Alzheimer's Research Funding Reaches $1.9 Billion, but Experts Say It's Not Enough

Although National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to fund Alzheimer's research have tripled to $1.9 billion annually from 2015 to 2018, experts say this funding level is insufficient, reports AZBigMedia.com . "Cancers and HIV and other diseases that are in the top five in our country are still receiving way more than what we are, and it's not enough," notes James Fitzpatrick with the Desert Southwest Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Arizona State University (ASU) Professor Edward Ofori says greater funding would boost the chances of finding a cure for Alzheimer's. Meanwhile, ASU Professor Paul Coleman says NIH only funds 5 percent to 7 percent of grant proposals, calling it an "impediment to progress." "It's my opinion that the devotion of a number of people looking at plaques and tangles has interfered with real progress in understanding what's going on with Alzheimer's disease," he contends. "Now NIH and other branding agencies have reached a point where they're saying either they don't want to fund research on plaques and tangles at all." Coleman says epigenetics should be a major research priority going forward, while Banner Alzheimer's Institute Executive Director Eric Reiman wants annual Alzheimer's research funding to reach $3 billion, with parallel tracks focusing on traditional research and unexplored areas.