In the ongoing battle against Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), where innovative research is key to unlocking new treatments, a recent grant from the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund to postdoctoral researcher Jarin Tusnim stands out. Tusnim, who works in BARI member Xian Piao’s lab at UCSF, has been awarded $170,000 to support her project titled “Define ADGRG1-Mediated Protective Microglial Response to Tau Tangles in Alzheimer’s Disease.” This funding highlights the potential of targeting brain immune cells to combat one of AD’s core pathologies, offering a fresh perspective on how we might slow or prevent the disease’s progression.
A brief look at Cure Alzheimer’s Fund: Two decades of focused philanthropy
Founded in 2004 by a group of philanthropists driven by personal experiences with AD, the Cure Alzheimer's Fund operates on a unique venture philanthropy model. Unlike traditional nonprofits, it directs 100% of donor contributions straight to research, with no deductions for overhead or administrative costs. This lead approach has allowed the organization to award over $213 million in grants by late 2024, supporting projects that emphasize high-risk, high-reward science often overlooked by government funding bodies.
The fund’s mission is straightforward yet ambitious: to accelerate the development of effective treatments and ultimately a cure for AD. It prioritizes research into the disease’s underlying mechanisms, such as amyloid beta plaques, tau tangles, neuroinflammation, and genetic factors. Over the years, Cure Alzheimer’s Fund has backed breakthroughs like the identification of key genetic risk factors and the advancement of anti-amyloid therapies. By 2025, the organization had distributed its 1,000th research grant, a milestone reflecting its commitment to a diverse, global network of scientists. In 2025 alone, it awarded more than $11.1 million across 52 grants, underscoring its role in sustaining momentum amid a field where progress can be incremental but transformative.
Jarin Tusnim’s funded project: Targeting microglia to tackle tau
Tusnim’s project delves into the role of ADGRG1, a protein receptor uniquely expressed on microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells. AD is characterized by tau tangles, abnormal protein aggregates inside neurons that correlate strongly with cognitive decline. Mi croglia act as the brain’s first line of defense, surveilling for threats and clearing debris, but their response to tau pathology remains incompletely understood. This project is designed to define the role of microglial ADGRG1 in tauopathy.