Alzheimer’s disease research at UBC received a significant boost through a leadership gift from the David Townsend family. The gift will establish the Townsend Family Laboratories and the new Centre for Brain Health. The Alzheimer Society of Canada estimates that the disease affects almost 300,000 Canadians and accounts for two-thirds of all cases of dementia.
“This funding will allow our team to clearly define the underlying mechanisms AD uses which will allow us to properly treat the disease.” – Dr. Weihong Song, Canada Research Chair in Alzheimer’s Disease.
In a related discovery, a research team led by Dr. Song has discovered that a common epilepsy drug blocks the formation of plaques that cause Alzheimer’s disease in animal models. The team found that if valproic acid is used as a treatment in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the memory deficit is reversed. The results of this research will help inform the design of human clinical trials. Funding for this research was provided by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health research, the Townsend family, and the Jack Brown and Family Alzheimer Foundation.
Media release about gift from the David Townsend family
Media release about epilepsy drug discovery
