New funding to support advancements in Alzheimer’s research

Brain Canada and the Alzheimer’s Association fund three projects to drive innovative Alzheimer’s research across Canada and around the world

Brain Canada and the Alzheimer’s Association are pleased to announce the three recipients that have received grants as part of the Advancing Research on Care & Outcome Measurement (ARCOM) 2.0 funding program. Together, Brain Canada and the Alzheimer’s Association would like to congratulate Dr. Julie Robillard, Dr. Mark Rapoport, and Dr. Neil Thomas.

Leveraging an Interdisciplinary Consortium to Improve Care and Outcomes for Persons living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia (LINC-AD) is a five-year consortium funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that is undertaking a series of high-impact activities to usher in the next phase of psychosocial research in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

In collaboration with LINC-AD, the ARCOM funding program aims to address significant gaps in care and outcome measurement while providing an opportunity to advance research in order for care providers to ensure that they are implementing evidence-based practices (using measures to guide care provision) and achieving desired outcomes (using measures to assess individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other dementia and the care partner outcomes). This program previously supported work related to the importance of social connection in long-term care home residents, as well as the development of CARED, a new CAregiver REported and weighted Dementia outcome measure that can be used by caregivers to monitor progression, evaluate treatment, and make decisions about different levels of care in relation to the needs of a person living with dementia.  

We are pleased to partner with the Alzheimer’s Association to support innovative and novel ideas that will address challenges in Alzheimer’s research. Brain Canada is committed to investing in cutting-edge research that will help those affected by Alzheimer’s, their families, and their caretakers.”

Dr. Viviane Poupon, Brain Canada President and CEO

Brain Canada and Alzheimer’s Association are pleased to support these projects with an investment of $703,500 USD going directly to research. The projects funded by Brain Canada and Alzheimer’s Association include grants of up to $250,000 USD awarded to:

• Dr. Julie Robillard from the University of British Colombia for the project Patient-reported outcome measures for social robots in dementia care.
• Dr. Mark Rapoport from Sunnybrook Research Institute for the project Using mobile technology to inform driving decision-making in dementia.
• Dr. Neil Thomas from Bruyère Research Institute for the project Developing a digital signature of care-related activities and burden.

Alzheimer’s disease presents many challenges for both the person with the disease and their caregivers. The Alzheimer’s Association is proud of our continued collaboration with Brain Canada to accelerate research that will improve care for individuals living this incredibly difficult disease.”

Heather Snyder, Ph.D., Alzheimer’s Association vice president of medical and scientific relations

This program has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada Foundation, and the Alzheimer’s Association. To date, Health Canada has invested over $155 million through the CBRF which has been matched by Brain Canada Foundation and its donors and partners.