Pelosi Announces $35 Million for UCSF to Research Treatments for Neurodegenerative Diseases

San Francisco - Today, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announced that the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) will receive up to $35 million in new federal funding for its research into better treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS and glioblastoma. This funding comes from the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) initiative, which was developed by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and established by March 2022 government funding legislation that then-Speaker Pelosi led in negotiating and enacting

"UCSF has long been a beacon of excellence in scientific research and medical treatment, especially its leadership on HIV/AIDS with Ward 86," Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said. "More than seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, brain cancers and other neurodegenerative diseases. Now, USCSF will be able to access up to $35 million in new federal funding to support its cutting-edge research into improved treatments for these difficult to treat conditions."

Speaker Emerita Pelosi continued: "Let us praise President Joe Biden's leadership and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo's authorship in championing the ARPA-H legislation. It was my privilege to lead our House Democratic Majority in establishing ARPA-H two years ago in government funding legislation. Strengthened by this new funding, San Francisco scientists will lead the way in offering so many families hope for a better future."

"UCSF is a leader in cell-based therapies, and many are under development to treat a variety of disorders, from cancer to auto-immunity," said Wendell Lim, Wendell Lim, PhD, project lead, UCSF Byers Distinguished Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, and director of the UCSF Cell Design Institute. "This award will help us develop a 'GPS' to get these therapies to the places in the body where they need to be, so they can do their jobs without causing side effects."

UCSF will soon be able to draw on a $35 million federal budget to support its Cell Therapies for Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration (CT-NEURO) project. This initiative aims to improve patient outcomes by producing more effective strategies for delivering therapeutics directly and precisely to the nerve cell tissue affected by neurodegenerative disorders. This federal investment in UCSF's CT-NEURO will mark ARPA-H's first investment in treatment for neurodegenerative diseases.

Modeled on successful defense and energy research initiatives, ARPA-H supports break-through research efforts with the potential to improve health outcomes for those living with devastating medical conditions.