Posted on February 5, 2012
Deadline: March 16, 2012

Alzheimer's Challenge Seeks Innovative New Tools to Help Improve Alzheimer's Care

Pfizer Inc., together with its collaborator on the Alzheimer's Immunotherapy Program, Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy, and the Geoffrey Beene Gives Back Alzheimer's Initiative have announced the Alzheimer's Challenge 2012.

The challenge calls for inventive concepts to help improve the diagnostic identification and tracking of Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, the challenge seeks the development of simple, cost-effective tools that could be easily used to assess memory, mood, thinking, and activity level over time to help improve diagnosis and monitoring of people with Alzheimer's disease. The challenge is designed to provide an entrepreneurial springboard to harness new thinking and approaches to improve Alzheimer's care.

The challenge is open to all individuals who are legal residents of the fifty United States and District of Columbia, including but not limited to healthcare providers, patients, IT professionals, students, organizations, and other business entities. Applicants must be of legal age of majority in their state of residence (and at least 18) at the time of entry.

Entries will be judged on a number of criteria, including articulation of how the submission can help or benefit individuals and/or healthcare professionals by easily and appropriately identifying subtle changes in memory, mood, thinking, and functions relevant to onset or progression of Alzheimer's disease; ability to longitudinally track the memory, mood, thinking, and/or activity level of persons with Alzheimer's disease or those at risk for Alzheimer's disease; ability of submission to easily communicate and potentially visualize the clinical course of Alzheimer's disease; degree of invasiveness, simplicity, and potential for utility by non-specialists (ideally, by patients themselves); utilization of technology (e.g., wireless, telehealth, at-home, or on-person sensors) to capture information; and a clear articulation of the defined populations and metrics necessary for a pilot proof-of-concept study.

The challenge will award $25,000 to each of five finalists and a prize of $175,000 to one winner.

The complete challenge description, official rules, and entry procedures are available on the Alzheimer's Challenge Web site.

Contact:
Link to Complete RFP

Primary Subject: Aging
Geographic Funding Area: National

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