NEW YORK — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday legislation to establish a consortium of public and private research groups that will investigate the genetics of Alzheimer's disease.
Dubbed the SUNY Curing Alzheimer's Health Consortium, the five-year initiative aims to collect and disseminate genomic data on 1 million people with Alzheimer's disease or who are at risk for the condition.
The State University of New York will oversee the program in partnership with Empire State Development's (ESD) Life Sciences Initiative, which is contributing $20 million to support the consortium's initial efforts to identify and recruit 200,000 people for genetic testing.
According to Governor Cuomo, SUNY and the ESD Life Sciences Initiative will issue a request for proposals from private providers interested in participating in the consortium. Other consortium members include SUNY Upstate Medical, SUNY Downstate Medical, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.
"Genomics have made significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disease and could present major breakthroughs in the fight against Alzheimer's disease," Governor Cuomo said in a statement. "The Curing Alzheimer's Health Consortium will collect genomic data on a statewide scale and support genetic researchers as they work to slow the deadly progress of this disease."
The legislation establishing the consortium is part of a 30-day amendment to the fiscal 2021 executive budget for New York state.