Anniversary of hope

Dr. Weaver's research is aimed at discovering new drug treatments for Alzheimer's Disease (Pearce photo).

In 1907, a German researcher named Dr. Alois Alzheimer published the first volume of a ground-breaking study that revealed to the world the disease that now bears his name. One hundred years later, researchers like Dr. Donald Weaver are continuing to blaze trails in understanding and treating  Alzheimer's Disease.

To mark the centennial anniversary of Dr. Alzheimer's publication, Alzheimer's Disease Research (ADR) has presented Dr. Weaver, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Clinical Neuroscience at Dalhousie, with one of two $1 million Centennial Awards. The award seeks to foster innovative, multidisciplinary research aimed at slowing or reversing the progression of, and ultimately preventing, the devastating brain disorder.

"This is extremely gratifying," says Dr. Weaver. "We have a novel approach to the treatment of the disease on our team, and this award and the financial support it provides will allow our drug research program to grow and get successful results."

Dr. Weaver's research is being undertaken in conjunction with Dr. Edwin De Pauw at the University of Lige in Belgium and Dr. Ottavia Arancio at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York. The team is investigating ways to disrupt the protein build-up that damages the brains of Alzheimer's patients, with the goal of discovering new and useful drug treatments for the disease.

More than 18 million affected

"If we can prevent the protein from aggregating in the brain, we can help significantly reduce the symptoms of the disease," says Dr. Weaver. He adds that he's pleased that ADR has chosen to recognize the importance of drug design in medical research and Dalhousie's capacity in that regard.

In presenting the ADR Centennial Awards, Dr. Brian Regan, President of ADR, said, "We are extremely pleased to give these awards to such committed scientists, who will move us closer to understanding and treating this terrible disease. We are dedicated to continued investment in Alzheimer's disease research worldwide." Alzheimer's Disease is now estimated to affect more than 18-million people worldwide.

Alzheimer's Disease Research is a program of the American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF), a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating age-related and degenerative diseases through research and public education. Since its inception, ADR has funded over $55 million in grants to researchers around the world.

In addition to the Centennial Award, Dr. Weaver was also recently named as the recipient of the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation's prestigious Max Forman Research Award, presented annually to a member of the Faculty of Medicine whose research achievements have enriched the academic environment and advanced scientific understanding.