New Initiative Launched to Accelerate the Use of AI in the Fight Against Neurodegenerative Diseases

Leading nonprofits come together to define how AI can help researchers to grapple with the daunting complexities of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and related disorders

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The 10,000 Brains Project, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been launched to promote the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the fight against Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative diseases. The organization's mission is to provide the leadership, expertise, and financial support needed to ensure that researchers can rapidly adopt this powerful new technology in the search for better diagnostics and treatments for patients in need.

Neurodegeneration is perhaps the most complex challenge in healthcare and the development of treatments has proven resistant to traditional research methods. The rapid advancement of AI offers an opportunity to fundamentally transform research just as the development of the microscope in the 17^th century led to an explosion of scientific discovery. Neurodegeneration affects more than 50 million people worldwide, costs families and taxpayers billions of dollars in caregiving expenses, and is increasing in prevalence as populations age.

Patrick Brannelly, a seasoned executive in nonprofit and entrepreneurial ventures, has been named the founding CEO of The 10,000 Brains Project. Mr. Brannelly has nearly 20 years of experience building groundbreaking neuroscience initiatives. Most recently, he was a member of the Health & Life Sciences team at Gates Ventures, where he served as the Director of Partnerships & Business Development for the Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MSc in Applied Neuroscience from King's College London.

Mr. Brannelly said, "We hope to serve as a resource to others in the field as we jointly explore and embrace the unique capabilities of AI. We welcome inquiries from philanthropists, researchers, and other stakeholders who share our vision of AI-enabled precision medicine for all types of neurodegenerative disease."

As a first step toward its mission, The 10,000 Brains Project has commissioned the development of a roadmap to guide the rapid adoption of AI within neurodegeneration research. The resulting insights, including recommended approaches for addressing the key gaps and opportunities, will be shared with researchers worldwide beginning this year. The roadmap will also inform the creation of the collaborative research networks needed to rapidly move the field forward.

The 10,000 Brains roadmapping effort is being led by the Milken Institute's Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research Collaboration (SPARC). Additional financial support for the effort has been provided by the Robertson Foundation and Rainwater Charitable Foundation, who both serve on the project's steering committee.

Dr. Cara Altimus, Managing Director of Milken Institute Philanthropy, said, "AI offers the computational power needed to look across neurodegenerative diseases and find common threads that can lead to better diagnostics and treatments. We are excited to build a research roadmap that will show how private funding can accelerate this important area of medical research." Dr. Amy Rommel, Scientific Program Director at the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, added, "The roadmap is an important first step in building the multiyear AI collaborations needed to address all forms of neurodegeneration, including the rarer forms that are too often overlooked."

The "10,000 Brains" name is a reflection of two important principles. First, solving neurodegenerative diseases will require researchers to recognize the full diversity of human brains; every person's brain is different, and their disorders can take a variety of different paths. Second, no single expert will be able to untangle the mysteries of neurodegeneration alone; it will require large teams of talented researchers to work together.

About The 10,000 Brains Project

The 10,000 Brains Project is a 501(c)(3) philanthropic initiative that seeks to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the fight against Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative diseases. We provide the leadership, expertise, and financial support needed to ensure that the medical research community can rapidly adopt this exciting new technology for maximum impact. To learn more about our priorities, programs, and partnerships, visit: https://10kbrains.org.

About the Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on accelerating measurable progress on the path to a meaningful life. With a focus on financial, physical, mental, and environmental health, we bring together the best ideas and innovative resourcing to develop blueprints for tackling some of our most critical global issues through the lens of what's pressing now and what's coming next.
For more information, visit: https://milkeninstitute.org.

About the Rainwater Charitable Foundation's Medical Research

The Rainwater Charitable Foundation (RCF) was created in the early 1990s by renowned private equity investor and philanthropist Richard E. Rainwater. RCF supports a range of programs in family economic security funding, medical research, and other worthy causes. In 2009, the RCF added the Tau Consortium after Rainwater was diagnosed with PSP, which affects nerve cells that control walking, balance, vision, speech, and swallowing. In order to deliver on its mission to accelerate the development of new diagnostics and treatments for primary tauopathies, like PSP, the Rainwater Charitable Foundation's Medical Research team now manages several programs including the Tau Consortium, Tauopathy Challenge Workshop, and the Rainwater Prize. For more information, visit: https://rainwatercharitablefoundation.org.

About the Robertson Foundation

The Robertson Foundation is a private Foundation established in 1996 by Tiger Management founder Julian H. Robertson, Jr., his wife Josie, and their family. The Foundation takes a targeted, results-oriented approach to philanthropy, and it has historically targeted high-impact grants in three principal areas: Education, Environment, and Medical Research. Past investments in medical research include supporting basic research in neuroscience, cancer, stem cell biology, and data science as well as translational research for a wide variety of diseases. For more information, visit: https://www.robertsonfoundation.org/.

Contact:      Patrick Brannelly
                     The 10,000 Brains Project
                    +1-650-743-7141
                     [email protected]

SOURCE 10,000 Brains Neuro AI, Inc.