Thanks to our dedicated advocates and bipartisan congressional champions, AIM has helped usher in a new phase of progress in Alzheimer’s and dementia research. Since the passage of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) in 2011, federal Alzheimer’s and dementia research funding has increased seven-fold. And this week, the Alzheimer’s Association is celebrating a monumental achievement: an astounding $100 million investment into research initiatives in 2023, which is the largest single-year investment since its 1980 inception. 

This $100 million investment supports a wide range of initiatives, from grants to researchers at all career stages, to the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART), the free clinical studies matching service TrialMatch, global conferences, including the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), and more. The investment is part of the Alzheimer’s Association’s global, cumulative impact on research, which includes more than $360 million invested in over 1,000 active research projects in 53 countries, spanning six continents. 

For decades, millions of Americans and their families have waited for improved, effective therapies for Alzheimer’s and other dementia. As a result of the unprecedented funding for Alzheimer’s and dementia research since NAPA, scientists are working at a more rapid pace to advance basic disease knowledge, explore ways to reduce risk, uncover new biomarkers for early diagnosis and drug targeting, and develop potential treatments. 

This year, a treatment that addresses the underlying biology of Alzheimer’s disease received traditional approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time. This treatment changes the course of the disease in a meaningful way for people in the early stages. Scientists are also making progress on developing simple, inexpensive diagnostic tools that will be available through a doctor’s office. And researchers are working to uncover ways to prevent Alzheimer’s and other dementia, with research showing that we can take action to reduce risk of cognitive decline.

There has been tremendous progress, but our work is not done. To keep this momentum in both public and private investment and advancement, Congress must renew its commitment to the cause by passing the NAPA Reauthorization Act (S. 133 / H.R. 619) and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act (S. 134 / H.R. 620). 

Ask your member of Congress to support these critical bills today.