Pulling on a white lab coat and protective gloves, Bill Gates was ready to get a hands-on feel for some of the most leading-edge Alzheimer’s disease research happening in the world.
The co-founder of Microsoft spent Tuesday afternoon touring labs at the Indiana University School of Medicine and meeting with key faculty members, looking to learn more about the sweeping scope of the Alzheimer’s disease research taking place in Indianapolis.
“Indiana University is home to one of the most comprehensive Alzheimer’s disease research programs in the world, with our researchers focusing on areas ranging from basic science to drug discovery,” said IU President Pamela Whitten, who welcomed Gates to the Indianapolis campus during his visit. “A deeply collaborative environment is at the heart of our research enterprise at IU, and this approach has helped to ensure that our team of scientists are working together to answer the most difficult questions about Alzheimer’s. We were proud to give a visionary like Bill Gates a firsthand look at that work.”
That comprehensive approach to Alzheimer’s research — paired with the IU School of Medicine’s deep roots of collaboration with industry leaders like Eli Lilly and Company and the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute, along with its health system partner IU Health — was what drew Gates to visit the medical school’s Indianapolis campus. A leading global health philanthropist, Gates has set his sights on Alzheimer’s disease.
“Bill and his team asked to visit IU because of the breadth of Alzheimer’s research we have here. He is most interested in learning about biorepositories, biomarkers, challenges in the early phases of target development and the challenges of clinical trials,” said Tatiana Foroud, executive associate dean for research affairs at IU School of Medicine, adding that screening and implementation of therapies were also on the agenda during his visit. “These are the issues he wants to learn more about, and here at IU School of Medicine we’ve got it all — the total package.”
More than 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias, with millions more worldwide. The IU School of Medicine has more than 100 faculty experts focused on researching these diseases, supported by $87 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health in 2023. These experts work collaboratively across disciplines and focus areas, ranging from basic science to translational research, from drug development to delivery of care.
During his visit, Gates toured the National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias, a central biobank that serves as the primary resource of samples for all National Institutes of Aging-funded dementia studies. Led by Foroud, the repository is home to more than 2 million biological samples, including DNA, plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, brain tissue and cell lines.
Following his tour of the NCRAD labs, Gates met with other leading IU Alzheimer’s disease researchers for a presentation that painted a vivid picture of the breadth and connectivity of programs at the school, and the challenges they face in making significant progress developing diagnostics and therapeutics. Around a conference room table, the researchers took turns talking through their respective work in four key areas: the biology of Alzheimer’s disease; innovations, enrollment and bottlenecks in clinical trials; early detection and diagnosis; and clinical treatment.
Read more about the IU School of Medicine’s groundbreaking Alzheimer’s research.
The interest Gates showed in the work being done at the IU School of Medicine serves as a recognition of the world-class strength of Alzheimer’s disease research happening in Indianapolis.
“We spent an inspiring afternoon hearing from our outstanding team of researchers, who are doing some of the most impactful work on Alzheimer’s disease” said Dr. Jay L. Hess, dean of the IU School of Medicine and IU’s executive vice president for university clinical affairs. “Bill’s interest in our institution is recognition of the leading stature of our program, and the urgency of the work we are doing.”
IU Health President and CEO Dennis Murphy also met with Gates during his visit.
