NEW YORK, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) invite scientists from the biotechnology industry and academia worldwide to apply for a new collaborative research grant award entitled Lewy Body Dementia Biomarker Research Award. The goal of the program is to catalyze the discovery of innovative biomarkers that aid in early diagnosis, detection and disease monitoring of Lewy body dementias.

Lewy body dementias (LBD) are the second most common form of degenerative dementia in the elderly, affecting an estimated 1.3 million people in the United States. Yet many individuals who have LBD are misdiagnosed, most commonly with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases. Developing effective biomarkers is key to helping to correctly diagnose the disease, monitor disease progression and develop effective new drugs to treat, prevent and cure LBD.

The total pool of grant funds available for fiscal year 2009 is $100,000. Applications may be submitted by non-profit academic institutions and for-profit public and private biotechnology companies.

Applications are available at www.alzdiscovery.org. The submission deadline date is November 1, 2009. Applications will be reviewed by an independent Scientific Review Committee convened by ADDF and LBDA and comprised of leading experts in the neurodegenerative disease drug discovery and development research field and biotechnology investment community. Funding will be announced in spring 2010.

For more information about ADDF or to speak with Dr. Fillit, please contact Filomena Machleder at 212-901-8004 or fmachleder@alzdiscovery.org. For information about LBDA, please contact Caite Schulz at 404-935-6444 ext. 104 or cschulz@lbda.org.

About the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF)

ADDF (www.alzdiscovery.org) is the only public charity whose sole mission is to accelerate the discovery and development of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease, related dementias and cognitive aging. We award grants to leading scientists conducting breakthrough drug discovery research. ADDF uses a venture philanthropy model to bridge the worldwide funding gap between basic research and later-stage development, using any return on investment to support new research. Since 1998, we have received over 1,600 requests to fund new ideas for Alzheimer's drugs. For all, we provided expert reviews and recommendations to advance their programs. We granted more than $35M to fund over 240 Alzheimer's drug discovery programs in academic centers and biotechnology companies in 12 countries. The ADDF website carries the latest, vetted news on Alzheimer's disease, updated weekly.

About the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA)

LBDA is the only organization in the United States that provides comprehensive information, education and support for the 1.5 million people afflicted by Lewy body dementias. LBDA's Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) is comprised of leading experts in research and clinical management of Lewy body dementias from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Japan. To learn more about LBDA, visit www.lbda.org

SOURCE Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

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