Yale School of Medicine Receives Gift to Support Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Disorders

Yale School of Medicine has received a gift from the Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation (LFF) to establish the Carol and Gene Ludwig Program for the Study of Neuroimmune Interactions in Dementia. Established in 2002, the LFF makes charitable investments in support of medical research, education, and community engagement. Gene Ludwig is an alumnus of Yale Law School’s Class of 1973.

The Ludwig Program will be led by co-directors Stephen Strittmatter, MD, PhD, Vincent Coates Professor of Neurology and chair and professor of neuroscience; director of the Kavli Institute for Neuroscience; director of Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration & Repair; director of the Memory Disorders Clinic; and director of the Yale Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center; and Lauren Sansing, MD, professor of neurology and of immunobiology, and vice chair in the Department of Neurology for Academic and Faculty Affairs.

“We are grateful to the Carol and Gene Ludwig family for their generous gift, which will advance discoveries about neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and enable the development of novel therapies to slow progression,” said Nancy J. Brown, MD, the Jean and David W. Wallace Dean of Yale School of Medicine.

Today, there are more than 55 million people worldwide living with dementia, seven million of whom are in the U.S. As of 2020, Alzheimer’s disease accounted for 60% to 80% of cases. There are currently no cures for Alzheimer’s or related disorders, and the urgency to develop effective treatments only grows. It is estimated that by 2050, Alzheimer’s will affect nearly 14 million people in the U.S. alone.

“Our goal is to accelerate research at the intersection of neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s Disease, said Carol Ludwig, who is president of the LFF. “Under Dr. Strittmatter’s and Dr. Sansing’s expert leadership, we hope the program will foster a vibrant community of Yale’s accomplished faculty for groundbreaking research in this emerging field, ultimately developing novel diagnostics and therapeutics for this devastating disease.”

“Yale has outstanding cadres of neuroscientists and immunobiologists across many departments,” Sansing added. “The Ludwig Program will allow us to bring together researchers across disciplines to advance understanding and develop treatments for Alzheimer’s and related disorders.”

“It has become clear that Alzheimer’s symptoms depend on the interaction of brain immune cells and neurons,” said Strittmatter. “The Ludwig Family Foundation’s gift presents an important opportunity to further explore neuro-immune interactions in dementia and diseases like Alzheimer’s.”

In addition to advancing innovative research, the program will help facilitate the sharing of ideas, data, and knowledge to drive biomedical progress, therapeutics, and cures focused on combatting Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Importantly, the program also includes the funding of an assistant professor position, named as a Ludwig Scholar, with expertise on neurodegenerative disease and neuroinflammation.