Gates invests US$50m to fund Alzheimer’s treatment research
WASHINGTON: Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates announced on Monday that he is investing US$50 million (RM209.6 million) to fund research into treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Gates, in an entry on his blog, said he was making the investment from his personal fortune and not with his charitable Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
“Of all the disorders that plague us late in life, one stands out as a particularly big threat to society: Alzheimer’s disease,” said Gates.
“Scientists have yet to figure out what exactly causes Alzheimer’s or how to stop the disease from destroying the brain,” he said. “In the United States, it is the only cause of death in the top 10 without any meaningful treatments.”
Gates said he was investing US$50 million in the Londonbased Dementia Discovery Fund, a private-public venture that supports innovative research into dementia.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has concentrated mainly on fighting communicable diseases such as malaria and polio in poor countries. AFP