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Microsoft founder Gates commits $100 million for fund, start-ups, to fight Alzheimer's
Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is to invest $50 million in the Dementia Discovery Fund, a venture capital fund that brings together industry and government to seek treatments for the brain-wasting disease. The investment is not part of Gates' philanthropic Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and will be followed with another $50 million in a number of start-up ventures working in Alzheimer's research, Gates said.
With rapidly rising numbers of people suffering from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, the disease is taking a growing emotional and financial toll as people live longer, Gates told Reuters in an interview. "It's a huge problem, a growing problem, and the scale of the tragedy - even for the people who stay alive - is very high," he said.
Despite decades of scientific research, there is no treatment that can slow the progression of Alzheimer's. Current drugs can do no more than ease some of the symptoms. Gates said, however, that with focused and well-funded innovation, he's "optimistic" treatments can be found, even if they might be more than a decade away.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Grishnakh on Wednesday November 15 2017, @04:45AM (2 children)
The guy is definitely a selfish asshole, but this is one place where ultra-rich assholes really can help humanity, because they're subject to the same biological weaknesses that the rest of us are. Notice that other silicon-valley billionaires are pouring money into other anti-aging research, because they want to be immortal. If it works out and age-related diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, etc.) have excellent new treatment devised or they're even cured, or human lifespan is really extended to some degree, that'll benefit all of us, not just the billionaire assholes.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 15 2017, @12:00PM
The anti-aging whims of the 50 year old silicon valley billionaire are great for 20 year olds.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 16 2017, @08:05AM
Except the treatments will be highly proprietary and completely secret and cost $17 million per shot...