CIEN receives a grant of 800,000 euros from the Pasqual Maragall Foundation to create the largest neuropathological database of dementia in Spain and Portugal

• The second call of the Pasqual Maragall Researchers Programme (PMRP) will distribute a total of 1.6 million euros among the two selected projects.

CIEN (Center for Neurological Diseases Research) has received a grant of 800,000 euros from the Pasqual Maragall Foundation to carry out an innovative project that will create the largest neuropathological dementia database in Spain and Portugal. This project, led by Dr. Alberto Rábano, director of the CIEN Tissue Bank, will combine detailed genomic data with an updated neuropathological classification. In collaboration with Dr. Victoria Fernández, head of the Genomics Program at the Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona, the research aims to refine early diagnostic tools and risk assessment, marking a significant advance in the study and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

The Pasqual Maragall Foundation has announced the winning projects of the second call of its research scholarship program, the Pasqual Maragall Researchers Programme (PMRP), endowed with 1.6 million euros. This initiative aims to promote innovative projects focused on Alzheimer’s and other age-related neurodegenerative diseases.

The Pasqual Maragall Researchers Programme (PMRP), Spain’s most important private scholarship program in the field of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disease research, aims to drive excellence projects led by reference centers across the country. This initiative opens new avenues for tackling these pathologies, supporting pioneering research that can transform the treatment and understanding of dementia.

Arcadi Navarro, director of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, emphasized the importance of this program: “The projects awarded in this second edition are outstanding examples of innovation and scientific excellence, and we are confident that they will significantly contribute to accelerating the development of solutions for dementia. At the Foundation, we firmly believe that research is the only way to understand, treat, and eradicate Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, we promote these research grants, which not only recognize the talent and dedication of researchers but also reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of our society. These initiatives are essential for advancing toward a future where dementia will be part of the past.”

About the Reina Sofia Foundation and the Reina Sofia Foundation Alzheimer’s Center

Founded in May 1977 by H.M. Queen Sofia, the Reina Sofia Foundation is a mixed non-profit entity with a charitable and cultural nature. Over the past 47 years, it has managed and promoted over two hundred and fifty projects in partnership with numerous social organizations, focusing on educational, health, environmental, social aid, and humanitarian efforts. These projects have benefited children, the elderly, immigrants, people with disabilities, disadvantaged populations, and those affected by natural disasters.

Since 2002, research on neurodegenerative diseases has been one of the Reina Sofia Foundation’s main priorities, with the construction of the Reina Sofia Foundation Alzheimer’s Center. This complex offers comprehensive care addressing Alzheimer’s disease from three perspectives: research, training, and patient care services. Its research unit is leased to CIEN to carry out its research projects on neurodegenerative diseases, with ongoing collaboration from the Reina Sofia Foundation.