Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) Extend Treat FTD Fund Through 2035

NEW YORK – May 13, 2024 – The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) announced today the extension of the Treat FTD Fund through 2035 that was made possible from additional funding from the Lauder and Newhouse families. This 10-year, $10 million commitment will provide critical funding for frontotemporal dementia (FTD) trials, which will advance new therapies and repurposed drugs, ultimately helping the 1.5 million patients living with FTD globally. FTD, a historically underfunded disease focus-area, encompasses a spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases with varied biological mechanisms, clinical symptoms and prognoses that come with unique challenges for clinical drug development.

“FTD is a complex disorder, and it will require a personalized approach for patients that addresses the many underlying biological processes that contribute to the onset of the disease,” says Howard Fillit, MD, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at the ADDF. “After nearly a decade of the Treat FTD program, we have witnessed a considerable growth in the drug development pipeline for FTD, and we are looking forward to working with our partners at AFTD to continue funding innovative science for this underfunded area of research.” 

Started in 2016, the Treat FTD Fund has invested $7 million in early-stage clinical trials, testing novel and repurposed disease-modifying drugs, as well as therapeutics for FTD symptom management. The second phase of the initiative intends to carry on these efforts by validating the efficacy of drugs in Phase 2 trials with the aim of advancing these drugs to the next phase of clinical development. 

Building out the FTD clinical trial pipeline by expanding the number of symptomatic and disease-modifying therapies that can be tested in-clinic will provide FTD patients and their families with an unprecedented level of hope. This will be integral to stimulating enrollment for patient registries and accelerating recruitment efforts for forthcoming trials. By uncovering the most effective methods to target this unique patient population, researchers will also be able to conduct biomarker-powered trials that have proven to be successful in validating a drug’s target engagement, efficacy, and safety.

“FTD presents unique challenges to researchers working towards the effective treatments that are urgently needed for people living with this disease,” said AFTD Senior Director of Scientific Initiatives Penny Dacks, PhD. “However, there is growing momentum behind efforts to develop treatments. Through the Treat FTD fund, AFTD and our partners at the ADDF accelerate that momentum by directly funding the early-stage programs that will often be considered too high-risk for other investors from the for-profit world.”

Considering the similarities between Alzheimer’s and FTD’s underlying pathologies, investment in this area will aid in the development of groundbreaking novel drugs for a broader population of those living with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. 

“The ADDF and AFTD are grateful to the Lauder and Newhouse families for the opportunity to drive new funding and research for an often-overlooked disease. Together, we are optimistic that we’ll see new drugs on the market over the next decade,” concludes Dr. Fillit.