Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in America and currently affects about 5.4 million people. By 2050, that number is expected to double. There is no cure, and no way of even significantly slowing this disease's progress. Yet funding for Alzheimer's research lags behind other such prevalent diseases as cancer and HIV/AIDS. My project would be an interactive chart showing the various funding sources — federal, private non-profit, venture capital/philanthropy, and pharmaceutical companies — for Alzheimer's research, how it's changed over time and when/why federal funding decreased and how close private organizations/pharmaceutical companies are to making up the difference.
Alzheimer's has been in the news recently because of several large federal grants given to research institutes around the U.S. One is in Phoenix, AZ and will focus on prevention efforts, a recent shift in treatment methods. Just this week, a large scientific collaboration found even more genes associated with the disease.
All of the federal funding information is available at the International Alzheimer's Disease Research Portfolio website. I can get funding information about the private, non-profit side from the institutions themselves- I'm already in contact with the Alzheimer's Association, and can also get that information from annual reports. I should be able to get the amount of venture capital/venture philanthropy money being invested from the organizations themselves. The pharmaceutical industry is being a little difficult and one company has already told me that they don't disclose the R&D for specific diseases, but I can get total information from annual reports.
This topic is being closely followed by the New York Times and WBUR, an NPR affiliate in Boston. The chart that I'm describing has been done in a limited format by the International Alzheimer's Disease Research Portfolio, but it's currently not very user-friendly, too scientific and not very easy to understand.
Washington PostThis will be going toward my master's project, which will publish on its own site in May, but I'm hoping to pitch this story to another major news outlet, possibly the Wall Street Journal since this deals with business and funding.