Charleston, South Carolina, March 1, 2026 – New Vision Research has awarded $200,000 in research funding to two early-career scientists at the 2026 Charleston Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (CCAD), continuing its commitment to advancing innovative Alzheimer’s disease research. 

Each investigator received a $100,000, two-year grant to support their work: 

Melissa Cooper, PhD, of NYU Langone, for her project, “Astrocyte Networks in Alzheimer’s Disease.” Her research examines how networks of astrocytes, critical support cells in the brain, may influence disease progression and reveal new therapeutic targets. 

Chloe Lopez-Lee, PhD, of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, for her project, “Leveraging Biological Sex to Uncover Mechanisms of Resilience Against Alzheimer’s Disease.” Her work explores how biological sex shapes resilience and vulnerability, with the goal of informing more personalized prevention and treatment strategies. 

In addition to the research grants, CCAD presented three travel awards recognizing distinctive contributions to the conference community: 

• The George Bartzokis Travel Award was presented to Andy Tsai, PhD, of Stanford University, honoring bold and innovative thinking. 

• The Peter Davies Travel Award was awarded to Jian Hu, PhD, of Emory University, recognizing exceptional collaboration and scientific generosity. 

• The Charlie Dorego Travel Award was given to Alexander Parker, PhD, of Vanderbilt University, celebrating leadership, energy, and community spirit. 

Since its founding, New Vision Research has awarded more than $2 million in funding through CCAD to support the next generation of Alzheimer’s disease investigators.