Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and Harrington Discovery Institute Invite Proposals for 2020 ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award

Award expands to academic investigators in the U.K. in addition to U.S. and Canada

CLEVELAND, March 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) announce a joint request for proposals for the 2020 ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award. The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award is designed to accelerate the translation of innovative research that could treat, prevent, or slow Alzheimer's disease or related dementias.

"This is our seventh year of collaborating with the Harrington Discovery Institute to offer this unique opportunity, giving academic researchers access to both funding resources as well as dedicated drug discovery and development support from a team of pharma-experienced industry leaders with a track record of bringing drugs to market," said Dr. Howard Fillit, ADDF's Founding Executive Director and Chief Science Officer.

The RFP is open to academic investigators at accredited medical centers, research institutions, and universities in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For the 2020 RFP, targets related to emerging therapeutic areas for dementia are of high priority, particularly:

• Proteostasis (autophagy, lysosomal biogenesis, proteasomal degradation, post-translational modification associated with proteostasis, protein folding/misfolding, ER stress, extracellular clearance)
• Neurovascular health (blood brain barrier function and integrity, cerebral hypoperfusion, nutrient supply to the brain, endothelial interaction with pericytes and astrocytes)

"Advancing treatments for neurological diseases is a key area of focus for us, and ADDF is an important part of that effort. We are pleased to expand eligibility this year to include academic investigators with novel drug programs in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.," said Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, President, Harrington Discovery Institute and the Robert S. and Sylvia K. Reitman Family Foundation Distinguished Chair in Cardiovascular Innovation at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Award recipients will receive financial support up to $600,000 over two years, as well as drug development and project management support from Harrington Discovery Institute's Therapeutics Development team. Proposals should offer creative science or novel approaches to treat, prevent, or slow Alzheimer's disease or related dementias. Letters of Intent will be accepted through April 20, 2020 5:00 pm EDT. Applications must be submitted online.

About the ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award

The ADDF and Harrington Discovery Institute formed a partnership in 2013 to leverage the organizations' combined expertise and resources to advance highly-promising Alzheimer's disease discovery projects conducted in academic and medical institutions. The ADDF-Harrington Scholar Award was established as a result of this partnership and is helping scientists chart a path from the bench to clinical studies to improve the lives of people living with, and at risk of, Alzheimer's. To learn more about the projects of previous ADDF-Harrington Scholars, visit: https://www.uhhospitals.org/harrington-discovery-institute/scholars/addf-harrington-scholars

About the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF)

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation is the only public charity solely focused on funding the development of drugs for Alzheimer's, employing a venture philanthropy model to support research in academia and the biotech industry. Through the generosity of its donors, the ADDF has awarded more than $150 million to fund over 626 Alzheimer's drug discovery programs and clinical trials in 19 countries. To learn more, please visit: https://www.alzdiscovery.org/. 

About the Harrington Discovery Institute

The Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio—part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development—aims to advance medicine and society by enabling our nation's most inventive scientists to turn their discoveries into medicines that improve human health. The Institute was created in 2012 with a $50 million founding gift from the Harrington family and instantiates the commitment they share with University Hospitals to a Vision for a "Better World."

About the Harrington Project for Discovery & Development

The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development (The Harrington Project), founded in late February 2012 by the Harrington Family and University Hospitals of Cleveland, is a $300 million national initiative built to bridge the translational valley of death. It includes the Harrington Discovery Institute and BioMotiv, a for-profit, mission-aligned drug development company that accelerates early discovery into pharma pipelines. For more information about The Harrington Project and the Harrington Discovery Institute, visit HarringtonDiscovery.org.