Prize for 'grand unified theory' of Alzheimer's starts accepting entries

Think you have the key to Alzheimer's disease? A Texas businessman who lost family members to dementia has $4 million to give to those who do. Starting Sunday, the Oskar Fischer Prize is accepting entries in hopes of expanding the understanding of Alzheimer’s, said James Truchard, co-founder and former CEO of National Instruments, whose donation to the University of Texas at San Antonio established the prize last year. Truchard suspects that the answer to Alzheimer's is already "out there," and that the visionary who can synthesize findings about APOE4, beta-amyloid, tau, microbes, glia, inflammation, APP, and other pieces of Alzheimer's biology into a coherent whole could inspire a treatment or cure. First, second, and third place winners will be announced in April 2021, with the top prize earning $2 million.