LAS VEGAS – Oct. 3, 2023 – UNLV received a $1.5 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to develop a student-driven, entrepreneurial learning experience that will boost student involvement in careers that assist Alzheimer’s patients through medicine, technology, and business.

Throughout the five-year grant, participating students will engage in academic and career-focused workshops, as well as innovation and business-related collaborations with a number of healthcare industry partners.

The grant is spearheaded by Dr. Jeffrey Cummings, research professor in the Department of Brain Health and director of the Chambers-Grundy Center for Transformative Neuroscience in the School of Integrated Health Sciences; and Jamie Schwartz, director of industry and business engagement for UNLV’s Office of Economic Development.

“One of our goals with this grant is to introduce students to the idea that there are many ways to help patients with Alzheimer’s,” Cummings said. “The NIA wants students to think about innovation and entrepreneurship career opportunities. This grant focuses on innovation, commercialization, university startups, and lived experiences.”

According to Cummings, a world-renowned Alzheimer’s researcher and leader of clinical trials, an estimated 43,000 Nevadans have a form of Alzheimer’s or dementia. Across the U.S., 6.5 million people are symptomatic with dementia in addition to millions of others who are not symptomatic but carry the protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease and are at high risk for developing the disease.

At the same time, newly FDA-approved Alzheimer’s drugs like Leqembi, Aduhelm, and other medications are revolutionizing how the disease is treated. Cummings and Schwartz are hopeful that the grant will help UNLV develop a culture that encourages students to consider the many business opportunities that can support an aging society.

“As one of the most diverse cities in America with a diverse group of caregivers, we have a demographic well-suited to do Alzheimer’s research,” Schwartz said. “Having that type of research pool to develop innovations will help the rest of the world.”

Organizers believe the grant can serve as a catalyst to drive significant growth in the biomedical healthcare space both at UNLV and throughout the region.

“This federal grant will go a long way in helping the university as we continue to make tremendous strides in Alzheimer’s research,” said Ronald Brown, dean of UNLV’s School of Integrated Health Sciences. “The School of Integrated Health Sciences has laid an essential foundation for Alzheimer’s and brain health research at UNLV, and I look forward to seeing that initiative expand throughout the entire campus.”
                                                                       

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