The Roskamp Institute, was co-founded by Robert and Diane Roskamp, and Fiona Crawford and
Michael Mullan in
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...
in 2003. It is a nonprofit
biomedical research facility specializing neurological research including
Alzheimer's disease,
traumatic brain injury
A traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as an intracranial injury, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force. TBI can be classified based on severity (ranging from mild traumatic brain injury TBI/concussionto severe traumatic br ...
,
Gulf War syndrome
Gulf War syndrome or Gulf War illness is a chronic and multi-symptomatic disorder affecting military veterans of both sides of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War. A wide range of acute and chronic symptoms have been linked to it, including fatigue ...
, and
posttraumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats ...
.
It also operates an onsite
neurology clinic. The institute is focused on finding the causes and treatments for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases.
The institute's lead researchers, Michael Mullan and Fiona Crawford,
were members of a team of scientists who discovered the first genetic errors causing Alzheimer's disease in 1991 in the APP gene in early onset familial cases. Mullan and Crawford also discovered the
Swedish mutation which has been incorporated into transgenic mice which are widely used to understand the disease and test new treatments.
The institute is particularly focused on translational research that can lead to novel drug or other therapeutic interventions in neurodegenerative disorders. In this regard, Institute scientists discovered that certain members of a class of drugs called
dihydropyridines
HPscan lower the levels of
amyloid beta in the brains of transgenic models of the disease and decided to take one of them,
nilvadipine, forward into clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease. This work was conducted by Archer Pharmaceuticals, a for-profit spin off of the institute, headed by Mullan. In partnership with colleagues at
Trinity College, Dublin led by Brian Lawlor, Archer and Institute scientists conducted an open label phase I/II trial of nilvadipine in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease subjects.
More recently, in collaboration with multiple partners at academic institutes in Europe, and again led by Lawlor, Archer and Roskamp Institute scientists partnered to conduct a phase III clinical trial of nilvadipine in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.
The institute is currently housed in a scientific research facility in Sarasota, Florida. The institute facility contains
mass spectrometry,
pathology
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
,
microscopy, certified GMO testing, and
chemistry labs. The organization employs more than 50 scientists, technicians, clinicians, and other research staff.
The neurology clinic, headed by neurologist Andy Keegan, offers free memory screening as well as conducts various clinical trials simultaneously for neurological disorders.
References
External links
RoskampInstitute.org
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Biomedical research foundations
Medical and health foundations in the United States