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Press Releases
Target ALS and AFTD Announce Groundbreaking Partnership to Spur Drug and Biomarker Development for ALS and FTD
Today, The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) and Target ALS announced a groundbreaking partnership and call for proposals to identify treatments and biomarkers for FTD and ALS. These two devastating, progressive diseases are now understood to overlap in genetic causes…
“Days of Our Lives” Star Martha Madison Raises FTD Awareness at Dallas Marathon
A team of 20 taking part in the BMW Dallas Marathon (December 7-9) will run to raise awareness of young-onset dementia and support The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, the country’s leading nonprofit focused on FTD. Runners include Texas native and Days of Our Lives star Martha…
Third Annual AFTD Benefit Draws Largest Attendance to Date, Raises over $1.9 Million, in Support of Frontotemporal Degeneration Research, Support and Awareness
AFTD held its annual Hope Rising Benefit on Wednesday, October 17. The benefit drew its highest attendance since the first gala in 2016, and raised more than $1.9MM to fuel AFTD’s mission of advancing FTD research and improving quality of…
New AFTD PSA Produced with Discovery, Inc. Will Bring Awareness of Young-Onset Dementia
A new PSA released by AFTD in partnership with Discovery highlights the challenges faced by families in the wake of an FTD diagnosis. The 30-second video features firsthand testimonials from three individuals whose lives have been touched by FTD; it…
$20 Million David Geffen Fund Gift Announced at AFTD Benefit
At AFTD’s 2017 Hope Rising Benefit in New York City on October 12, AFTD CEO Susan L-J Dickinson announced that the organization had received a major gift in honor of the late Si Newhouse: The David Geffen Foundation has now…
FTD’s Economic Burden Is Twice That of Alzheimer’s, Study Shows
The average annual costs associated with FTD is nearly $120,000, nearly twice the costs of Alzheimer’s, according to a study published on the website of the scientific journal Neurology on October 4. The study gathered survey data from more than…
Chicago Super Run Participants Walk and Run for FTD Awareness
When Chicago’s Frank Callea was diagnosed with the primary progressive aphasia form of FTD at age 54, the multi-decade Chicago Tribune technology executive vowed to make a difference, even as he stepped away from his professional life. This Saturday, he…
Hinchey Family Announces that Former Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey Has Been Diagnosed with FTD
The family of former New York Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey has announced that he has the primary progressive aphasia variant of FTD. Hinchey’s PPA symptoms began as the occasional lost word, but within a relatively short time the disease further affected…
Hundreds Impacted by Young-Onset Dementia to Gather in Baltimore for AFTD Conference
AFTD will hold their 2017 education conference in Baltimore, MD at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, on Friday, May 5. Each year, AFTD hosts an annual conference so that people affected by FTD can meet in person, connect and gain…
AFTD Awards $2 Million to Advance Biomarkers Research Targeting Young-Onset Dementia
Doctors often rely on biomarkers – objective, easily measured biological features that indicate underlying pathology— to support accurate diagnosis and treatment efforts. Blood pressure, for example, is a widely-used biomarker for cardiovascular disease. Today, no comparable measures exist for FTD. The…