Case for Support (PDF) - Support UCSF

UCSF Neurosciences InitiativeCase for Support

The Neurosciences Initiative aligns withUCSF’s overarching vision: to accelerate thepace of translational medicine and therebytransform the future of health care.

50 million people.This figure represents the numberof patients in the U.S. alone whosuffer from neurological disorders.The conditions exact a heavy toll inboth human and economic terms –significantly impairing nearly 1 in 5Americans and costing the nationmore than $600 billion each year. Atpresent, there are no known curesfor neurological diseases.Through our Neurosciences Initiative(NI), UCSF has an unprecedentedopportunity to change the course ofneurological disease research andtreatment. The ambitious goal of theNI is to develop cures, treatments,and prevention measures forAlzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiplesclerosis, stroke, addiction, andother major neurological diseases.UCSF is ideally positioned to deliveron this goal. Our multidisciplinaryteam of experts has uncovered thepathways that lead to neurologicaldiseases – and the NI will providethem with the means to transformthese findings into cures.To support the NI, we will construct aNeurosciences Research Building atour Mission Bay campus. By bringingtogether under one roof outstandingclinicians and scientists, the newfacility will foster the conversion oflaboratory discoveries into noveltherapies faster than ever before –allowing patients to reap the benefitsof the cutting-edge research underwayin the building, and enriching theresearch program in return.With funding for the building inplace (none of which includes publicmonies), we now seek philanthropicgifts to support the programs thatwill occupy the facility, as well as thecosts associated with the programs’occupancy of the building.On behalf of UCSF, I thank youfor your interest in our effortsand hope that you will considerjoining with us to build hope forgenerations to come.Sincerely,Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPHChancellorArthur and Toni Rembe RockDistinguished Professor

Why the Urgency?While the pace ofdiscovery in neurologicalmedicine has been rapidover the past 20 years,there are still no cures orprevention measures forneurological diseases– but there is a pathforward, and UCSF isleading the way.The UCSF Neurosciences Initiative willdirectly address the alarming incidenceof neurological diseases and theirstaggering aftermath:• 50 million U.S. adults – 1 in every 5 –suffers from a neurological disorder.• 4 million Americans currently livewith Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the mostcommon degenerative brain conditionand the sixth leading cause of death inthe nation.• By 2050, the number of Americansaged 65 and older with AD is projectedto total between 11 million and 16million.• Every week, approximately 200Americans are diagnosed with multiplesclerosis (MS). Worldwide, MS affectsabout 2.5 million people. It is the secondmost common cause (behind injuries) ofacquired neurological disability in youngand middle-aged adults.• A 2009 report from the Centersfor Disease Control and Preventionconcluded that the prevalence of autismhas risen to 1 in every 110 births in theU.S. and almost 1 in 70 boys.• The direct and indirect costs(including medical costs and lost orreduced earnings and production) ofbrain-related illnesses to Medicare,Medicaid, and businesses amount to$600 billion each year.• Migraine is the most common causeof disabling headache, affecting 35million Americans. Episodes can lastfrom several hours to several days.• Stroke is the third leading cause ofdeath in America and a primary cause ofadult disability.• Nearly 90% of patients diagnosedwith Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (CJD) diewithin one year of their first symptom.The table at right demonstratesthe prevalence of the majorneurological disorders in theUnited States today.Neurological DisorderPrevalence in the U.S.(millions)Pain 90Migraine 35Addiction 30Developmental Disorders 15Alzheimer’s Disease 4Stroke 3Epilepsy 2.5Head Injury 1Multiple Sclerosis 0.6Parkinson’s Disease 0.5Spinal Cord Injury 0.25Huntington’s Disease 0.025

Why UCSF?Among centers of neuroscience,UCSF is an undisputed leader – havingassembled extraordinary talent, acollaborative culture uniquely conduciveto this discipline, and a track record ofsuccess.The right people• World-renowned neuroscientists,basic scientists, and clinicians• UCSF ranked number one inneurology-related research support fromthe National Institutes of Health (NIH)• Neurology and Neurosurgeryprogram ranked third in the nationA patient-centered approach• Focus on providing outstanding andcompassionate care to people sufferingfrom these disorders• Research program takes insightsfrom patient experiencesA proven track record• Nobel-prize winning discovery ofprions led to the realization that allforms of degeneration are caused byproteins that change shape• Revolutionary basic researchfinding resulted in remarkable newapproach for treating MS• Breakthrough in identifying hownormal vision develops was crucialto understanding defined spans oftime in which learning for a specificbehavior or ability is optimalUCSF ranks first inneurology-relatedresearch support fromthe National Institutesof Health (NIH), andits Neurology andNeurosurgery programsrank third in the nation.

Why the Neurosciences Initiative?The concentration ofexpertise and resourcesmade possible bythe NI will provide anunparalleled opportunityto develop treatments,cures, and preventionmeasures for diseasesof the nervous system.Through the Neurosciences Initiative,UCSF has an unprecedented opportunityto define the future of neurologicaldisease research, care, and education.The programmatic goals of the NI are to:• Further our understanding of braindisease at a functional and molecularlevel in order to develop biomarkersthat predict the onset of clinical illness,therapeutics that block the diseaseprocess, and remedies that repair thedamaged nervous system.• Enhance opportunities forcollaboration among UCSF faculty, whichwill lead to synergistic investigations intothe etiologies of brain diseases.• Train a cadre of young, talentedneuroscience investigators who willbe the future leaders in academia andindustry.• Provide technology transfer toindustry and clinical medicine.• Increase extramural research fundinginvolving multidisciplinary collaborations,such as NIH program projects andtraining grants.The Neurosciences Research Building atMission Bay will provide necessary newspace to support clinical research andlaboratory program growth:• The building will accommodateapproximately 100 principal investigatorsand their teams in 237,000 square feet.• Program spaces will include a clinicalresearch center for the study of patientswith neurological diseases, highlyspecialized research laboratories, andnumerous shared facilities for programsdedicated to the modern investigation ofnervous system disorders.• The five-story structure will housethe clinical and research programs ofthe Department of Neurology, Institutefor Neurodegenerative Diseases (IND),Memory and Aging Center (MAC),and W.M. Keck Foundation Center forIntegrative Neuroscience.

Why Now?For the first time, advances intechnology have made understandingand treating the brain a real possibility –and these technologies are available inthe state-of-the-art facilities on the newUCSF Mission Bay medical researchcampus.The Neurosciences Research Buildingwill capitalize on the pioneering researchunderway in adjacent Mission Baybuildings, helping to transform thecampus into the most dynamic sitein the world for translational medicinefocused on curing ill patients.UCSF Mission BayThe vast UCSF Mission Bay campusfeatures one of the world’s mostdiverse communities of scientificexperts – biologists, clinicians, physicalscientists, engineers, mathematicians,and computer scientists – who areconstantly encouraged to work togetherin advancing human health.Designed by architecture firmSkidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP, theNeurosciences Research Buildingintegrates vibrant architectural conceptsthat enhance collaboration within thestructure and throughout the entireMission Bay campus, including:• The placement of natural gatheringfacilities, such as meeting and breakrooms, in the center of the building.• Office spaces that are located alongthe southern curved section of thebuilding. The curve creates a soft,continuous space – eliminating anyhints of separate territories.• An accessible outdoor courtyard,where neuroscience faculty cancongregate with each other as wellas colleagues from Arthur and ToniRembe Rock Hall on the courtyard’sopposite side.The building’s proximity to thegrowing commercial biotechnologyhub in Mission Bay provides furtheropportunities for collaboration.An innovative partnershipThe Neurosciences ResearchBuilding will be constructed andowned by private developers,Edgemoor/McCarthy Cook Partners,LLC. UCSF will enter into a spacelease for the building for a period ofbetween 32-40 years, after whichownership of the structure will revertto UCSF.This innovative arrangement, alongwith falling construction costs, isexpected to result in a structure thatcosts up to 20 percent less thansimilar facilities developed and builtby the university.Now more than ever, we mustexpand beyond traditionalgovernment sources of fundingto support the most promisinginvestigative possibilities.A future free ofneurodegenerativedisease is imminent– please join us inbuilding this future.

UCSF Neurosciences InitiativeFor more information onthe UCSF Neurosciences Initiative,please contact:Carol L. MossVice ChancellorPhone: 415/502-0528Email: cmoss@support.ucsf.eduWeb: http://www.ucsf.edu/support/Mailing address:UCSF Box 0248San Francisco, CA 94143-0248