Bill Gates Is On A Personal Mission, Pledges Rs 326 Crore To Help Cure Alzheimer's Disease

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says he¡¯s going to give $50 million to help fight Alzheimer¡¯s disease, so people can enjoy the long lives they have thanks to modern medicine.

Gates said on Monday that he¡¯s making a personal donation to the Dementia Discovery Fund, because it¡¯s not likely the first few rounds of research will receive tangible outcomes. He says that when a more stable treatment is developed, the Gates foundation will then make contributions to help expand access to the treatment around the world.

In a post on his personal blog, Gates talked about his family¡¯s personal struggle with the disease, with multiple male relatives having had their twilight years robbed of them by the medical condition. ¡°My family history isn¡¯t the sole reason behind my interest in Alzheimer¡¯s,¡± he wrote. ¡°But my personal experience has exposed me to how hopeless it feels when you or a loved one gets the disease. We¡¯ve seen scientific innovation turn once-guaranteed killers like HIV into chronic illnesses that can be held in check with medication. I believe we can do the same (or better) with Alzheimer¡¯s.¡±

He also mentions that he first became interested in Alzheimer¡¯s because of how much caring for these patients costs. He points out that a person with Alzheimer¡¯s or another form of dementia spends five times more every year on healthcare than a senior citizen with a neurodegenerative condition. It costs money to both treat sufferers as well as care for them for decades after.

¡°This is a frontier where we can dramatically improve human life,¡± Gates says. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle that people are living so much longer, but longer life expectancies alone are not enough. People should be able to enjoy their later years¡ªand we need a breakthrough in Alzheimer¡¯s to fulfill that. I¡¯m excited to join the fight and can¡¯t wait to see what happens next.¡±