UCI Giving Day 2024

If you missed the opportunity to participate in Giving Day, it’s not too late to support Neurology! You may make a gift anytime using our general online giving form: Donation - Brilliant Future: The Campaign for UCI Secure giving.

As of 2022, there were more than seven million people affected by neurodegenerative disease in the United States. As our population ages, current estimates predict that more than 20 million Americans will suffer from a neurodegenerative disease by 2050, with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) comprising the vast majority of new cases.  

Nearly every resident of Orange County will be personally impacted by neurodegenerative disease – either diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease, caring for an affected family member, or knowing the plight of an extended family member or close friend suffering from a neurodegenerative disease. Despite the immense scope of this problem, we still have little to offer in the way of treatments that change the course of disease highlighting the dire need for more research in this field. Of all the organ systems of the human body, the central nervous system is by far the most complex and most difficult to research and understand.

At UC Irvine, we are conducting leading-edge basic research that aims to delineate mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and identify robust and reliable biomarkers that are easy to obtain, are specific to individual diseases, and will permit us to accurately assess responses to putative treatments. Our research teams hope to identify new targets for disease prevention and for the creation of disease-modifying treatments as well as approaches to improve the delivery of novel therapeutics to the brain and spinal cord. The ultimate goal of our research is to develop new therapies for neurodegenerative diseases and advance these therapies to first in-human clinical trials, bringing powerful new therapies to patients who need them most.

Together with your support, we aim to identify novel targets and pathways that will form the basis for the development of powerful therapies to treat some of the most devastating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, MS, ALS and others. The generosity of forward-thinking philanthropists who share our commitment to the mission remains one of the most powerful ways to propel and advance our research in service of humanity and the common good. Your support is critical. We can’t do this work without you. Join us today.