On October 6, I will be running an 8.9 mile leg of a relay team for the 10th annual Josephine & John Marr Alzheimer's Research fundraiser with the Maine Marathon! Over the past 10 years, the Marr Fund has raised $4.9 million to fund research at Brigham & Women's Hospital that has helped confirm that the brain changes responsible for Alzheimer's begin decades before clinical symptoms and design worldwide prevention trials for Alzheimer's therapies. Excitingly, the FDA granted full approval in 2023 for the first disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer's, which is now being used worldwide. The FDA also approved a second disease-modifying therapy for early stages of Alzheimer's in 2024!

The Marr Fund support is now being directed at two key projects at the Brigham. The Genetic and Biological Roadmap to Alzheimer's Disease is led by Dr. Tracy Young-Pearse, who is using stem cells to better understand genetic risk in different people and identify paths towards novel treatments. The second project, Resiliency to Alzheimer's Disease, is led by Dr. Rachel Buckley who is working to identify the characteristics (genetic, lifestyle, brain health, demographics (particularly gender)) that make some people more resilient to Alzheimer's.

The Marr Fund has a $400,000 fundraising goal for this year's Maine Marathon to continue supporting these exciting projects. I would greatly appreciate any contribution, and no amount is too small! 100% of these donations will go towards research; none will be used for administrative or other costs.