Fundació Pasqual Maragall | |
Named after | Pasqual Maragall |
---|---|
Formation | April 2008 |
Founder | Pasqual Maragall |
Founded at | Barcelona |
Type | foundation |
Legal status | active |
Purpose | Alzheimer's disease research |
Headquarters | Pompeu Fabra University |
Location |
The Pasqual Maragall Foundation is a private, non-profit foundation dedicated to scientific research of Alzheimer's disease. It was founded in April 2008 in Barcelona as a result of the public commitment of Pasqual Maragall, former Mayor of Barcelona and former President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, who had been diagnosed with this neurodegenerative disease in 2007. Its headquarters are located in the Ciutadella Campus of the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona.
Private and independent, the Pasqual Maragall Foundation counts on the economic support of partner enterprises and a network of associates and donors that make the project viable. Regarding its governing bodies, Dr. Jordi Camí is the director of the Foundation, Diana Garrigosa is the president and Pasqual Maragall, is the honorary president. [1]
The Foundation’s objective is to promote scientific research in the field of Alzheimer’s disease, related neurodegenerative diseases and neuroscience in general. Another of its objectives is to provide technical support and advisory services, as well as transferring its knowledge in the areas that are specific to it. Another line of action included in its foundational mission is spreading the results of its scientific activities and involving society in relation to the knowledge obtained. [2]
The Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) is a research center dedicated to the prevention of the Alzheimer’s Disease and the study of the cognitive functions affected in healthy and pathological aging. [3] The Pasqual Maragall Foundation, with the support of the Pompeu Fabra University, was created it in 2012 and it’s currently directed by Dr. Arcadi Navarro.
The center’s mail activity is carried out in the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program, led by Dr. Jose Luís Molinuevo. The program focuses on the pre-clinical phase of the disease, characterized by a series of changes in the brain that can start up to 20 years before the onset of the symptoms, and on the prodromal phase, which occurs when the first symptoms of cognitive impairment appear, but the affected person continues being independent on a day-to-day basis. The program it’s structured in two research groups that collaborate closely from a clinical, cognitive, genetic and biomarker and neuroimaging perspective. [4]
The BBRC shares its headquarters with the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, at 30 Wellington Street in Barcelona, in the Ciutadella Campus of the Pompeu Fabra University. Inaugurated in 2016, its facilities include a state-of-the-art 3T magnetic resonance dedicated exclusively to research, and the personnel and equipment necessary to carry out clinical trials in human research. The BBRC‘s Neuroimaging Platform offers the scientific community personalized integral service to execute research projects that take into account the acquisition, management and processing of cerebral images by magnetic resonance.
Dementia manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively impacts a person's ability to function and carry out everyday activities. Aside from memory impairment and a disruption in thought patterns, the most common symptoms include emotional problems, difficulties with language, and decreased motivation. The symptoms may be described as occurring in a continuum over several stages. Consciousness is not affected. Dementia ultimately has a significant effect on the individual, caregivers, and relationships in general. A diagnosis of dementia requires a change from a person's usual mental functioning and a greater cognitive decline than what is caused by normal aging. Several diseases and injuries to the brain, such as a stroke, can give rise to dementia. However, the most common cause is Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder.
The Institute for Catalan Studies, also known by the acronym IEC, is an academic institution which seeks to undertake research and study into "all elements of Catalan culture". It is based in Barcelona, Spain.
Pompeu Fabra University is a public university located in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia in Spain. The university was created by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia in 1990, and was named after Pompeu Fabra, a Catalan engineer, grammarian and the main author of the normative reform of contemporary Catalan language. In 2021, UPF was ranked the best university in Spain and 10th best young university in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
Pasqual Maragall i Mira is a Spanish politician and former President of Generalitat de Catalunya. He had previously been Mayor of Barcelona, from 1982 to 1997, and helped run the city's successful Olympic bid.
The Alzheimer's Association was founded by Jerome H. Stone with the help of several family members in Chicago, Illinois, and incorporated on April 10, 1980, as the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc. is a non-profit American volunteer health organization which focuses on care, support and research for Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Association is the largest non-profit funder of Alzheimer's disease research. The organization has chapters and communities across the nation, with its national office located in Chicago and the public policy office in Washington, D.C. Its mission is "to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health."
The Barcelona School of Economics (BSE) is an institution for research and graduate education in economics, finance, data science, and the social sciences located in Barcelona, Spain.
Jordi Camí is Professor of Pharmacology at Pompeu Fabra University, General Director of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), and Vicepresident of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems with language, disorientation, mood swings, loss of motivation, self-neglect, and behavioral issues. As a person's condition declines, they often withdraw from family and society. Gradually, bodily functions are lost, ultimately leading to death. Although the speed of progression can vary, the typical life expectancy following diagnosis is three to nine years.
Vladimir de Semir is Spanish journalist. He started his career in 1975 and has specialized in science journalism and science popularization since 1982. In 1994 he began teaching and training new journalists and popular science writers at Pompeu Fabra University (Spain) where he directs the Science Communication Observatory. In 1994, the Spanish Scientific Research Council awarded de Semir with the Prize for Scientific Journalism "for the extraordinary work carried out by him in 1993 and previous years in the Science and Technology and Medicine and Quality of Life supplements of the La Vanguardia newspaper, and for his contribution to training science journalists at Pompeu Fabra University and his activity in stimulating scientific culture".
Josep Acebillo is a Spanish architect and is currently Research Professor at the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. He obtained his Architecture degree from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (ETSAB-1974).
Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) is a multisite study that aims to improve clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This cooperative study combines expertise and funding from the private and public sector to study subjects with AD, as well as those who may develop AD and controls with no signs of cognitive impairment. Researchers at 63 sites in the US and Canada track the progression of AD in the human brain with neuroimaging, biochemical, and genetic biological markers. This knowledge helps to find better clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of AD. ADNI has made a global impact, firstly by developing a set of standardized protocols to allow the comparison of results from multiple centers, and secondly by its data-sharing policy which makes available all at the data without embargo to qualified researchers worldwide. To date, over 1000 scientific publications have used ADNI data. A number of other initiatives related to AD and other diseases have been designed and implemented using ADNI as a model. ADNI has been running since 2004 and is currently funded until 2021.
The Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI) is an interuniversity research institute and postgraduate education center located in Barcelona, established in 2004 as a joint initiative between the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs and five universities in the Barcelona metropolitan area, as a center of excellence in international studies. The President of the Institute is Narcís Serra, former Minister of Defense and former Vice President of Spain, and the Director is Jacint Jordana, Professor of Political Science at the Pompeu Fabra University.
ELISAVA is the first school of design, an internationally oriented educational and research institution affiliated with Pompeu Fabra University The school is situated in Barcelona and is home to around 2,200 students and more than 800 teachers.
Although there are many physiological and psychological gender differences in humans, memory, in general, is fairly stable across the sexes. By studying the specific instances in which males and females demonstrate differences in memory, we are able to further understand the brain structures and functions associated with memory.
The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by co-chairmen Leonard A. Lauder and Ronald S. Lauder of the Estée Lauder Companies cosmetics family and led by Howard Fillit, a geriatrician and neuroscientist. The ADDF provides funding to scientists who are conducting promising, innovative Alzheimer's disease drug research worldwide. The ADDF funds early-stage research and early-phase clinical trials that might otherwise go unfunded. By supporting research projects around the world, it seeks to increase the chances of finding treatments for Alzheimer's disease, related dementias and cognitive aging. The ADDF has invested nearly $65 million to fund some 450 Alzheimer's drug discovery programs and clinical trials in academic centers and biotechnology companies in 18 countries.
Núria Sebastián Gallés is a cognitive scientist known for her work on bilingual language development and the impact of bilingualism on cognition. She is Professor of Psychology at Pompeu Fabra University where she heads the Speech Acquisition and Perception (SAP) Research Group. In 2012, Sebastián Gallés received the Narcis Monturiol Medal as recognition of her scientific contributions. She was elected Fellow of the British Academy in 2016.
Miia K. Kivipelto is a Finnish neuroscientist and professor at the University of Eastern Finland and Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Her research focuses on dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Diana Garrigosa i Laspeñas was a Spanish economist and teacher, wife of 127th President of the Generalitat of Catalonia Pasqual Maragall and president of Pasqual Maragall Foundation since its establishment in 2008.
Mercè Boada y Rovira is a Catalan neurologist. She has dedicated her professional career to neurodegenerative diseases. More specifically, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. She was a co-founder of the ACE Foundation, a private non-profit entity dedicated to diagnosis, treatment, research, and helping people with Alzheimer's and their families. Boada received the “Creu de Sant Jordi”, Catalonia's highest honor, in 2016.
The Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) is a joint research center of Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) founded in 2008. IBE is the only research center in Catalonia and the rest of Spain that is entirely dedicated to evolutionary biology.
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