CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (THE FISHER CENTER LAB) AT THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY IN NEW YORK FOR NEUROLOGICAL RESEARCH INTO THE CAUSE OF ALZHEIMER'S AND POTENTIAL NEW PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT OPTIONS. THE LAB IS UNDER THE INTERIM DIRECTION OF DR. MARC FLAJOLET SINCE THE PASSING OF NOBEL LAUREATE DR. PAUL GREENGARD IN 2019. THE FISHER CENTER PROVIDES RESEARCHERS WORLDWIDE WITH A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING THE DISEASE PROCESS, AND CONTINUES TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF ONE DAY FINDING A CURE FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. DURING THE CALENDAR YEAR RESEARCHERS DISCOVERED THAT SPECIFIC TYPES OF NERVE CELLS (NEURONS) ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE ALZHEIME'S DISEASE PATHOLOGY, BEING AFFECTED AND DISAPPEARING SOONER THAN OTHER NEURONS (RESISTANT). FISHER SCIENTISTS ARE USING A UNIQUE SET OF TECHNOLOGIES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND UNDERLYING CAUSES OF THIS PROCESS AND HELP DESIGN ENTIRELY NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES. NEW GENES ARE BEING CHARACTERIZED THAT THEY HAVE LINKED TO VULNERABILITY. A SECOND RELATIVELY NEW PROJECT IS CENTERED ON OUR DISCOVERY THAT A DIFFERENT FRAGMENT OF APP (CALLED C99) IS A BETTER MARKER FOR NEURODEGENERATION. THIS STUDY WAS MOSTLY BASED ON HUMAN BRAIN SAMPLES WHICH GIVES IT EVEN MORE VALUE. IN OTHER RESEARCH, THE SCIENTISTS ACCELERATED THE BREAKDOWN OF THE TOXIC BETA-AMYLOID COMPONENT BY TARGETING A CELLULAR PROCESS CALLED AUTOPHAGY, A PROCESS RESPONSIBLE FOR REMOVING DEBRIS FROM THE CELLS. THE SCIENTISTS IDENTIFIED A NOVEL SIGNALING NETWORK WITHIN NEURONS THAT REGULATES BETA-AMYLOID DEGRADATION. SCIENTISTS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES AND BUILD A NOVEL PLATFORM FOR DRUG DISCOVERY APPLICATIONS AS THEY CHARACTERIZE AND OPTIMIZE CHEMICALLY ACTIVE MOLECULES. ONE MOLECULE IDENTIFIED MIGHT HELP PROTECT PEOPLE FROM DEVELOPING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$4.1MProgram 2 [2020]
THE ALZHEIMER'S INFORMATION PROGRAM PROMOTES PUBLIC DISEASE AWARENESS, EDUCATION, AND RESOURCES FOR CAREGIVERS (AND PATIENTS) THROUGH MEDIA CONDUITS, SOCIAL NETWORKS, AND THE INTERNET. THE HEART OF THE PROGRAM IS THE WEBSITE, ALZINFO.ORG, WHICH IS UPDATED REGULARLY TO PROVIDE COMPREHENSIVE DATA ABOUT ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, RECENT RESEARCH STUDIES AND FINDINGS, TREATMENT AND DISEASE MANAGEMENT. THE SITE HAD 433,760 UNIQUE VISITORS AND OFFERS A FREE RESOURCE LOCATOR THAT IDENTIFIES DOCTORS, NURSES, GERIATRIC CAREGIVERS, HOME HEALTH AGENCIES AND OTHER SOURCES BY ZIP CODE. OUR SCIENTISTS ANSWER QUESTIONS THROUGH "ASK THE EXPERTS" PORTAL ON OUR WEBSITE, AND CAREGIVERS CAN JOIN OUR SUPPORT GROUP THROUGH OUR ONLINE CAREGIVER'S CORNER. OUR 1-800-ALZ-INFO PHONE SYSTEM ASSISTS PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. OUR SCIENTISTS ANSWER QUESTIONS THROUGH THE "ASK THE EXPERTS" FEATURE ON OUR WEBSITE; OUR FREE E-NEWSLETTER, ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH NEWS YOU CAN USE, IS THE MOST REVIEWED ALZHEIMER'S AND DEMENTIA NEWSLETTER ON THE INTERNET; AND CAREGIVERS CAN JOIN OUR SUPPORT GROUP THROUGH OUR ONLINE CAREGIVER'S CORNER. OUR 1-800-ALZ-INFO PHONE SYSTEM ASSISTS PEOPLE WHO DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. OUR AWARD-WINNING TRI-ANNUAL PRINT PUBLICATION (PRESERVING YOUR MEMORY) CIRCULATES 51,500 COPIES PER ISSUE, WITH AN ESTIMATED READERSHIP OF 772,500. THE EDITORIAL CONTENT IS REVIEWED BY OUR SCIENTIFIC TEAM FOR ACCURACY AND VALIDITY AS IT ADDRESSES CONCERNS OF READERS AFFECTED BY THE DISEASE (WHETHER CAREGIVER OR PATIENT), AND PROVIDES INFORMATION ABOUT ALZHEIMER'S TREATMENT, CARE OPTIONS, AND HOW TO TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TO ADEQUATELY PREPARE IF THEY, OR SOMEONE THEY LOVE, RECEIVE(S) AN ALZHEIMER'S DIAGNOSIS.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$785.3KProgram 3 [2020]
DURING THE PANDEMIC, THE FISHER CENTER LAB AT THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY CAMPUS WAS PART OF AN ORGANIZED COLLECTION OF MEDICAL ITEMS INCLUDING BOXES OF GLOVES, MASKS, HARD FACE SHIELDS AND LAB GOGGLES TO PROVIDE TO HOSPITALS IN NEED. IN ADDITION, ONE LARGE EFFORT THAT THE FISHER CENTER LAB SCIENTISTS TOOK OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF WAS TO BUILD A TOTALLY NOVEL DRUG DISCOVERY PLATFORM THAT WILL CONSIDERABLY SPEED UP THE DRUG DISCOVERY PROCESS FOR ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. DUE TO THE URGENT NEEDS FOR NEW DRUGS FOR THE CORONAVIRUS, DR. FLAJOLET AND THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY LEADERS IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFIED THAT SOME OF THE SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE AT THE FISHER CENTER LAB COULD BE USED TO HELP WITH COVID-19 EFFORTS. OUR TEAM OF SCIENTISTS DILIGENTLY WORKED LONG HOURS, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, IN MARCH AND APRIL TO BRING THE SCREENING PLATFORM TO A FUNCTIONAL LEVEL, AND IT IS NOW READY FOR DRUG DISCOVERY. ADDITIONALLY, THE FISHER CENTER LAB TEAM WORKED ON TWO PROTEINS OF COVID-19 THAT BELONG TO A FAMILY OF PROTEINS THAT THEY UNDERSTAND VERY WELL. THEY WILL ALSO MAKE THEIR DRUG DISCOVERY PLATFORM AVAILABLE TO OTHER SCIENTISTS WORKING ON OTHER PROTEIN TARGETS OF COVID-19.GeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2020 – Dec 31, 2020Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$750K
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