The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) has announced financial commitments totaling $50 million from the NFL Players Association, Eli Lilly & Company, Biogen, and the Shanahan Family Foundation in support of new and innovative tests focused on the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

The latest commitments will support the second phase of ADDF's Diagnostics Accelerator, which was launched in 2018 to develop more accurate and accessible tools for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. According to ADDF, it is well documented that changes in the brain begin a decade or more before the disease becomes apparent. Indeed, half of the more than six million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease are undiagnosed, according to ADDF, and the overall figure is expected to triple by 2060.

To date, the Diagnostics Accelerator has invested approximately $50 million in research projects, including blood tests, eye scans, and digital technologies. The next phase will build upon these investments and provide additional resources to support commercialization of diagnostics that are currently in late-stage research.

“The day will soon come when there will be blood tests, eye scans, and smart phone apps to diagnose Alzheimer’s, just as simple tests can diagnose hypertension, diabetes, or high cholesterol,” said ADDF co-founder and chief science officer Howard Fillit. “We cannot slow or stop the course of Alzheimer’s disease without first finding a simple way to diagnose it early, and with support from strategic partnerships like the Diagnostics Accelerator we are well on our way. Our aim is to bring more diagnostic tools to patients and physicians within the next five years.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/fizkes)