Arizona State University and Banner Health have announced a new research alliance to advance the scientific study, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The partnership between Arizona State University (ASU), one of the nation’s largest public research universities, and Phoenix-based Banner Health, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health systems, includes the launch of a new Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center on ASU’s Tempe campus.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to work together to build one of the world’s largest basic science centers for the study of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases at ASU and to further develop our clinical and research programs at Banner,” said Eric Reiman, M.D. Reiman is the executive director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and university professor of neuroscience at ASU, who along with Raymond N. DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., executive director of the Biodesign Institute at ASU, will lead the new alliance.
This effort capitalizes on Banner’s internationally recognized programs in Alzheimer’s disease research and patient care and ASU’s rapid ascension as a world-class research university. It also leverages Banner’s close working relationships with other research organizations in Arizona.
“This extraordinary research alliance will help galvanize the search for answers to degenerative brain diseases,” said ASU President Michael Crow. “This is yet another example of how institutions in Arizona are leading the way for groundbreaking research in age-related diseases. This new effort will be a magnet to attract more researchers, more businesses and more resources to this urgent fight.”
Currently, more than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s. This has profound implications for Arizona, with a population of more than 1 million people over age 65 living today that is expected to expand to 2.4 million by 2050.
The new center at ASU will begin July 1 and the search for a world-renowned scientific director will continue. As part of this partnership, ASU will invite six scientists from Banner Sun Health Research Institute to relocate to the Tempe campus where they will have access to other scientists, state-of-the art laboratory space and support to advance their research. The center is expected to rapidly grow to become a pre-eminent research center in both size and impact through aggressive recruitment of innovative research teams pursuing causes and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
Banner will continue to grow its clinical and research programs at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and Banner Sun Health Research Institute (BSHRI). For instance, BSHRI plans to develop its clinical and clinical research programs for the study of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, further develop its world-renowned Brain and Body Donation Programs for the study of these and other age-related disorders, and explore new opportunities to work with the rest of Banner and its organizational partners to expand and test new models of elder care.
Together, Banner and ASU receive nearly $65 million in current research funding in the neurosciences. That number is expected to rise significantly with the recruitment of new researchers and funding.
“This collaboration is an opportunity to bring together Banner Health’s leadership roles in research and patient care with ASU’s growing translational science expertise to fight devastating neurodegenerative diseases,” said Peter Fine, Banner’s president and CEO. “Leaders from Banner Health and ASU have worked hard to make this partnership a reality – a partnership that will enhance the scientific strengths of our two organizations, provide major growth opportunities for research in the Sun City area, and strengthen Arizona’s position as a major research center.”
Barring any significant treatment breakthroughs, the number of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease could more than triple to 16 million in the U.S. by 2050, at a health care cost of more than $1.2 trillion annually. Parkinson’s afflicts up to 10 million people worldwide, and an estimated 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s each year, while thousands of cases go undetected. Other neurodegenerative diseases continue to take a devastating toll on patients and family caregivers.
“Bringing the two groups together will accelerate the bench-to-bedside development of new diagnostic, drug and other treatment options for patients and family caregivers,” said DuBois. “Time and time again, the scientific community has shown how multidisciplinary teams can come together as incubators for innovation and discovery.”
In addition to his other positions, Reiman is the CEO of Banner Research. He is internationally recognized for his contributions to brain imaging, the early detection and tracking of Alzheimer’s disease, and the accelerated evaluation of Alzheimer’s prevention therapies. The Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center will be closely affiliated with faculty from ASU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Biodesign Institute, a translational science institute with some 500 faculty, staff and students, representing expertise in the biosciences, engineering and advanced computing.
The agreement between Banner and ASU is an extension of their work with the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium, a leading model of statewide collaboration in biomedical research, and it is intended to help make Arizona a destination for the best and brightest minds in this field. The two institutions will continue to work closely with other organizational partners to advance scientific research. Under the agreement, the center’s scientists will hold joint faculty appointments at both ASU and Banner Research.
“The new collaboration will allow Banner, ASU and other organizations in the state to have an even greater impact in the scientific fight against Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases,” said Reiman, “and it will permit us to have an even greater impact on the care of patients and family caregivers.”
