Leaders with Rotary and Cure Alzheimer’s Fund recently announced that they plan to co-fund a groundbreaking research project that will evaluate why women are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than men.
Between the two organizations, a grant of $375,000 will be invested in this research project. The goal is to find female-specific genetic factors, as well as other variables, that place women at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
"Alzheimer's disease is decimating one out of four families in the United States and is costing the government more than $200 billion per year in medical costs -- it must be stopped," Dee Lander, of the Rotary Club of Martha's Vineyard, said. "Cure Alzheimer's Fund, with its extensive database of Alzheimer's genetics and strong record of scientific achievement, is well suited to conduct this research."
As of today, the U.S. Alzheimer’s patient population has reached approximately 5.6 million, with more than 45 million cases around the world. An estimated two-thirds of the Alzheimer’s population are women.
"As a Rotary member who is passionate about the important research being done to move towards the prevention and reversal of Alzheimer's, I could not be more pleased that the Cure Alzheimer's Fund and The Rotary Foundation have come together to support this project," David Clifton, chair of the Alzheimer's and Dementia Rotary Action Group, said. "This cutting-edge research will be vital in ensuring that we continue to see breakthroughs in the study of a complicated disease that affects so many people around the world."
