The Carol and Gene Ludwig Center for Research on Neurodegeneration Will Bring Novel Approaches to Alzheimer’s and Other Neurodegenerative Disease Research

A transformational gift from the Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation will support the launch of a neurodegenerative disease research center at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The foundation’s gift will establish The Carol and Gene Ludwig Center for Research on Neurodegeneration to support research on the underlying biological and genetic mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders and to discover innovative and more effective, targeted treatments for these diseases. The gift will help create state-of-the-art laboratories for the center and Ludwig Investigators in a new research building at VP&S. The gift also will help Columbia recruit and retain top scientists working on neurodegeneration and will fund an annual symposium for the exchange and stimulation of ideas and results among the most prominent researchers in the field.

“I have every confidence that advances in neuroscience and precision medicine produced by this generous gift will lead to breakthroughs in the care we are able to provide our patients,” says Katrina Armstrong, MD, dean of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences for Columbia University. “The Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation is an exceptional partner, and we are grateful for the faith they have placed in our plans for the future.”

“Our goal is to bring new perspectives and novel approaches to neurodegenerative disease research,” says Carol Ludwig, MD, co-founder and president of the Carol and Gene Ludwig Family Foundation. “The exceptional work of Dr. Mayeux and his colleagues in the Department of Neurology and the breadth of expertise at Columbia make it a superb place to promote research and to foster talent in this area. A cornerstone of the center will be pilot awards designed to advance and accelerate innovative new research projects, with seed funding for especially promising areas of investigation.”