Introduction:
Clear Thoughts Foundation (CTF) is a Pittsburgh, PA based non-profit organization established in 2010. Their mission is to fund the discovery of breakthrough drugs and novel treatments to eliminate dementia.
The founders of CTF all have personal experience with dementia-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and, as such, have learned firsthand that there is a disappointing lack of available effective drugs/therapeutics to treat dementia-related diseases on the market today. They further discovered that this is due to a shortage of research funding. CTF was founded in response to these shortfalls and with a burning desire to change the outcome of so many dementia stories. The Foundation’s mission is to raise money for research that will bring effective drugs/therapeutics to market, and to one day see a world free of dementia!
The Challenge or Community Need:
Recent studies show that 5 to 7 percent of people over the age of 60 worldwide live with some form of dementia. The cost of dementia care has continued to rise over the last 15 years and is now estimated to be well over $1 trillion annually, according to Alzheimer’s Disease International. In addition, CTF contends that the real cost of dementia is the loss of generations of wisdom as the voices of our friends and family members are silenced due to dementia-related diseases.
The Grant:
The Dr. Alfred A. Kuehn Innovation Institute (AAK_II) became aware of the efforts of the Clear Thoughts Foundation and issued a monetary donation in support of their ongoing efforts.
The Approach or Action Taken:
In their early years, CTF funded an individual researcher for a specific period or project. However, in 2020, CTF launched the CTF Consortium, a collaborative group of renowned doctors and researchers working together in Pittsburgh to cure dementia. With this innovative approach to research, CTF fosters collaboration, working as a catalyst to unite three highly productive research groups with complimentary expertise. Their expertise allows the research to span across a variety of research methodology and treatment theories. The excitement of this model is found within their overlapping entities. This novel approach to research is much more effective than the traditional siloed research model as it accelerates research advancements and triples funding impact.
CTF’s innovative funding model is consistent with the spirit that founded the AAK_II.
Outcomes & Impact:
Over the last several years the researchers of the CTF Consortium have collaboratively worked on many projects, including a Melatonin and neuroinflammation study, as well as a shared mouse model study on vascular function impact of therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). These successful research projects, funded by CTF, have provided researchers numerous opportunities to apply for and win much larger NIH grants. Each of these successes move us closer to one day seeing a world free of dementia.
Reflections & Next Steps:
The effort to see a world free of dementia is not a sprint but a marathon, and the work continues.
For more information, please see: