The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by co-chairmen Leonard A. Lauder and Ronald S. Lauder of the Estée Lauder Companies cosmetics family [1] and led by Howard Fillit,[2] a geriatrician and neuroscientist. The ADDF provides funding to scientists who are conducting promising, innovative Alzheimer's disease drug research worldwide.[3][4][5] The ADDF funds early-stage research and early-phase clinical trials that might otherwise go unfunded.[6] By supporting research projects around the world, it seeks to increase the chances of finding treatments for Alzheimer's disease, related dementias and cognitive aging.[7][8][9] The ADDF has invested nearly $65 million to fund some 450 Alzheimer's drug discovery programs and clinical trials in academic centers and biotechnology companies in 18 countries.[3]
The ADDF also publishes peer-reviewed scientific articles with the goal of accelerating and improving Alzheimer's disease drug discovery research.[10][11][12]