Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by co-chairmen Leonard A. Lauder and Ronald S. Lauder of the Estée Lauder Companies cosmetics family ^[1] and led by Howard Fillit,^[2] a geriatrician and neuroscientist. The ADDF provides funding to scientists who are conducting promising, innovative Alzheimer's disease drug research worldwide.^[3][4][5] The ADDF funds early-stage research and early-phase clinical trials that might otherwise go unfunded.^[6] By supporting research projects around the world, it seeks to increase the chances of finding treatments for Alzheimer's disease, related dementias and cognitive aging.^[7][8][9] The ADDF has invested nearly $65 million to fund some 450 Alzheimer's drug discovery programs and clinical trials in academic centers and biotechnology companies in 18 countries.^[3]

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

Founders	Leonard A. Lauder, Ronald S. Lauder, and Dr. Howard Fillit
Focus	The mission of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation is to rapidly accelerate the development of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease.
Location	New York, NY
Website	Official website

Funding model

The ADDF is a biomedical venture philanthropy. Many of its grants are structured as investments, providing a return that is reinvested in new drug research. After initial ADDF funding, grantees have received commitments of over $2 billion^[10] in follow-on funding from government, pharmaceutical companies and venture capital firms to further advance drug research.

ADDF programs

Through its programs, the ADDF has invested close to $65 million to fund nearly 450 Alzheimer's drug discovery programs and clinical trials in academic centers and biotechnology companies in 18 countries.^[11] From 2000 to 2004, the ADDF provided seed funding for Amyvid,^[12] the first FDA-approved diagnostic test for Alzheimer's disease. The ADDF also funded PrecivityAD, the first blood test to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease.^[13]

Partnership Programs

The ADDF partners^[14] with family foundations, government, non-profit organization, the pharmaceutical industry and corporate organizations to leverage collective funding power.

Scientific Conferences

The ADDF sponsors a number of scientific conferences,^[15] including the International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s Disease (AD/PD),^[16] the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease conference (CTAD), and the World Dementia Council Summit.^[17] The ADDF also organizes advisory panels focused on key issues surrounding drug discovery and development for Alzheimer's.

Cognitive Vitality

The ADDF's microsite, Cognitive Vitality,^[18] provide evidence-based answers to pressing questions about healthy brain aging. Resources include:

• Expert ratings of scientific evidence for and against suggested cognitive vitality strategies including: health management and drugs; nutrition and supplements; and environmental and physical considerations
• Practical information on safety, efficacy and drug dosage
• Digestible translations of scientific findings

Awards

Melvin R. Goodes Prize for Excellence in Drug Development

The Melvin R. Goodes Prize^[19] for Excellence in Drug Development, also known simply as the Goodes Prize, was first awarded in 2015. It is awarded annually by the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation for innovations in research that have made a significant and lasting impact in the Alzheimer’s field. Recipients receive an engraved medal and a monetary award of $150,000 to support their continued research in Alzheimer’s therapeutics, biomarkers, or prevention programs.

The award is named in honor of Melvin R. Goodes, a former Chairman and Chief Executive of Warner-Lambert. Goodes established the prize with his wife, Nancy, and in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation after his own diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease in 2009.^[20]

Goodes prize recipients

Year	Recipient	Institution	Country	Research focus	Ref
2025	Daniel Skovronsky, MD, PhD	Eli Lilly	United States	Dr. Skovronsky’s team developed the Amyvid PET scan, the first PET scan for Alzheimer’s disease, and helped bring the Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla to market.	[21]
2024	Henrik Zetterberg, MD, PhD	University of Gothenburg	Sweden	Dr. Zetterberg is developing biomarkers and diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.	[22]
2023	Rhoda Au, PhD, MBA	Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine	United States	Dr. Au is utilizing new technologies to promote equitable science and to develop and validate passive, multimodal digital biomarkers.	[23]
2022	Miranda E. Orr, PhD	Wake Forest University School of Medicine	United States	Dr. Orr is reprogramming “zombie cells,” which build up with aging and release toxins into brain cells.	[24]
2021	Miia Kivipelto, MD, PhD	Karolinska Institutet	Finland	Dr. Kivipelto’s work combines lifestyle changes and a drug that improves metabolic function to prevent cognitive decline.	[25]
2020	Jerri M. Rook, PhD	Vanderbilt University	United States	Dr. Rook is developing drugs that activate a unique receptor to improve the work of the brain’s synapses.	[26]
2019	Jeffrey L. Cummings, MD, ScD	University of Nevada, Las Vegas	United States	Dr. Cummings is repurposing a drug used to treat Parkinson’s to protect brain neurons in people with Alzheimer’s.	[27]
2018	Michela Gallagher, PhD	Johns Hopkins University	United States	Dr. Gallagher is working to slow hyperactivity in brain cells that play a major role in learning and memory.	[28][29]
2017	Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD	University of Arizona	United States	Dr. Brinton is researching a treatment that will generate new brain cells and restore lost cognitive function.	[30]
2016	Daniel Martin Watterson, PhD	Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine	United States	Dr. Watterson developed a drug currently being evaluated in Alzheimer’s patients that reduces toxic inflammation.	[31]
2015	Frank M. Longo, MD, PhD	Stanford University School of Medicine	United States	Dr. Longo’s work focuses on counteracting processes that cause synaptic dysfunction and death of brain neurons.	[32]

Events

Every year, the ADDF hosts a series of events to raise awareness and funds to support Alzheimer's research and drug development. They include:

• The Hope on the Horizon Palm Beach event,^[33] which honors an Alzheimer’s advocate who has helped to advance the ADDF’s mission.
• Tomorrow’s Breakthroughs Today,^[34] a Palm Beach-based scientific symposium series that highlights three scientists sharing updates on the latest Alzheimer’s research advances each year.
• Memories Matter,^[35] an evening focused on the ways in which scientific advances are bringing hope to the Alzheimer’s community.
• The Great Ladies Luncheon and Fashion Show,^[36] an annual spring runway show and lunch recognizing female advocates in Alzheimer's. Previous events have included designs and special appearances by Erdem, Jason Wu and Carolina Herrera.
• The Connoisseur's Dinner,^[37] an evening of art and wine celebrating scientific progress in Alzheimer's research.
• The Fall Symposium and Luncheon,^[38] a luncheon and learning event featuring a keynote speech or panel highlighting progress in cognitive decline research and drug development.
• House of Purple,^[39] an event presented by the ADDF’s Young Professionals Committee which highlights the next generation of Alzheimer's advocates.
• The ADDF Scientific Summit,^[40] which convenes the ADDF’s Goodes Prize recipients and other voices in the Alzheimer’s field to discuss research advances. The inaugural Summit featured an address from Dr. Sanjay Gupta.