Fisher Center Foundation Launches New Initiative to Target Memory Loss in Alzheimer’s Disease

New York, NY, Sept. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of the Fisher Center Targeted Therapies Initiative for Memory Loss in Alzheimer’s Disease (the Fisher Memory Initiative) at The Rockefeller University. Led by Priya Rajasethupathy, M.D., Ph.D., the new program will begin investigating the underlying mechanisms of memory formation, seeking new therapeutic strategies to protect and potentially restore memory functions disrupted by Alzheimer’s disease. The Fisher Center Foundation will begin supporting this work as the program launches at The Rockefeller University.

The Fisher Memory Initiative will expand the search for Alzheimer’s treatments by focusing directly on the neural systems responsible for forming, organizing, storing, and retrieving memories. Alzheimer’s disease damages intricate networks of cells and brain regions that allow people to navigate daily life, preserve their independence, and maintain a sense of identity. By studying these systems, the initiative aims to identify specific brain regions, cell types, receptors, and neural circuits that could become targets for future therapies.

“We want to understand memory at the level of the cells, molecules, and circuits that allow it to endure,” Dr. Rajasethupathy said. “If we can determine how the healthy brain routes memories into longer-term storage—and where that process begins to fail in Alzheimer’s disease—we may be able to find ways to redirect information around damaged areas, or engage alternative pathways to restore lost function. Our ultimate goal is to translate a deeper understanding of memory into precise strategies to help preserve it.”

The Fisher Memory Initiative will pursue this goal through a cross-disciplinary approach involving advanced brain-imaging technologies, long-term neural recording methods, genetic mapping, behavioral studies, and computational analysis. The program will also support drug screening, preclinical validation, and the development of specialized technologies to allow researchers to examine memory circuits with increasing precision.

“Memory loss is among the most painful and deeply personal consequences of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Lucretia Holden, Executive Director of the Fisher Center Foundation. “The Fisher Memory Initiative reflects our commitment to supporting bold research that approaches this crucial challenge from new directions.”

“Alzheimer’s takes away the memories through which people know their families, their histories, and themselves,” said Barry R. Sloane, Chairman of the Fisher Center Foundation’s Board of Trustees. “Supporting exceptional investigators like Dr. Rajasethupathy is central to our determination to create a future in which families no longer have to experience the devastating loss Alzheimer’s brings.”

“All of us have an intrinsic knowledge of memory as an inherent quality that guides us through our past, present and future endeavors,” said Nathaniel Heintz, Ph.D., director of the Fisher Center for Research on Alzheimer's Disease at The Rockefeller University. “Although decades of discoveries have been dedicated to understanding memory, Dr. Rajasethupathy is an outstanding scientist whose recent findings have advanced significantly our understanding of brain circuits, cell types and molecules that are essential for memory formation and storage. Given the devastating impact of Alzheimer’s disease on these processes, we are very excited to have her join the Fisher Center community as we work together to generate new therapies for this devastating disease.”

Dr. Rajasethupathy is the Jonathan M. Nelson Family Associate Professor, head of the Skoler Horbach Family Laboratory of Neural Dynamics and Cognition, and associate director of the Kavli Neural Systems Institute at The Rockefeller University. She joined the Rockefeller faculty in 2017. After earning her B.A. from Cornell University, she completed an M.D. and Ph.D. in neuroscience at Columbia University, where she trained with Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, followed by postdoctoral research in Karl Deisseroth’s laboratory at Stanford University. Her work has been recognized with honors including the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and the MIND Prize.

About the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation

The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation provides millions of dollars for novel Alzheimer’s research around the world to investigate the latest and most promising science available.

The Fisher Center Lab at The Rockefeller University is one of the largest and most modern scientific facilities in the world dedicated to solving the puzzle of Alzheimer’s disease.

Our mission is to understand the causes of Alzheimer’s disease, improve the care of people living with it, and find a cure.

Our vision is working towards a future where Alzheimer’s is nothing but a memory.

For more information about the Fisher Center Foundation, including how to financially support its research, please visit www.ALZinfo.org.
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Lorenzo Bartolucci 
Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation
2129151328
lbartolucci@alzinfo.org