Cure Alzheimer's Fund

06/01/2026

We’re excited to see CureAlz-supported research continuing to shed light on how exercise benefits the brain. Dr. Christiane Wrann’s earlier work demonstrated that the hormone irisin, released from muscles during physical activity, plays a pivotal role in brain health by potentially mitigating a hallmark feature of Alzheimer's disease—the accumulation of amyloid beta plaques.

In the new study led by Dr. Wrann, irisin once again emerged as a potential neuroprotective factor—this time in a preclinical model of multiple sclerosis, in which it reduced symptoms and preserved neurons and synapses.

These findings reinforce a powerful idea: the biology of exercise may unlock new therapeutic pathways across neurodegenerative diseases. We’re proud to support research that brings us closer to treatments that protect the brain—not just manage disease.

Read the study here: https://ow.ly/I7bo50Z5h1G
Learn more about Dr. Wrann's work in AD: https://curealz.org/researchers/christiane-wrann/

Exercise-mediated neuroprotection in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis is reduced in mice lacking the irisin-encoding gene, Fndc5, and can be recapitulated by peripheral administration of irisin.

05/22/2026

Missed our latest CureAlz webinar? You can still catch the full conversation on demand.

In “Brain Aging, Alzheimer’s, and Resilience,” Meg Smith, CEO of Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, joins Dr. Randall Bateman and Dr. Miranda Orr for a compelling discussion on how aging shapes Alzheimer’s risk—and why it doesn’t have to lead to disease. Understanding resistance and resilience in the brain could transform how we prevent and treat this disease.

If you’re interested in the future of Alzheimer’s research, early detection, and the science of healthy brain aging, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.

Watch here: https://ow.ly/3gfr50Z2SfV

     Alzheimer's is closely tied to aging, but not all aging leads to disease. Join CureAlz CEO Meg Smith and CureAlz Brain Aging Consortium

05/21/2026

Some brains have superpowers, at least when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease. They can resist or even withstand brain changes associated with the disease, and scientists are studying these brains to figure out why. In our latest blog post, we break down the difference between resistant brains (which avoid Alzheimer’s pathology entirely) and resilient brains (which accumulate amyloid plaques and tau tangles yet remain cognitively healthy). Read about these superpowers—and what you can do to protect your own brain—here: https://ow.ly/WUEf50YZ6Uf

  Some brains have superpowers, at least when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease. These brains can resist or overcome brain changes that often lead to

05/18/2026

For decades, neuroscience has focused primarily on neurons as the drivers of brain communication, but emerging research is challenging that assumption. A fascinating new study from Dr. Melissa Cooper— a researcher in Dr. Shane A. Liddelow's lab at New York University Grossman School of Medicine— published in Nature, reveals that astrocytes, long considered “support” cells, form expansive, flexible networks that connect distant regions of the brain in ways neurons do not.

Cure Alzheimer's Fund is proud to be a supporter of this work; this is exactly the kind of bold, foundational science that has the potential to redefine how we understand Alzheimer’s disease. As Dr. Cooper states in Science News, “There have been so many questions in neuroscience that we’ve been chasing forever and haven’t been able to answer [...] and it’s maybe because we haven’t been able to see this big missing piece that’s been there the whole time.” We are proud to support research that pushes into these frontiers — and grateful to all the scientists whose work continues to expand what’s possible.

Read the study: https://ow.ly/MfLc50Z0pBF
Read the Science News discussion: https://ow.ly/weqn50Z0kKJ

05/14/2026

The journey to end Alzheimer’s disease is not an easy one, but we are always energized by the resilience of our community. CureAlz Heroes, like the Whetton family (pictured), channel personal experiences and unwavering determination into meaningful action. Our Heroes are a constant reminder that resilience isn’t just about enduring challenges—it’s about turning them into momentum for change. Their stories are a powerful testament to what’s possible when passion meets purpose.

Learn more about our Heroes and how you can get involved in our recent blog post: https://ow.ly/77KF50YZ0av

Together, we can create a future without Alzheimer’s.

  Somewhere this weekend, a ten-year-old is setting up a lemonade stand with a sign asking for donations instead of dollars. A couple is mailing

05/11/2026

Dr. Randall J. Bateman’s Morby Prize–winning paper introduces MTBR‑tau243, the first accurate, scalable blood test that can detect Alzheimer’s‑specific tau tangles in the brain. Published in Nature Medicine (March 2025), the work points to a future with transformative tools to help diagnose and stage Alzheimer’s disease, bringing the promise of precision medicine closer to reality.

05/08/2026

You're Invited! Join us for a conversation with members of the Brain Aging Consortium moderated by CureAlz CEO, Meg Smith, to discuss the biology of brain aging, recent scientific advances, and promising therapeutic avenues. Register here: https://ow.ly/KV7y50YWlNe

04/16/2026

For cells, including brain cells, to remain healthy, they must be able to remove damaged or misfolded proteins. In Alzheimer’s, cells lose this ability which allows toxic forms of amyloid and tau to clump together. CureAlz is pleased to support researcher Dr. Xu Chen who believes that one way to prevent—or even cure—the disease is by boosting the abilities of nuclear speckles, which act as key players in removing damaged proteins. They’ve identified and are testing an FDA-approved drug that can ‘rejuvenate’ nuclear speckles and decrease tau pathology in lab models.

Read more about her work: https://ow.ly/kTYX50YH1b3

04/13/2026

And the 2026 Jeffrey L. Morby prize goes to...

Senior coauthors Dr. Randy Bateman and Dr. Oskar Hansson and first coauthors Dr. Kanta Horie and Dr. Gemma Salvadó for their paper “Plasma MTBR-tau243 biomarker identifies tau tangle pathology in Alzheimer’s disease,” published in the journal Nature Medicine in March 2025. It details the development of a new blood test that, for the first time, accurately detects toxic tau levels in the brain and can indicate how far Alzheimer’s disease has progressed.

Dr. Randy Bateman and Dr. Kanta Horie are from WashU Medicine and Dr. Oskar Hansson and Dr. Gemma Salvadó are from Lund University.

04/10/2026

Alzheimer’s doesn’t start with memory loss—it starts with tiny changes in our brain cells.

A key early step in the disease is the buildup of toxic amyloid beta, which forms plaques and damages brain cells. Amyloid beta is formed inside endosomes. We are pleased to provide funding for this new project from the Bhattacharyya lab who has identified two Alzheimer’s risk genes that increase the production of amyloid and lead to enlarged endosomes. These enlarged endosomes are seen very early in the disease, even before amyloid plaque buildup or memory loss begins.

By decoding how these changes occur, the Bhattacharyya lab hopes to develop treatments that intervene before plaques form and memories fade. Learn more about this exciting discovery: https://ow.ly/zogM50YH0Br