Award-winning Indian American film producer is driven by a deep, personal commitment to end Alzheimer’s disease
Driven by a deep, personal commitment to end Alzheimer’s disease, noted Indian American film producer Ashok Amritraj has come out in support of a key expansion of a US-India research partnership on aging.
The expansion of the research partnership between the US National Institutes of Health and India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, chaired by Amritraj will be funded through the nonprofit BrightFocus Foundation, according to a media release.
“I am proud of my heritage and the privilege of having served India and the United Nations as a Goodwill Ambassador,” said Amritraj Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment Group.
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“As someone whose family has been touched by Alzheimer’s, I was honored when BrightFocus reached out to me,” he said. “It is a pleasure to offer my help and support because of the great respect I have for the innovative, high-risk, high-reward research they fund around the globe.”
“Ashok has boldly stepped forward at this critical juncture for Alzheimer’s research. Scientists are making great progress, but with our world’s older population increasing so rapidly, there has never been a more urgent time to invest in a cure,” said BrightFocus President and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller.
More than 55 million people worldwide have dementia, of which the leading cause is Alzheimer’s disease (WHO, 2021). With populations aging around the world, that figure is set to triple by 2050 – making Alzheimer’s one of the most urgent health issues our time.
India is uniquely poised to contribute to the global effort to defeat Alzheimer’s disease with its diverse, multi-generational population essential to understanding the complexities of aging and dementia, the release said.
By adding a key Alzheimer’s component to an existing bilateral project, the research will span across 30 states in India, gathering blood samples and ancestral histories from 7,200 study volunteers. The knowledge gained from this effort will be critical in helping better understand, treat, and prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
Amritraj is widely considered India’s most successful export to Hollywood and a pioneer in promoting diversity and inclusion. Throughout his career, Amritraj has been a committed agent of change globally, leveraging his platform in film and media to further issues such as gender equality and poverty alleviation.
Read: Producer Ashok Amritraj to Chair U.S.-India Partnership on Alzheimer’s Research (February 2, 2022)
In 2016, he was named a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and in 2018, by decree of the President of France, he was appointed Chevalier (Knight) de L’Ordre National du Mérite.
BrightFocus Foundation is a premier private funder of research and public awareness to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, with a current portfolio of over 260 projects in its $65 million worldwide commitment to research.