$2.5 million awarded to advance frontotemporal dementia research

The Kissick Family Foundation and the Milken Institute’s Science Philanthropy’s Accelerator for Research and Collaboration (SPARC) have announced $2.5 million in new funding for research into frontotemporal dementia (FTD)

The funding will support five research teams working on different aspects of sporadic FTD, a form of the disease that does not appear to be caused by a known inherited genetic mutation. The new grants are part of the third funding cycle of the Kissick Family Foundation Frontotemporal Dementia Grant Program.

Five research teams receive funding

Researchers from universities and medical institutions in the United States and Germany will investigate why certain brain cells are particularly vulnerable to FTD and why the disease can progress differently between individuals.

At the University of California, San Francisco, William W. Seeley and Alex Pollen will study neuron-specific vulnerability and the biological processes involved in FTLD-TDP, a major form of frontotemporal degeneration.

Michael Guo, Michael Haney and Hong Xu at the University of Pennsylvania will investigate how instability in the genomes of individual cells may contribute to the selective loss of neurons seen in FTD.

At Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Clotilde Lagier-Tourenne and Liron Bar-Peled will use chemical proteomics to identify potential drug targets across different forms of FTD.

Researchers at Ulm University, led by Jochen Weishaupt alongside Luc Dupuis and Lena Voith von Voithenberg, will explore genetic differences between cells, known as genetic mosaics, and their potential role in FTD.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Yokoyama at the University of California, San Francisco, will examine the role of the IFI44L gene and whether it influences how sporadic FTD develops and progresses.

Funding rounds

Alongside announcing the latest recipients, the Kissick Family Foundation and SPARC have opened the program’s fourth funding cycle.

Independent researchers whose work could contribute to FTD research are invited to submit proposals. Submit letters of intent by November 4, 2026.

Successful researchers can receive up to $500,000 over two years, including indirect costs. Awardees are expected to be announced in mid-2027.

FTD research

The partnership between the Kissick Family Foundation and SPARC began in 2022 with an assessment of the FTD research and funding landscape. Its findings helped inform a 2023 Milken Institute report identifying areas where philanthropic investment could help accelerate progress.

The grant program focuses on sporadic FTD, where major gaps remain in understanding the disease’s biology, developing reliable biomarkers, and finding effective treatments.

By supporting early-stage and high-risk research, the program aims to strengthen the scientific foundation needed for future diagnostic tools and therapies and ultimately improve outcomes for people and families affected by FTD.