Newswise — ATLANTA (March 25, 2013) - The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA)and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) have awarded $100,000 each to Omar El-Agnaf, PhD, of United Arab Amirates University and Michelle Mielke, PhD, of Mayo Clinic Rochester to provide one year of support for their research projects focused on developing indicators, or biomarkers, for dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
Dementia with Lewy bodies is a progressive disease that leads to the decline in thinking, reasoning and function. Despite progress in understanding the underlying causes of the disease, there remains an urgent need to develop methods for diagnosis. Accurate diagnosis is essential in the clinical setting and to assure the efficiency of clinical trials and research. The ADDF and the LBDA selected Dr. El-Agnaf’s and Dr. Mielke’s programs due to their focus on developing the biomarkers which could aid in early detection.
Dr. El-Agnaf’s research will explore using a combination of markers in the spinal fluid to discern DLB from Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease disorders. Dr. Mielke’s research will seek to identify blood-based biomarkers of alpha-synuclein pathology, a hallmark characteristic of DLB.
About the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA)The Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the Lewy body dementias (LBD), supporting patients, their families and caregivers, and promoting scientific advances. Through outreach, education and research, LBDA supports those affected by Lewy body dementias. To learn more about LBD and LBDA, please visit www.LBDA.org.
About the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery FoundationThe mission of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is to accelerate the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease, related dementias and cognitive aging. The ADDF has granted more than $60 million to fund nearly 400 Alzheimer's drug discovery programs in academic centers and biotechnology companies in 18 countries. For more information, please visit www.AlzDiscovery.org.
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Media Contacts:ADDF: Amanda Mulally, [email protected], (212) 594-5500LBDA: Elizabeth Patrick, [email protected], (404) 549-4244
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