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Creative Minds Care's mission is to fund research with the potential to accelerate a cure or disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Creative Minds Care seeks to identify and support investigators who will contribute to the field’s knowledge base with bold hypotheses and well-crafted experimental plans.

 

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Current areas of investigation that Creative Minds Care will support include:

 

FOUNDATIONAL

  • Sex as a Biological Variable

  • ​Brain-Gut-Microbiota Axis

  • Genetic Risk Factors

  • Biomarkers / Diagnostics / Studies of Risk & Resilience

  • Biological Research Materials: New Animal / Cellular Models and Human Samples

  • Epigenetic Factors

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TRANSLATIONAL

  • Studies of Novel AD Genes

  • Studies of APP and Abeta

  • Studies of Tau

  • Studies of APOE

  • Studies of Immune Response in AD

  • Studies of Alternative Neurodegenerative Pathways

 

DRUG DISCOVERY AND ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES

  • Drug Screening and Lead Drug Evaluation Projects

  • Drug Delivery and Enabling Technologies

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PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL DRUG DEVELOPMENT AND TRIALS

  • Preclinical Drug Development

  • Clinical Trials

  • Clinical Trial Design

APPLICATION & REVIEW PROCESS

Most grants provided by Creative Minds Care originate as referrals from already funded investigators or as solicitations by Creative Minds Care. However, we welcome letters of inquiry from any qualified scientist. We will not consider unsolicited proposals. Letters of inquiry and proposals are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis; there is no set timeline for applications, funding decisions, or funding initiation.

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Letters of inquiry should be no more than one to two pages in length and should include: the hypothesis to be pursued; the rationale for doing so; a high-level description of how the scientific aims would be pursued; and sufficient information to demonstrate the scientist’s ability to do so. Creative Minds Care will do its best to respond to all letters of inquiry.

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Creative Minds Care will request full proposals from scientists whose letters of inquiry align with Creative Minds Care’s mission, scientific standards, and funding priorities. We will send specific information about proposal parameters and requirements with our proposal request. Out of respect for applicants’ time, our goal is to request proposals only where there is a high likelihood of funding. As a matter of policy, Creative Minds Care does not provide its reasons for declining to request or fund a proposal.

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Investigators using animal models must provide proof that their animal plans meet their institution’s standard of care. Investigators working with human subjects must provide proof that their research plan has Institutional Review Board approval. All projects must use and report on both male and female animals and/or humans and/or biological samples absent compelling scientific justification for the use of only one sex; time and expense are not sufficient justifications.

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Creative Minds Care provides funding to not-for-profit institutions around the world. Although Creative Minds Care will consider applications from for-profit entities, research that will benefit the entire field is preferred over development of proprietary molecules or therapeutics. Support to for-profit entities will only be offered on an investment basis and will require demonstrated financial viability.

REVIEW

All submissions are assessed on three fundamental metrics:

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  • Would achieving the aims proposed meaningfully contribute to eventual development of a cure for Alzheimer’s?

  • Is the hypothesis/concept well founded in terms of its scientific justification, but also forward thinking rather than incremental?

  • Is the research plan well designed to achieve the aims unambiguously, and are the principal investigator(s) and lab able and likely to do scientific work of the highest caliber?

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The Research Team reviews each letter of inquiry and proposal for fit with Creative Minds Care's research priorities, for scientific integrity and for value to the search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and provides a final review of each proposal to ensure all procedures have been followed and that the proposal fits within the organization’s mission to fund research contributing to a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. The Board of Directors assess the entire portfolio of funded grants for overall quality, scientific topicality, and value for accelerating progress toward disease-altering treatments for current and potential Alzheimer’s patients.

CONDITIONS OF FUNDING

Creative Minds Care provides funds to researchers as a steward for its donors. Acceptance of a grant indicates agreement to adhere to the following conditions, contained in each grant funding letter:

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  1. This grant must be used to fund the activities of the project named in this letter and described in the proposal approved by Creative Minds Care; any other use must be pre-approved in writing by Creative Minds Care.

  2. No indirect costs can be charged against these funds.

  3. A final report must be submitted to Creative Minds Care no later than one calendar year from the date of the award.

  4. An institutional financial report must be submitted no more than 45 days after the end date of this grant.

  5. Creative Minds Care must be advised before any publication or publicity occurs regarding this grant or the research it funds.

  6. Creative Minds Care will not make any intellectual property claim related to this project; however, Creative Minds Care must be advised if and when any patent application or other intellectual property is sought using data generated with this grant.

  7. Creative Minds Care must be included as a funding source in any published papers or presentations using data generated with this grant. When acknowledging support, please use “Creative Minds Care” as the name of the funding source.

  8. Creative Minds Care must be advised if and when additional funding, including from government entities, is provided for this project or an investigation using data generated with this grant within one year of the completion of the project.

  9. Creative Minds Care must be advised if a named investigator on the project has a financial relationship as an employee or equity holder with a for-profit entity commercializing the ideas pursued in the project.

  10. Funded researchers may be asked for occasional proposal reviews, which will be requested on a two-week timeline.

  11. Grants are restricted to the project and specific senior investigators described in successful proposals.  Thus, Creative Minds Care must be informed of any change to the employment status of any named investigator and may require the return of unused funds at its discretion.

  12. Creative Minds Care must be advised if and when any allegations of research misconduct involving data generated with this grant prompt an institutional inquiry or investigation and must also be promptly informed of the final resolution.

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Communications regarding Creative Minds Care applications and support should be sent to info@creativemindscare.org.

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