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The Treat FTD Fund

Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

Frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) encompasses a spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders (behavioral variant FTD, primary progressive aphasia, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal syndrome, and FTD – ALS), which have in common degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex but present with varied biological mechanisms, clinical symptoms and prognoses. Although the most common form of dementia under age 60, FTD is considered a rare disorder, affecting approximately 50,000 – 60,000 people in the US. Clinical and pathological heterogeneity, low prevalence, the occurrence of both genetic and sporadic forms of FTD, and a limited repertoire of biomarkers collectively create unique challenges for FTD drug development. As a result, there are currently no approved treatments that delay or halt the progression of FTD disorders or that effectively treat symptoms. While there are increasing numbers of promising treatments entering clinical trials, the number remains small, and none have yet resulted in regulatory approval.

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) launched the Treat FTD Fund to provide critical funding for early-stage clinical trials to:

help address the challenges to drug development outlined above
build on emerging scientific understanding of biological mechanisms underlying FTD
stimulate the field to develop new disease-modifying and symptomatic therapies for FTD disorders
leverage previous research from related conditions to repurpose existing therapies for the benefit of FTD patients
advance the development, validation and adoption of informative biomarkers and clinically meaningful outcome assessments
Enable novel trial designs and technologies and develop improved methodologies and protocols to optimize clinical trial design for the FTD patient population

Goal

The Treat FTD fund aims to support the development of drugs or devices for FTD disorders while building a better understanding of FTD pathophysiology, biological mechanisms of disease, and analytically and clinically validated biomarkers with a well-defined context-of-use. The fund aims to de-risk clinical development programs by supporting clinical trial readiness activities or early/mid-stage clinical trials with clear go/no-criteria for later stage drug development. Programs will be considered that test novel or repurposed drug candidates or devices in phase 0, 1 or 2 clinical trials for FTD disorders, led by academic researchers or biotechnology companies, worldwide. Both disease-modifying and symptomatic approaches will be considered.

The RFP seeks to support clinical trials incorporating:

biological mechanisms that have a sound scientific rationale for FTD
biomarkers that would permit evaluation of target engagement, downstream pharmacologic effect, and biological effect
trial designs aligned with constraints associated with a rare disease population
clinical outcome measures that could provide a deeper understanding of the drug mechanism and disease progression
therapeutics applicable to sporadic or genetic forms of FTD. Trials of treatments applicable in sporadic FTD are especially encouraged.

Although the strongest proposals will address all these aspects, all early-stage clinical trials with a sound biological rationale and well justified outcome measures for the patient population will be considered.

In 2019, the ADDF and the AFTD convened an advisory panel to generate recommendations on outcome measures and statistical considerations for value-generating exploratory trials in neurodegenerative dementias, including FTD. Prospective applicants are encouraged to review these recommendations for the design of informative early-stage trials before a submission to this program, which can be found here.

The value of considering the needs and priorities of study participants in the conduct of clinical trials is increasingly recognized by the research community as well as regulatory agencies. Applicants are therefore encouraged to utilize patient-relevant outcomes and patient-convenient protocols and study designs whenever possible.

Award Information

Up to $2,500,000 over 1 – 3 years, based on stage and scope of the trial. For studies requiring additional support, co-funding from other funding agencies or investors is encouraged. Payment structure will be negotiated and based on milestone achievements and patient enrollment.

Deadlines

Letter of Intent: Date has passed

Full Proposal: June 1, 2026

AI Based Application Success Predictor

Predictor	Why It Matters	Supporting Evidence / ADDF Criteria
Therapeutic translation — clear drug discovery or development pathway	ADDF only funds research that could plausibly lead to a treatment or prevention therapy. Projects that identify targets but have no development plan are rejected.	ADDF RFPs, 2024 guidance: “Proposals must include a defined path to clinical development.”
Focus on Alzheimer’s and related dementias	Projects must show how the mechanism, target, or intervention links directly to AD/ADRD pathology (Aβ, tau, neuroinflammation, neuroprotection, synaptic loss, etc.).	ADDF Mission and Review Criteria.
Strong preliminary data	The ADDF prefers to “de-risk” translational assets; applications must show robust in vitro/in vivo or early human data supporting the target or compound.	Review feedback from 2020–2024 awardees.
Experienced, translationally focused team	Teams with pharma/biotech or industry experience score highest; ADDF values multidisciplinary consortia.	Funded projects typically list medicinal chemists, clinicians, and regulatory advisors.
Clear development milestones and go/no-go decision points	Applicants must define measurable milestones (e.g., IND-enabling, lead optimization, Phase 1 readiness).	ADDF Application Template: “Milestones and deliverables must be clearly defined.”
Feasibility within funding period	ADDF avoids speculative, long-horizon projects. Funded studies are 1–3 years with achievable endpoints.	Grant guidelines.
Strong intellectual property (IP) and commercialization plan	ADDF seeks projects that can attract co-investment or licensing. Clear IP protection and commercialization potential strongly predict success.	ADDF Venture Philanthropy model and review notes.
Fit with specific ADDF program	Matching your project to the correct mechanism (Drug Development, Biomarkers, Prevention, Diagnostics Accelerator) is crucial.	Misalignment is a top reason for rejection.
Collaborations with industry or CROs	Reviewers reward projects leveraging contract research or biotech collaborations to accelerate development.	Funded project analysis (2022–2024).
Scientific novelty combined with translational practicality	High innovation value (new mechanism, new delivery method, or repurposed drugs with mechanistic rationale) boosts scores — but feasibility must be clear.	Scoring criteria emphasize both innovation and tractability.

⚠️ Common Weaknesses in Unsuccessful Applications

Too basic or exploratory (e.g., mechanistic cell biology with no clear therapeutic angle).

Weak or unconvincing preclinical evidence.

No defined milestones or poor go/no-go plan.

Unprotected IP or uncertain freedom-to-operate.

Overly ambitious (Phase 2 trial readiness claimed without sufficient preclinical data).

Unclear link to Alzheimer’s pathology.

📊 Patterns in Funded Projects (2016–2024)

Trend	Observation
Therapeutic areas most funded:	Neuroinflammation, proteostasis (Aβ/tau), neuroprotection, mitochondrial health, synaptic resilience, vascular contributions.
Repurposed drugs	~35% of funded projects involve repurposing existing drugs with AD-relevant mechanisms.
Diagnostics Accelerator	Since 2018, major growth area — funding for blood-based and digital biomarkers.
Average success rate	Estimated 10–15% overall, slightly higher for biomarker and prevention calls.
Geographic spread	~60% U.S., ~25% EU/UK, ~15% others (Canada, Israel, Asia-Pacific).
Typical award size	$150K–$1.5M (average ~$500K).
Typical PI profile	Senior translational scientist with dual academic–industry experience, or biotech startup founder.

💡 Top Predictors Summarized

Therapeutic translation focus (drug discovery to early clinical)

Strong and relevant preclinical data

Clear Alzheimer’s/ADRD mechanistic link

Defined milestones and timelines

Solid IP position and commercialization pathway

Experienced, translationally balanced team

Fit with ADDF program scope

Collaborative, cross-disciplinary partnerships

📈 Example Funded Projects

Yale University: small molecule targeting neuroinflammation pathway for AD — strong animal data, IND-ready plan.

Cognito Therapeutics: noninvasive neuromodulation therapy; robust translational path, AD relevance clear.

Oryzon Genomics: repurposed LSD1 inhibitor for cognitive decline.

NeuroDex: exosome-based diagnostic for AD — fit under Diagnostics Accelerator.

Specialties

Clinical Trials

Pathology

Eligibility Requirements

Funding is open to researchers and clinicians worldwide at:

Academic medical centers, universities, or non-profits. Industry partnerships are encouraged.
Biotechnology companies. Existing companies and new startups are both eligible.
NOTE: All funding is provided through mission-related investments that require return on investment based upon scientific and/or business milestones (see Our Research Strategy for more information).

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 57 West 57th Street, Suite 904 New York, NY 10019 info@alzdiscovery.org 212.901.8000

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