TY - JOUR
T1 - An analysis of global research funding for the frontotemporal dementias
T2 - 1998-2008
AU - Walentas, Christopher D.
AU - Shineman, Diana W.
AU - Horton, Antony R.
AU - Boeve, Bradley F.
AU - Fillit, Howard M.
N1 - Funding Information:
An analysis by funding agency type showed that 83.1% ($359.2 MM) of FTD funding came from the NIH (US) ( Fig. 1 B). Within the NIH, 56.4% ($243.7 MM) originated at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) with an additional $57.2 MM (13.2%) from the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and approximately $15 MM each from the National Institute for General Medical Sciences and National Human Genome Research Institute. Foundations sponsored 213 grants (34.7%) worth $43.0 MM (10.0%), with nearly two-thirds (61.9%) of all nongovernmental funds originating at either the Alzheimer’s Association or Wellcome Trust ( Fig. 1 B). The ADDF and the American Health Assistance Fund invested approximately $5 MM each, representing 17% and 28% of their entire respective research portfolios (data not shown). The AFTD, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, and American Federation for Aging Research funded eight grants for a combined $483,000.
Funding Information:
Nineteen grants ($43.7 MM) were directed to clinical evaluation, 82% ($35.8 MM) of these funds were from the NIA, including six infrastructure or clinical core development grants (3.4.0.0) ( Fig. 5 C). Other than support for clinical infrastructure, the most substantial grants were a $5 MM NIA grant to conduct a clinical study of vitamin E and selenium on tangle formation and a $1 MM National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine grant to evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acids, both clinical studies of nutraceuticals or supplements. Although the NIH contributed 40-fold more funds, half of all Clinical Treatment Evaluation (3.0.0.0–3.4.0.0) grants were from foundations and other public agencies, totaling $1.1 MM from the Alzheimer’s Association, ADDF, Alzheimer’s Society (UK), Canadian Institutes for Health Research, National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), and The Wellcome Trust (UK).
Funding Information:
D.S. and H.F. are both employees of the ADDF. A.H. was an ADDF employee at the time of this analysis and is presently Chief Scientific Officer for the International Rett Syndrome Foundation. C.W. is an independent consultant contracted jointly by the ADDF and AFTD to compile the data, conduct the analysis, and compose the full report on which this manuscript was based. B.B. has served as an investigator for clinical trials sponsored by Myriad Pharmaceuticals and Cephalon, Inc. and has served as a one-time consultant to GE Healthcare. He has received honoraria from the American Academy of Neurology. He receives royalties from the publication of a book entitled Behavioral Neurology Of Dementia (Cambridge Medicine, 2009). He receives research support from the NIA ( P50 AG016574 [Co-Investigator], U01 AG006786 [Co-Investigator], and RO1 AG15866 [Co-Investigator]), Center for Inherited Disease Research ( U24 AG026395 [Co-Investigator]), and the Alzheimer’s Association (Principal Investigator).
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - Background: To better understand the status of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) research, and identify opportunities to accelerate translational research, we analyzed international funding for FTD and related dementias between 1998 and 2008. Methods: Search terms were compiled to define the clinical spectrum of FTD and all known mechanisms. Funders were asked to return grants that contained these search terms in the title or abstract. Grants were classified according to the most reasonably achieved stated aim using a classification scheme of research activities that was developed to map grants along the continuum from basic research to clinical trials of treatments. Results: This analysis captured 613 grants ($432,167,275), from 19 private and public funders from 7 countries and the European Union. National Institutes of Health contributed $360 million (MM), 53% of grants and 83% of total funding. Foundations contributed $43 MM, 35% of grants and 10% of total funding, an increase in recent years. A total of $319 MM (74%, funding) went toward basic research, of which 10% was dedicated to preclinical treatment development, clinical treatment evaluation, and developing detection, diagnostic, and imaging technologies and reagents. Conclusions: FTD received moderate funding over the past decade, which has decreased almost five-fold during this period. A sizable proportion of FTD funding supported mechanisms shared with Alzheimer's disease. Few programs advanced past validating target models and into drug discovery and preclinical development, indicating that the knowledge gained from recent research has still not advanced into treatment development. Quantitative analysis of funding highlighted under-resourced areas as well as redundant efforts, enabling a more strategic approach toward advancing FTD drug discovery and development.
AB - Background: To better understand the status of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) research, and identify opportunities to accelerate translational research, we analyzed international funding for FTD and related dementias between 1998 and 2008. Methods: Search terms were compiled to define the clinical spectrum of FTD and all known mechanisms. Funders were asked to return grants that contained these search terms in the title or abstract. Grants were classified according to the most reasonably achieved stated aim using a classification scheme of research activities that was developed to map grants along the continuum from basic research to clinical trials of treatments. Results: This analysis captured 613 grants ($432,167,275), from 19 private and public funders from 7 countries and the European Union. National Institutes of Health contributed $360 million (MM), 53% of grants and 83% of total funding. Foundations contributed $43 MM, 35% of grants and 10% of total funding, an increase in recent years. A total of $319 MM (74%, funding) went toward basic research, of which 10% was dedicated to preclinical treatment development, clinical treatment evaluation, and developing detection, diagnostic, and imaging technologies and reagents. Conclusions: FTD received moderate funding over the past decade, which has decreased almost five-fold during this period. A sizable proportion of FTD funding supported mechanisms shared with Alzheimer's disease. Few programs advanced past validating target models and into drug discovery and preclinical development, indicating that the knowledge gained from recent research has still not advanced into treatment development. Quantitative analysis of funding highlighted under-resourced areas as well as redundant efforts, enabling a more strategic approach toward advancing FTD drug discovery and development.
KW - Corticobasal degeneration
KW - Frontotemporal dementia
KW - Landscape analysis
KW - Pick's disease
KW - Research funding
KW - TDP-43
KW - Tangle
KW - Tau
KW - Ubiquitin
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79952765431&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jalz.2010.11.010
DO - 10.1016/j.jalz.2010.11.010
M3 - Article
C2 - 21276758
AN - SCOPUS:79952765431
SN - 1552-5260
VL - 7
SP - 142
EP - 150
JO - Alzheimer's and Dementia
JF - Alzheimer's and Dementia
IS - 2
ER -