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New financing strategy for Alzheimer's studies may reap rewards

Investing in varied research strategies for the disease could yield promising returns, suggests the model.

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Diversifying research methods in relation to the disease could yield substantial returns.
Diversifying research methods in relation to the disease could yield substantial returns.

New financing strategy for Alzheimer's studies may reap rewards

Revised Article (Informal Style with Enrichment Insights):

Hey there! Let's talk about Alzheimer's disease - a brain disorder that's affecting over 5 million folks in the US, but we've not seen any new drugs to target it since 2003. MIT professor, Andrew Lo, thinks it's high time we shook up the financing of Alzheimer's research to speed up the development of useful treatments for this condition.

Lo, along with three co-authors, proposes a public-private partnership model, where various drug-discovery projects would be funded simultaneously. This way, they believe the odds of therapeutic breakthroughs increase. They argue that public funding mitigates risks and costs for the private sector. Over a 13-year period, their proposed investment of $38.4 billion for research would be a drop in the bucket compared to the estimated $150 billion spent on Medicare and Medicaid to support Alzheimer's patients in 2014 alone.

"We're dumping a massive amount of resources into this disease, but we don't have any effective treatments yet," Lo says. "It's a huge burden on society, not just for the afflicted, but also for their caregivers."

Now, you might wonder how combining various drug-discovery projects would lead to more successful treatments. Well, a group of experts in Alzheimer's research identified 64 possible approaches to drug discovery, addressing various biological mechanisms that might contribute to the disease. A fund backing this group of projects could increase the chances of a therapeutic breakthrough.

That said, it might not necessarily guarantee an increase in success rates so much that private sectors would invest heavily in research. "Sixty-four projects are more than we're working on today, but it's still far from the 150 or 200 needed to make an Alzheimer's-focused fund low-risk," Lo points out.

Interestingly, this public-private partnership model assumes 13 years for the development of an individual drug and estimates success rates for drug development. With 150 trials, the odds of at least two successful trials are nearly 100%. Two successful trials, as per their estimate, could make the investment profitable and attractive to a broad range of investors.

Experts and advocates have already started noticing Andrew Lo's proposal. George Vradenburg, chairman of USAgainstAlzheimer's, notes, "Andrew Lo's approach could potentially supercharge the under-funded Alzheimer's field." Melissa Stevens, from FasterCures, adds, "We need creative thinking about and models for financing large, high-risk, long-term investments that could lead to breakthroughs."

It's crucial to note that Alzheimer's drug development is challenging, as researchers often need to identify potential patients before symptoms occur to test whether therapies can delay the onset of the disease. Compared to other diseases, developing drugs for Alzheimer's is costlier, takes longer, and requires a larger sample of potential patients.

However, with the number of Americans suffering from Alzheimer's projected to double by 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Association, the urgency to tackle this issue is clear. "Personally, I see myself as a future patient, or a family member of a future patient," Lo observes. "We all have a stake in this."

[1] Resources for further reading:- Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP): https://www.adsp.org/- Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s Disease (A4 Study): https://www.a4study-us.org/

  1. Researchers in the field of Alzheimer's disease are seeking various approaches to drug discovery, targeting multiple biological mechanisms contributing to the disease.
  2. The proposal by MIT Professor Andrew Lo suggests a public-private partnership model to fund multiple drug-discovery projects simultaneously, aiming to increase the chances of therapeutic breakthroughs.
  3. The public funding in this model is expected to mitigate risks and costs for the private sector, thus attracting more investment in Alzheimer's research.
  4. The proposed investment of $38.4 billion over a 13-year period for Alzheimer's research would be significantly less than the $150 billion spent on Medicare and Medicaid support for Alzheimer's patients in 2014 alone.
  5. Lo's proposal advocates for more than 150 trials to make an Alzheimer's-focused fund low-risk, although 64 projects are more than what's currently being worked on today.
  6. With the number of Americans suffering from Alzheimer's projected to double by 2050, there is a pressing need for innovative financing models like Lo's to tackle this issue.
  7. The public-private partnership model assumes 13 years for the development of an individual drug and estimates success rates for drug development to potentially make the investment profitable for a broad range of investors.
  8. The success of Andrew Lo's approach is currently receiving attention from experts and advocates, with George Vradenburg, chairman of USAgainstAlzheimer's, describing it as potentially supercharging the under-funded Alzheimer's field.
  9. Melissa Stevens from FasterCures supports the creative thinking behind the public-private partnership model, emphasizing the need for large, high-risk, long-term investments that could lead to breakthroughs in Alzheimer's disease research, medicine, and health-and-wellness.

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