Edward N. and Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation Awards Program in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery Research

SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE DRUG DISCOVERY RESEARCH IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

The goal of the Thome Memorial Foundation Awards Program in Alzheimer’s Disease Drug Discovery Research is to support innovative preclinical and translational drug discovery research that will lead to improved therapies for all individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

In 2026, an estimated 7.2 million people aged 65 and older are living with clinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia in the U.S. Given the tremendous societal impact and limited treatments currently available, there is a great need to better understand the biological drivers of disease risk and progression, which can then inform the development of novel therapeutics. 

Among the millions of people living with AD, certain populations experience a greater disease burden compared to others. For instance, twice as many women are diagnosed with AD than men. Black Americans and Hispanic Americans are at higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias compared to White Americans (2x and 1.5x greater risk, respectively). The Thome Memorial Foundation aims to advance innovative preclinical and translational drug development research that will benefit all people with AD, especially those populations that experience a particularly high disease burden and/or are historically understudied.

Two award types will be offered:

• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award: Up to $125,000 over two years. Eligible applicants include senior postdoctoral researchers and mentored clinician scientists.
• Early Career Investigator Award: Up to $275,000 over two years. Applicants must be full-time tenure-track or clinician-scientist/investigator track research faculty who have received or will receive their first independent research faculty appointment on or between June 1, 2024 through June 1, 2027.

All applicants must be currently employed at a non-profit academic, medical, non-governmental or research institution in the United States. US citizenship is not required. For complete Eligibility Requirements and Application Instructions, download the Guidelines available to the right.

For assistance, please contact: ThomeAwards@hria.org