{"id":239578,"date":"2026-07-09T18:52:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T18:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/239578\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T18:52:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T18:52:37","slug":"a-gift-from-the-cane-bridge-foundation-will-expand-the-depth-and-breadth-of-dementia-research-at-pitt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/239578\/","title":{"rendered":"A gift from the Cane-Bridge Foundation will expand the depth and breadth of dementia research at Pitt"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Research Center<\/a> (ADRC) will expand clinical trial operations, patient recruitment and retention, investigator-initiated research, and participation in national and industry-sponsored trials, thanks to a generous gift from Gail and Roberto Ca\u00f1izares through the Cane-Bridge Foundation.<\/p>\n

Alzheimer\u2019s disease and related dementias affect more than 6 million Americans \u2014 a number projected to rise sharply as the population ages. Despite significant scientific progress, current treatment options remain limited.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlzheimer\u2019s disease and related dementias represent some of the most urgent public health challenges of our time, affecting millions of individuals and families while placing a growing burden on health care systems worldwide,\u201d said Anantha Shekhar, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine. \u201cThe gift from Gail and Rob will allow us to participate in high-quality, innovative and inclusive clinical trials that could lead to breakthrough treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Gail
\nRoberto and Gail Ca\u00f1izares<\/p>\n

The Ca\u00f1izares family became interested in ADRC more than 20 years ago after Rob\u2019s father suffered from dementia and was diagnosed by ADRC Director Oscar L. Lopez<\/a>, professor of neurology, psychiatry, and clinical and translational sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. In honor of the exceptional care given to his father, Gail and Rob have maintained a growing interest in this research, and since their philanthropy also includes scientific research, this recent gift to expand the capabilities of the ADRC is very timely.<\/p>\n

\u201cRob and I have seen firsthand the advanced research and clinical care underway at the ADRC. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to play even a small part in sustaining and growing the Center\u2019s fight against Alzheimer\u2019s and dementia,\u201d Gail Ca\u00f1izares said. \u201cAlzheimer\u2019s is a terrible disease that tears at the very fabric of a family. We can only hope that in our lifetimes we can find a cure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gift will establish the Ca\u00f1izares Clinical Trials Program within the ADRC. The program will accelerate the discovery, testing and delivery of promising therapies by strengthening and expanding a dedicated clinical trials infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis multiyear philanthropic partnership will be transformative in improving care options, shaping the future of dementia treatment and advancing hope for patients and families facing these devastating conditions,\u201d said Lopez, director of the ADRC. \u201cClinical trials bridge scientific discovery and effective patient care. Sustained philanthropic investment is essential to strengthen that bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ca\u00f1izares Clinical Trials Program will serve as a central component of the ADRC\u2019s mission to advance research, improve care and train the next generation of dementia investigators. Among the activities it will support are:<\/p>\n

\tDiagnostic and biomarker tests for eligibility screening
\n\tIncreased enrollment, retention and diversity of participants in therapeutic studies through transportation assistance and participant engagement resources
\n\tSeed funding for innovative, high-risk\/high-reward studies
\n\tPilot studies to generate data for National Institutes of Health and industry funding
\n\tSupport for early-career investigators and trainees
\n\tExpanded access to novel and experimental therapies
\n\tGeneration of peer-reviewed publications and external funding opportunities<\/p>\n

Rob Ca\u00f1izares met Gail at Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in applied and engineering physics and an MBA. Gail\u2019s Vanderbilt University degree in education with foreign language concentrations was a perfect preparation for living as expatriates for more than 18 years as his career at Trane and Mine Safety Appliances (MSA) had them working on four continents. They moved to Pittsburgh in 2003 and Rob retired in 2011 as president of MSA International.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Research Center (ADRC) will expand clinical trial operations, patient recruitment and retention,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":239579,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74],"class_list":["post-239578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239578\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}