NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Spain's Centre for Genomic Regulation and the ACE Foundation – Barcelona Alzheimer Treatment & Research Centre today announced a collaboration to conduct research into neurodegenerative diseases.
The deal, initially pegged for two years, targets genomics research as well as functional studies of neurodegenerative disease cases.
"The start of this collaboration with CRG represents a huge step forward for our institution and strengthens the basic research of the ACE Foundation," Mercè Boada, medical director of the ACE Foundation, said in a statement, adding "[t]he agreement will allow us to intensify our research on the genetic causes of dementia," and complements other initiatives, such as the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project.
In addition to research, scientific conferences and other events dealing with neurodegenerative diseases will result from the partnership, the two organizations said. Financial and other terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.
"If we study neurodegenerative diseases from a genomic perspective we will probably discover fundamental explanations about the causes," Xavier Estivill, coordinator of the CRG Genes and Disease program said. "As we age later in life than we did previously, neurodegenerative diseases are becoming more common. Understanding the biological basis of these ailments will help us to delay their appearance, improve diagnosis, and develop new treatments."