The mission of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation is to rapidly accelerate the development of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease.
Founded in 1998 by co-chairmen Leonard A. and Ronald S. Lauder, the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is the only charity solely focused on finding drugs for Alzheimer's.
Our Funding Model
We follow a venture philanthropy model, funding breakthrough research in academia and the biotech industry. Through the tremendous support of our donors, the ADDF has awarded more than $290 million to over 750 Alzheimer's drug discovery programs, biomarker programs, and clinical trials in 20 countries. Twenty percent of the drugs in clinical development for Alzheimer's disease have received support from the ADDF.
Our Strategy
The ADDF focuses on translating the knowledge we have gained about the causes of Alzheimer's disease – known as the “biology of aging” – into drugs to conquer it. We support diverse projects focused on novel targets that hold great promise, but also risk. And most are not far enough along in the drug development pipeline to attract financial support from the pharmaceutical industry, federal funders, or other major partners. By assuming the risk and bridging this critical gap in funding, the ADDF enables leading scientists to pursue pioneering ideas to cure Alzheimer's disease that would otherwise go unexplored.
Our Future
Today, Alzheimer's disease affects more than 50 million people worldwide. But we have the power to stop this devastating disease in its tracks. By advancing the most promising research across the globe, we will conquer Alzheimer's.