PROVIDENCE – Brown University is establishing a new Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, thanks to two anonymous gifts totaling $30 million, the university announced Wednesday.
Brown said the center will integrate the scientists and physicians at the university’s Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science and the university’s Division of Biology and Medicine, home of the Warren Alpert Medical School. The center will link scientific and clinical work, with the goal of breakthroughs that change the trajectory of the disease and related dementias, the university said.
“This is truly a transformative moment for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research at Brown,” university President Christina H. Paxson said in a statement. “We have a robust foundation in place, and by bringing aboard new scholars, investing in facilities and creating the infrastructure to connect the incredible work already happening in our labs and clinical settings, our goal is to accelerate development toward novel treatments and cures in the fight against this devastating disorder.”
Brown will finance the project with a $25 million gift and a $5 million gift that were said to be part of the university’s BrownTogether fundraising campaign.
Diane Lipscombe, a professor of neuroscience at Brown who leads the Carney Institute, will initially lead the center, but the $5 million gift will contribute to the recruitment of a full-time leader dedicated to the center, Brown said.
“Brown is uniquely positioned to cover this field from the earliest, most fundamental mechanisms all the way through to patient care,” Lipscombe said. “Thanks to these gifts, we have an incredible opportunity to change the disease trajectory through the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research – there is no more time to waste.”
