Milestones
In Motion
We’ve entered a new era of optimism in Alzheimer’s research.
Through our Milestones in Motion campaign, the ADDF is accelerating the most promising drugs, diagnostics, and prevention strategies around the world. By driving the field toward combination therapies and precision medicine – the same approach that revolutionized cancer care – we are transforming Alzheimer’s from a devastating diagnosis into a treatable and preventable disease.
Dear Friends,
When we founded the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) nearly three decades ago, guided by the Lauder family’s visionary leadership, it was with the conviction that combining the rigor of science with the power of philanthropy and a venture capital mindset could change the course of this disease. Every day since, we have remained singularly focused on accelerating the development of effective treatments for the patients and families impacted by Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
And we are seeing extraordinary progress. Thanks to the ADDF’s support, innovative blood tests, PET scans and digital tools are transforming the way Alzheimer’s is detected and treated. These tools made the first disease-modifying drugs possible and continue to drive new therapies toward patients, moving us closer to a day when we will be able to detect and prevent Alzheimer’s before it ever begins. Maintaining this momentum is critical.
Why now? These diagnostic breakthroughs have unlocked an unprecedented surge in clinical development. Yet too many promising therapies still stall in the so-called “valley of death” between early discovery and late-stage clinical trials. This is where the ADDF steps in, where others cannot, or will not, because the risk is too high. Philanthropy has the unique power to fill this gap and change the trajectory of Alzheimer’s science.
Why us? The ADDF is uniquely positioned to lead. We convene partners from academia, biotech, venture capital, pharma, and philanthropy. And our globally recognized scientific diligence process ensures we place smart bets on the programs most likely to succeed. We know how to identify the opportunities that others miss, and how to de-risk them for larger-scale investment. Today, the imperative is clear: we must deploy capital boldly, strategically, and together.
I invite you to join us in our Milestones in Motion campaign, a collective effort to speed promising diagnostics and treatments through development and into the hands of patients. With your partnership, we can create a world without Alzheimer’s disease.
With gratitude,
Howard Fillit, MD
Our Portfolio by the Numbers
Project Spotlights
The following projects represent some of the most promising advances moving rapidly toward patients today—progress made possible by the unwavering commitment of the ADDF community.
Andrew Satlin, MD
Transposon Therapeutics is testing a novel drug, TPN‑101, to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The drug targets LINE‑1 DNA elements – segments of “junk” DNA that, when activated by the tau proteins present in Alzheimer’s, produce reverse transcriptase that mimics a viral immune trigger. This activation leads to inflammation, DNA damage, and neuronal cell death. TPN‑101 aims to halt this inflammatory cascade and preserve brain cells, potentially slowing disease progression. The ADDF is supporting Transposon’s phase 2 clinical trial.
Bradford Navia, MD, PhD
Therini Bio’s drug candidate, THN391, fights inflammation – a key target as we develop the next generation of treatments informed by the biology of aging. In April 2025, Therini announced positive results from the drug’s phase 1a trial, showing THN391 to be well tolerated in healthy subjects. It has been gratifying to see the ADDF’s support of this program attract other key players in the Alzheimer’s field, including the Foundation For a Better World, Eli Lilly, and Apollo Health Ventures. Therini plans to commence a phase 1b trial in the coming months.
Manu Vandijck
In a critical milestone for the fight against Alzheimer’s, Fujirebio’s Lumipulse pTau217/β-Amyloid Ratio recently became the first Alzheimer’s blood test cleared by the FDA. Blood tests like this can be deployed in a wide range of clinical settings, including primary care, and are key to detecting the disease earlier, speeding up clinical trials, and paving the way for more targeted treatments. The ADDF is supporting the development of Fujirebio’s next generation pTau217 blood test.
Consortium
The ADDF established SpeechDx to create the largest longitudinal dataset of speech in Alzheimer’s and pre-Alzheimer’s patients, enrolling up to 2,000 participants who will be monitored for 3 years. Speech is increasingly recognized as a potential predictor of cognitive decline and is easily measured with common smart devices. This year, the ADDF announced a new partnership with Siemens Healthineers to license SpeechDx’s dataset with the goal of developing speech-based biomarkers that can help predict who is likely to develop Alzheimer’s and when the disease may occur.
Andrew Satlin, MD
Transposon Therapeutics is testing a novel drug, TPN‑101, to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The drug targets LINE‑1 DNA elements – segments of “junk” DNA that, when activated by the tau proteins present in Alzheimer’s, produce reverse transcriptase that mimics a viral immune trigger. This activation leads to inflammation, DNA damage, and neuronal cell death. TPN‑101 aims to halt this inflammatory cascade and preserve brain cells, potentially slowing disease progression. The ADDF is supporting Transposon’s phase 2 clinical trial.
Bradford Navia, MD, PhD
Therini Bio’s drug candidate, THN391, fights inflammation – a key target as we develop the next generation of treatments informed by the biology of aging. In April 2025, Therini announced positive results from the drug’s phase 1a trial, showing THN391 to be well tolerated in healthy subjects. It has been gratifying to see the ADDF’s support of this program attract other key players in the Alzheimer’s field, including the Foundation For a Better World, Eli Lilly, and Apollo Health Ventures. Therini plans to commence a phase 1b trial in the coming months. phase 2 clinical trial.
Manu Vandijck
In a critical milestone for the fight against Alzheimer’s, Fujirebio’s Lumipulse pTau217/β-Amyloid Ratio recently became the first Alzheimer’s blood test cleared by the FDA. Blood tests like this can be deployed in a wide range of clinical settings, including primary care, and are key to detecting the disease earlier, speeding up clinical trials, and paving the way for more targeted treatments. The ADDF is supporting the development of Fujirebio’s next generation pTau217 blood test.
Consortium
The ADDF established SpeechDx to create the largest longitudinal dataset of speech in Alzheimer’s and pre-Alzheimer’s patients, enrolling up to 2,000 participants who will be monitored for 3 years. Speech is increasingly recognized as a potential predictor of cognitive decline and is easily measured with common smart devices. This year, the ADDF announced a new partnership with Siemens Healthineers to license SpeechDx’s dataset with the goal of developing speech-based biomarkers that can help predict who is likely to develop Alzheimer’s and when the disease may occur.
The ADDF Portfolio
This is the game-changing science your support makes possible. The ADDF’s funded projects span the full pathobiology of Alzheimer’s disease, attacking it from every angle to drive life-changing breakthroughs. Contact us to learn more about our portfolio.
Amsterdam UMC Research BV
Brown University
Cognito Therapeutics
Coya Therapeutics
Curasen Therapeutics Inc.
Dignity Health St Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
FINGERS Brain Health Institute
Imperial College London
Lexeo Therapeutics Inc.
MTI BioTech Inc.
Massachusetts General Hospital
McGill University
Aquinnah Pharmaceuticals
Astrocyte Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Emory University
GliaPharm SA
Indiana University
Johns Hopkins University
Modulo Bio, Inc.
Pangea Botanica Ltd
Polku Therapeutics
St. Vincent's Institute of Medical Research
ADmit Therapeutics S.L.
Alamar Biosciences
Amoneta Diagnostics
Banner Health
Bluefield Project to Cure FTD
Boston University
C. Light Technologies, Inc.
C2N Diagnostics
Centre for Eye Research Australia
Circular Genomics Inc
Cogstate Ltd
Davos Alzheimers Collaborative
APRINOIA Therapeutics Inc
BrainScope Company, Inc
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Inc.
IMAGINOSTICS INC
Johns Hopkins University
Life Molecular Imaging, Ltd
Mayo Clinic Rochester
MindImmune Therapeutics, Inc.
TUFTS Medical Center
The University of Edinburgh
University College London
University of Nevada Las Vegas
FINGERS Brain Health Institute
Imperial College London
Monash University
Preventive Medicine Research Institute
Sunnybrook Research Institute
University of Arizona
University of Southern California
Our Boards
Governors
Leonard A. Lauder
Ronald S. Lauder
Randal Sandler
Thomas F. McWilliams
Howard Fillit, MD
Niranjan Bose, PhD
Carol Seabrook Boulanger
Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD
Nancy Corzine
Ric Edelman
Lanny Edelsohn, MD
Bonnie Pfeifer Evans
Nancy Goodes
Adam Hoffman
Rachid Izzar
Ann Jackson
Miia Kivipelto, MD, PhD
Gary M. Lauder
Bonnie Lautenberg
Laurence C. Leeds, Jr
Richard C. Mohs, PhD
Sharon T. Sager, CIMA
Philip Scheltens, MD, PhD
Julieann Shanahan, CFA
Alice Shure
Thomas S. (Tad) Smith, Jr
Laura Steele
David R. Weinreb
Paula Zahn
Henrik Zetterberg, MD, PhD
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
Robert A. Belfer
Melvin R. Goodes
Sally Susman
Melvin R. Goodes
Sally Susman
Overseers
Christopher Johnson
Bal Agrawal
Charles Cangro
Kristin Rae Cecchi
Charlie Lefkowitz Crowley
Mitchell D. Eichen, J.D., LL.M.
Phyllis Ferrell
Joel Florin
Gina F. Fochetta
Dave Gerson
Stephanie Ginsberg
Allan M. Green, MD, PhD, JD
Mitchell Kaneff
Josh Lauder
Elise Gelman Lefkowitz
Philip Lovett
Julie Medler
Justin Meltzer
Phebe Farrow Port
Gregory A. Rosica
Tom Scanlan
John H. Scully, CIMA
Stephen Toma
Wendy L. Wilshin
Christopher Johnson
Bal Agrawal
Charles Cangro
Kristin Rae Cecchi
Charlie Lefkowitz Crowley
Mitchell D. Eichen, J.D., LL.M.
Phyllis Ferrell
Joel Florin
