December 13, 2016

Florida Department of Health Announces Grant Funding for Alzheimer's Disease Research

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Tallahassee, Fla.—Today, the Florida Department of Health announced the 2016-2017 grant awards for 27 projects to support research leading to the prevention of or cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. Funding is provided through the Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program that supports research for better prevention, diagnosis, treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s disease.

Governor Rick Scott said, “Our state is committed to standing with the many individuals and families who have been affected by Alzheimer’s. We are proud to support research programs across the state that are looking to find new treatments and preventions that give hope to finding a cure. I look forward to the continued success of Florida’s research community as they work to find a cure to this heartbreaking disease.”

State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. Celeste Philip said, “I am grateful to Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature for their continued support of the Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program. Thanks to them, the program is funding 27 innovative projects to help bring an end to Alzheimer’s and improve the lives of patients living with the disease. I also want to thank the members of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Grant Advisory Board for recommending such high-impact projects that fit with our agenda of prevention, recognition, treatment and family support.”

The research grants were awarded through a peer-reviewed, competitive process based on recommendations by the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Grant Advisory Board. Researchers at any university or research institute in Florida are eligible to apply.

The following organizations and research projects received grant funding awards:

• Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville - $1,603,940
  • How does alpha-synuclein contribute to tau dysfunction in AD, $250,000
  • Early detection biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease inflammation and vascular risk factors in African Americans, $250,000
  • Pathophysiology of Traumatic Brain Injury in the State of Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative Brain Bank, $100,000
  • Identification of functional regulatory variants at Alzheimer’s disease loci, $100,000
  • Yeast Surface Display Engineering of Human Fibronectin Domains for Enhanced Brain Delivery of Alzheimer's Disease Therapeutics, $95,133
  • Florida Consortium for African-American Alzheimer’s Disease Studies (FCA3DS), $308,807
  • Evaluating the mechanism by which TauA152T modulates risk of tauopathy, $250,000
  • APOE and cerebrovascular aging in Alzheimer’s disease, $250,000
• University of Florida - $1,399,998
  • Impact of perirhinal cortical tau pathology on pre-clinical cognitive decline, $100,000
  • Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) Immunotherapy for Alzheimer’s disease, $100,000
  • Large-scale identification of genes that suppress concurrent Abeta42 and tau pathology in vivo, $249,998
  • Functionalized Intrabodies As Potential Anti-Tau Therapy, $250,000
  • Understanding the molecular mechanisms of seeding and transmission of wild type and mutant tau, $250,000
  • Consortium Study of Neuroimaging Impact of Behavioral Interventions in Mild Cognitive Impairment, $450,000
• University of Miami - $1,186,618
  • Enhanced Acetylcholinesterase Expression Induced by Donepezil and Galantamine, $250,000
  • Post-doctoral Research Fellowship, $86,792
  • A Consortium to Study Precision-based Computerized Assessment for the Detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults, $249,846
  • Brain Amyloid Load And Novel Cognitive Measures in Diverse Ethnic Groups, $249,980
  • The Role of TTC3 in Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis, $250,000
  • Preclinical investigation of an optimized formulation of resveratrol, JOTROL, for Alzheimer’s disease, $100,000
• University of South Florida - $548,449
  • CK1 delta inhibition to reduce sundowning in Alzheimer's disease, $100,000
  • System analysis of potential drug interactions in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease from the FDA reporting system, electronic health records and protein interaction networks, $98,449
  • Correction of Tauopathy-induced Circadian Dysfunction, $100,000
  • Structure Activity Characterization of Novel Slingshot Inhibitors, $250,000
• University of Central Florida - $200,000
  • Antibody targeting of IL1RAP and studying their therapeutic effects in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, $100,000
  • Structure and Toxicity of Amyloid Beta Hetero-Oligomers, $100,000
• Florida International University - $99,994
  • Demographic, Neuropsychological and Functional Classification, Risk Factors, and Progression Rates of Individuals in the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Database using Algorithmic Diagnosis, $99,994

Funding through the Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program is the result of an initiative passed by the 2014 legislature and signed into law by Governor Rick Scott.

Kay Redington, CEO, Alzheimer's Association, Central and North Florida said, "The Alzheimer’s Association is laser focused on eliminating Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research and we are grateful to our state lawmakers for their continued support of Alzheimer’s disease research funding so that one day, we can live in a world without Alzheimer’s.”

Dr. Leilani Doty, Outreach, Recruitment, Retention and Education Core Leader/Co-Principal Investigator of the 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Past Director of the University of Florida Memory Disorder Clinics and Chair of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Grant Advisory Board said, “For the third year in a row, the Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program will help our state make great strides in Alzheimer’s research that will improve the lives of persons with the disease as well their family and significant others who deal with the daily challenges of the disease. Many superb, persevering researchers are investigating causes, treatments, care strategies and prevention in our top notch Florida research universities and institutes. I anticipate the success of these research projects. The diligent work of the Florida researchers will help us move closer toward finding a cure and better yet, finding ways to keep the brain healthy and stopping Alzheimer’s disease before it starts.”

For more information on the Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program, please click here.

About the Florida Department of Health

The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

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