Principal Investigators Li-Huei Tsai , Edward Boyden , Emery Brown
Project Website https://picower.mit.edu/about/aging-brain-initiative
Project Start Date February 2015
Today, an estimated 46 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia. That number is expected to double every 20 years as life expectancy rises and populations age.
Currently, there are no effective therapies and the economic burden of Alzheimer’s disease is unsustainable; in the United States alone, care for Alzheimer’s patients is estimated to total $1.1 trillion by 2050. Meanwhile, there is limited federal support for Alzheimer’s disease funding. In the current National Institutes of Health budget, $5B is spent for cancer research annually compared to less than $1B for Alzheimer’s.
This interdisciplinary research effort pulls together faculty expertise, knowledge, and technical resources from across MIT to solve the mysteries of the aging brain. It spans neuroscience, fundamental biology and genetics, investigative medicine, engineering and computer science, economics, chemistry, urban planning, and artificial intelligence to enable a comprehensive systems approach. What's the ultimate mission? To deliver the basic research that makes possible new tools to address the challenges of brain aging and create a better future for millions.
Founded in 2015 by nine MIT faculty members, the ABI promotes research, symposia, and related activities to advance fundamental insights that can lead to clinical progress against neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, with an age-related onset. With an emphasis on spurring research at an early stage before it is established enough to earn more traditional funding, the ABI derives support from philanthropic gifts.