Inaugural ADDF Scientific Summit Convenes Pioneering Scientists Leading and Shaping Alzheimer's Research

Daniel M. Skovronsky, MD, PhD, of Eli Lilly & Company, Receives Prestigious 2025 Melvin R. Goodes Prize, Nobel Prize of Alzheimer's Research

Goodes Prize Winners Declare Future of Alzheimer's Treatment Will Rest on Combination Therapies and Precision Medicine

NEW YORK and PALM BEACH, Fla., March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) marked its Inaugural ADDF Scientific Summit in a momentous celebration of Alzheimer's science which brought together the most innovative and respected researchers in the field. The event, held on March 5^th, featured the presentation of the esteemed Melvin R. Goodes Prize to Dr. Daniel M. Skovronsky, Chief Scientific Officer, Lilly, and President, Lilly Research Labs, and an address from Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, bestselling author, and practicing neurosurgeon.

The Summit convened eight of the ten previous winners of the esteemed Goodes Prize for a symposium moderated by Dr. Niranjan Bose, Managing Director for Health & Life Sciences at Gates Ventures, spotlighting the cutting-edge advancements driving Alzheimer's therapeutics, biomarkers, and prevention, as well as the promising future of the field. These world-renowned scientists have each contributed novel ideas based around the biology of aging that are helping to revolutionize research. They, along with the ADDF, are leading and shaping the Alzheimer's field, propelling us toward combination therapies and precision medicine, the same strategy that has proven successful in cancer treatment.

"It has been truly incredible to witness the pace of breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research over the past few years," said Dr. Howard Fillit, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of the ADDF. "Our trailblazing Goodes Prize recipients are catalyzing innovations that will enable us to tailor treatment approaches based on patients' individual biomarker profiles and combine drugs that target the specific causes of their disease. We are driving the next generation of care, which will use novel drugs targeting the underlying disease biology in tandem with current treatments to change the course of Alzheimer's."

The Goodes Prize, recognized as the Nobel Prize of Alzheimer's research, is presented annually to a pioneering scientist to mark exceptional contributions to the Alzheimer's field. Skovronsky was recognized for his visionary work to develop critical diagnostic tests for Alzheimer's and for his leadership in developing and commercializing Kisunla, one of the first disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's patients. The game-changing diagnostics developed with Skovronsky's help include the Amyvid PET scan, the first FDA-approved diagnostic test for Alzheimer's which was developed with seed funding from the ADDF; the Tauvid PET scan, the first and only FDA-approved diagnostic for Tau in the brain; and a blood biomarker test for p-tau217 for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

"It is a profound honor to accept the 2025 Melvin R. Goodes Prize," said Skovronsky. "This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of more than 35 years of Alzheimer's disease research to fight against this terrible disease. This award celebrates the power of collaboration and the unwavering commitment of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation. Together, we can and will make history and change the world for patients everywhere."

Skovronsky's work has been critical to the approvals of the first class of amyloid-targeting drugs for Alzheimer's, which offer patients options to delay disease progression for the first time and have set the foundation for the future of Alzheimer's therapies. As the next wave of therapeutics aimed at novel targets continues to advance, they can be combined with these anti-amyloids to increase efficacy and stop the disease in its tracks.

"Six months ago, the ADDF celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Goodes Prize in Stockholm's City Hall, which is synonymous with the Nobel Prize. Now at our Inaugural ADDF Scientific Summit, we are once again highlighting the innovators driving progress in Alzheimer's on a global stage," said Ronald Lauder, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the ADDF. "Listening to our Goodes Prize scientists, it's amazing to hear how much progress has been made since my brother and I founded the ADDF in 1998 and to see the ADDF's fingerprints on the advancements we now take for granted – new drugs, new tests, and new prevention methods."

Preceding the symposium, featured speaker Dr. Sanjay Gupta presented an address, highlighting the many reasons for hope as Alzheimer's science continues to make huge strides toward the next generation of treatments and prevention strategies. Gupta has earned multiple Emmy and Peabody awards for his health reporting and recently explored his own family history with Alzheimer's disease through filming a documentary, Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: The Last Alzheimer's Patient, which aired this past summer on CNN.

"It was an honor to be a part of the ADDF's inaugural event celebrating its work for Alzheimer's patients," said Gupta. "We used to think about heart disease the way we thought about brain disease just a few years ago, as hopeless. But now that has changed. We can prevent heart disease, and thanks to exciting strides in how we treat and diagnose Alzheimer's, we will soon be able to prevent neurodegenerative diseases too. I am excited and I am optimistic about the future of Alzheimer's."

About The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF)
Founded in 1998 by Leonard A. and Ronald S. Lauder, the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation is dedicated to rapidly accelerating the discovery of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer's disease. The ADDF is the only public charity solely focused on funding the development of drugs for Alzheimer's, employing a venture philanthropy model to support research in academia and the biotech industry. The ADDF's leadership and contributions to the field have played a pivotal role in bringing the first Alzheimer's PET scan (Amyvid®) and blood test (PrecivityAD®) to market, as well as fueling the current robust and diverse drug pipeline. Through the generosity of its donors, the ADDF has awarded more than $370 million to fund 765 Alzheimer's drug discovery programs, biomarker programs and clinical trials in 21 countries.  To learn more, please visit:  http://www.alzdiscovery.org/.

Media Contact:
Emily Berkowitz, Senior Director of Communications, ADDF
[email protected]
617-894-3540

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SOURCE Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation