Our Research
A Genetics-Based Path Toward Prevention and a Cure
Hope For a Cure For ALZ is pursuing research related to patients who fall within a specific set of identified, unique genetic markers.
Studies suggest that comparing the distinctive attributes of this control group with those of the general population could reveal potential targets for therapeutic intervention. If the research identifies genes or proteins associated with the group, those findings could contribute to earlier detection or point toward new drug targets.
Our immediate goal is to fund and conduct the foundational research needed to determine what these genetic differences may teach us about Alzheimer’s disease.
Where We Stand
Research Readiness
Hope For a Cure For ALZ has worked to put the people, relationships, and research direction in place for Phase I. Our research agreement is with Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center Corporation, and our principal investigator is Lindsay Farrer.
Principal Investigator
“The goal of ALZ’s clinical research, which I strongly support and endorse, is to develop therapeutic strategies and treatment protocols for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease by identifying genetic mutations that predispose individuals to a rare condition called “hyperthymesia” which is associated with superior “autobiographical” memory and increased size of the hippocampus, the region of the brain where memory is created and stored and which is usually the first part of the brain attacked in people suffering with Alzheimer’s.”
Dr. Lindsay Farrer is the Boston University William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Chief of the Biomedical Genetics Section. He received his PhD in Medical Genetics from Indiana University, completed postdoctoral training at Yale University, and is a Founding Fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics. His laboratory established the effects of age, sex and ancestry on the association of Alzheimer’s disease (“AD”) with APOE genotype, discovered many AD genes by GWAS and other omics approaches, and elucidated the genetic architecture of AD in multiple ethnic populations. His research team identified rare African American-specific AD-associated missense mutations in AKAP9 that increase Tau phosphorylation and with collaborators established intracellular protein trafficking as a major pathway leading to AD. Dr. Farrer is a Principal Investigator of the U.S. Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project and the Framingham Heart Study Brain Aging Program, and he is Leader of the Molecular Profiling Core of the Boston University AD Research Center. Dr. Farrer directs NIH-funded whole genome sequencing projects in Koreans and Jews of Middle Eastern and North African ancestry, as well as multi-omics projects focused on African Americans and mechanisms underlying the effects of APOE genotype. He also conducts genetics research in other conditions, notably substance use disorders and age-related macular degeneration, and his lab identified the association of the complement factor H gene with AMD, the most common cause of blindness in the elderly.
More details about Dr. Farrer’s professional experience, achievements, and recent publications can be found on his Boston University faculty profile.
Our Phased Approach
Phase I: Proof of Concept
Hope For a Cure For ALZ seeks to raise $250,000 to conduct Phase I. This study will analyze genetic markers and other relevant characteristics found among participants identified for the control group.
Phase I includes:
- Recruiting study participants.
- Conducting neuropsychological, neuroimaging, genetic, memory, and other appropriate assessments.
- Analyzing the resulting data.
- Preparing detailed reports and materials to support Phase II funding and grant proposals.
- Providing thorough project management and oversight.
Phase I opens the door to future research, trials, analysis, and action related to Alzheimer’s prevention and cure.
Phase II and Beyond
If Phase I produces promising findings, the next stage will expand the research through increased clinical study, white papers, and applications for NIH and other grant funding.
The phased structure allows each stage of the initiative to be guided by evidence from the work that came before it.
Why It Matters
The Potential Impact
This research has the potential to unlock new insights in neuroscience and public health. Although the starting point is a genetics study involving an identified control group, the findings may offer a pathway toward understanding how Alzheimer’s disease can be detected earlier, prevented, treated, or cured.
Research does not come with guaranteed outcomes. It does, however, create the evidence needed to evaluate promising ideas—and every meaningful breakthrough begins with that first step.