A $2 million donation to the AV俱乐部 Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) from The Sobey Foundation will be used to establish the DMRF Irene MacDonald Sobey Endowed Chair in Curative Approaches to Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease at AV俱乐部.
The chair will be held by Dr. Donald Weaver, internationally acclaimed neurologist with AV俱乐部 Medical School, Capital Health, and the IWK Health Centre. Dr. Weaver is also a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and AV俱乐部鈥檚 Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience.
鈥淚t鈥榮 an honour to be selected as the Sobey Chair in Alzheimer鈥檚 disease research,鈥� said Dr. Weaver. 鈥淚t鈥檚 deeply gratifying that the Sobey family and The Sobey Foundation has the generosity, courage, and foresight to support the search for a cure for this devastating disease.鈥�
Several members of the Sobey family attended the event last Thursday marking the chair鈥檚 launch.
鈥淚 must say that I鈥檝e never been happier to support the work of this university than I am with today鈥檚 announcement,鈥� said David Sobey, speaking on behalf of The Sobey Foundation. 鈥淏attles are being waged on many fronts in the fight against disease, but this one is personal for the Sobey family,鈥� he added, explaining that his mother, for whom the chair is named, suffered from Alzheimer鈥檚, the most common form of dementia.
鈥淎V俱乐部 Medical Research Foundation has built an endowment of over $50 million to support medical research at AV俱乐部 Medical School and its affiliated teaching hospitals across the Maritimes. Today we will add to that endowment fund,鈥� said Frank Sobey, chairman, AV俱乐部 Medical Research Foundation.
On the hunt for a cure
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia. Currently there鈥檚 estimated to be 30 million sufferers worldwide, and it鈥檚 predicated to afflict 1 in 85 people by 2050.聽 聽
Dr. Weaver, a pioneer in the field of computer-aided drug development, works with his research team using state-of-the-art computer-aided modelling to develop models of a protein called beta-amyloid, which has been implicated as a cause of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
Specifically, when beta-amyloid clumps together, it becomes toxic to the brain, killing brain cells and leading to the symptoms of Alzheimer鈥檚 dementia. Dr. Weaver is using computer models to devise drugs that bind to amyloid in the brain, preventing it from clumping and thus blocking the brain damage associated with Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. 聽
His efforts have been celebrated with the Prix Galien (considered the Nobel Prize of pharmaceutical research) and the Jonas Salk Award, presented earlier this year from March of Dimes Canada.
Building on success
The gift from The Sobey Foundation is an opportunity to build on Dr. Weaver鈥檚 research to-date, providing stable annual funding to assist his team in its search for a cure.
鈥淓ndowed chairs offer a level of excellence, provide long-term financial stability, and supply a means of attracting and retaining the best doctors and researchers to our region,鈥� said Tom Marrie, AV俱乐部 Medical School鈥檚 dean.
鈥淲e look forward to pursuing our studies in discovering a cure for Alzheimer鈥檚, and the funding associated with this chair will be a crucial and invaluable contribution to this effort,鈥� said Dr. Weaver.
The Sobey Foundation鈥檚 $2 million gift to DMRF represents the first in a joint major gifts partnership between DMRF and AV俱乐部. The donation brings the Sobey family鈥檚 contribution to AV俱乐部's campaign up to $5 million in total.