NIH Funding for USC Alzheimer's Research Grew by More Than 400 Percent in 4 Years

Analysis by the U.S. National Institutes of Health's (NIH) online reporting tool found federal funding for research on Alzheimer's and related dementias at the University of Southern California (USC) rose from $13.3 million in 2015 to $68.3 million in 2018, reports USC News . "Recognizing that more than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, a diverse group of our faculty have chosen to seek ways to mitigate the devastating effects of this complex disease," said USC Provost Charles Zukoski. "The exceptional quality of the ideas and impact of results coming from the Alzheimer's research labs at USC are reflected in growing NIH support." Some of the biggest grants have gone toward acceleration of clinical trials and testing of experimental drugs. For example, Paul Aisen, director of USC's Alzheimer's program in San Diego, was granted $14 million to coordinate a network of 35 clinical sites that will enroll subjects into clinical trials. This is the first installment of a five-year grant that will amount to $70 million in total. Last year, the NIH also awarded USC researchers 84 separate grants, versus 32 in 2015.