Increased federal investment in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research in recent years yielded discoveries that advanced diagnostics, potential preventions, and treatments. Achievements included the first traditional (full) Food and Drug Administration approval of an anti-amyloid antibody drug that affects the underlying disease process of Alzheimer’s. The significant progress to date — the result of sustained public and private investment in medical research, the tireless work of scientists around the world, and the critical participation of people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers — holds promise for a new era of dementia research.

NIH bypass budget

The NIH Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Professional Judgment Budget for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (PDF, 13.8M), unveiled July 31 at the Department of Health and Human Services secretary’s Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services meeting, presents examples of our most recent perspectives and plans to help achieve effective dementia treatments and preventions, a key goal of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. In developing this proposal — commonly referred to as a “bypass budget” because it is presented to Congress without modification through the traditional federal budget process — NIH staff reviewed the Alzheimer’s and related dementias research implementation milestones and considered the additional resources needed to pursue new scientific opportunities in these and other key areas. The milestones represent a research framework detailing specific steps and success criteria toward achieving the goals of the National Plan. For FY25, NIH estimates needing $318 million in additional support for new research, with the overall resources needed totaling $4.07 billion.

The FY25 bypass budget presents examples of the multiple research opportunities in six key areas that could be pursued with additional investments to continue this critical progress toward the goals of the National Plan:

• Epidemiology/Population Studies: Additional analyses on how environmental exposures contribute to the underlying causes of dementia
• Disease Mechanisms: Exploring connections between genes, proteins, and cellular components in dementia onset and progression
• Diagnosis, Assessment, and Disease Monitoring: Advancing digital health and biomarker technologies for more sensitive detection of cognitive decline and dementia
• Translational Research and Clinical Interventions: Linking powerful new technologies and approaches with existing knowledge bases to identify and develop novel interventions
• Dementia Care and Impact of Disease: Expanding research on palliative care (specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness) and measuring the impact of telehealth on care for people living with dementia
• Research Resources: Building digital resources to enhance data-sharing opportunities and research collaborations

Past 10 years of significant scientific achievements

Accompanying the release of the FY25 bypass budget, NIH has also released its annual Alzheimer’s and related dementias research progress report (8.4M). This features a summary of the past 10 years of achievements made possible through NIH-funded and -conducted research, through which scientists:

• Advanced understanding of the risk factors, genetics, and mechanisms of disease in dementia
• Diversified and de-risked the therapeutic pipeline for disease-modifying drugs
• Advanced drug repurposing and combination therapy development
• Discovered tools to detect, diagnose, and monitor dementia
• Advanced clinical research on lifestyle interventions
• Increased understanding of how social and physical environmental factors affect dementia risk and disparities
• Expanded research on dementia care and care partner supports

These discoveries would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of researchers, study volunteers, care partners, and other stakeholders. We recognize that future discoveries are rooted in our continued commitment to enhancing diversity in clinical trials and in the scientific workforce.

Share your thoughts!

As NIA continues to enhance and expand our diverse dementia research portfolio, we invite you to discover more about our work and vision through our latest bypass budget (PDF, 13.8M) and progress report (8.4M). Share your thoughts or comments below!