Mayo Clinic Receives $10 Million from Philanthropists to Accelerate Alzheimer's Disease Research

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Two generous families have donated a total of $10 million to Mayo Clinic to advance the progress of medical research in Alzheimer's disease. One family includes Edward and Leslye Phillips of Minneapolis, the son and daughter-in-law of "Dear Abby", advice columnist Abigail Van Buren. The other family wishes to remain anonymous. These gifts form the largest contribution Mayo Clinic has received at one time for Alzheimer's disease research.

This funding will enable Mayo to accelerate its research on gaining an ever-improving understanding of Alzheimer's disease and ultimately developing effective treatments. Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's disease research is conducted at its facilities in Rochester, Minn., and Jacksonville, Fla., and is led by Ronald C. Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., and Steven G. Younkin, M.D., Ph.D., two prominent Alzheimer's disease researchers.

"We are enormously grateful for the generosity of these families," says Denis Cortese, M.D., president and CEO, Mayo Clinic. "Clearly, these families believe in the mission of Mayo Clinic — to heal the sick and advance the science — and their support will enable us to realize significant achievements."

The gifts will be used to recruit and evaluate a large group of elderly Rochester residents and three multifaceted research initiatives:

1. Use of magnetic resonance imaging to determine who is at risk for Alzheimer's disease and how quickly or slowly a person's disease will progress. Mayo Clinic will recruit 1,200 participants for this five-year study. Mayo hopes this study will improve a physician's ability to make an early diagnosis of dementia. This research will be conducted at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

2. Evaluation of drugs that may alter levels of Alzheimer's amyloid beta protein. This protein is found in the brain and is thought to cause Alzheimer's disease. This research has the potential to find rapid and economical treatments using drugs already being prescribed for other purposes. This study will be conducted at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.

3. Identification of genetic markers in individuals who are destined to develop mild cognitive impairment and late-onset Alzheimer's disease. This ultimately could provide a better predictor for who is at risk for developing the disease. This research will be conducted on the Jacksonville campus using DNA specimens.

"Our research plan addresses crucially important aspects of Alzheimer's disease research using resources that Mayo Clinic can uniquely bring to bear through our basic science and clinical capabilities," says Dr. Petersen.

"Our goal in studying Alzheimer's disease is to develop an understanding that leads to improved therapy. This generous gift will aid us immeasurably as we seek to identify therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease, drugs that hit those targets and animal models in which to do preclinical testing to evaluate therapeutic efficacy. Ultimately, we must develop a preventive approach to Alzheimer's disease. To do this effectively, we must be able to identify those who are at risk for Alzheimer's disease. The resources made available through this gift will enable the research teams in Rochester and Jacksonville to approach this challenging task coordinately in a way that integrates cognitive testing with imaging, biochemical assays and genetic analysis," says Dr. Younkin.

Mayo's Alzheimer's disease research facility in Rochester will be named "Mayo Clinic Abigail Van Buren Alzheimer's Disease Research Clinic" in honor of the $5 million gift from Edward and Leslye Phillips of Minneapolis and the Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation. The foundation was established by two of Dear Abby's in-laws, both of whom are deceased.

"My mother (Dear Abby) made a profound difference in the lives of generations of American families; in fact people throughout the world," says Edward Phillips. "She suffers from Alzheimer's disease that has gradually stolen this precious resource from us. The loyal fans of my mother's newspaper column never had an opportunity to express their gratitude to her. We hope that many will demonstrate their appreciation by making a financial commitment to Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's disease research program. It is our hope that this massive research undertaking by Mayo Clinic will make a major difference to those suffering from Alzheimer's and their families. We are proud to share a common vision with Mayo Clinic — to one day find ways to treat, cure and prevent this disease."

The Phillips family has had a long association with Mayo Clinic, both as patients and as benefactors. Previous gifts include support for medical research, seven scholarships and a lecture hall on the Mayo Clinic campus in Rochester.

Alzheimer's disease affects more than four million older Americans, and this number is expected to quadruple by the year 2050 as more people live into their 80s and 90s. Alzheimer's disease is a degenerative disorder of the brain in which nerve cells die, causing a progressive decline in memory and thinking abilities. There currently is no cure.

More information about Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's disease research can be found online.
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Suzanne Leaf-Brock
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Erik Kaldor
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904-953-2000 (evenings)
e-mail: kaldor.erik@mayo.edu

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