Mount Sinai Receives $8 Million from DataPhilanthropy to Accelerate Drug Discovery for CADASIL and Related Brain Disorders
The transformational grant will launch a new center led by Dr. Fanny Elahi to pursue treatments for understudied neurovascular diseases
The Mount Sinai Health System has received an $8 million grant from DataPhilanthropy to fuel urgently needed research into CADASIL, a genetic disease associated with changes to small blood vessels causing migraines, strokes, cognitive decline, and dementia. The funding, administered by DataPhilanthropy, will establish a first-of-its-kind translational center dedicated to development of treatments for cerebral small vessel diseases for successful aging across the lifespan. The effort will be led by Dr. Fanny Elahi, MD, PhD, a renowned physician-scientist and one of the world’s foremost experts on neurovascular degenerative disorders and CADASIL.
“With no existing treatments for CADASIL, this generous grant gives us the freedom to move quickly, ask bold scientific questions, and pursue multiple promising paths toward treatments,” said Dr. Elahi.
CADASIL (Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy) is often overlooked and underdiagnosed. This disease offers a powerful window into the biology of vascular aging and dementia. Unlike Alzheimer’s disease and other age-related neurodegenerative conditions, CADASIL is caused by a single gene mutation in NOTCH3, making it easier to study across human cohorts and model systems in order to potentiate drug discovery. Further, its slow progression over the course of several decades is also advantageous because it provides a larger window for therapeutic intervention.
“This grant is deeply personal. In 2018, my dear friend and industry colleague was diagnosed with CADASIL, a disease that I’ve since learned a lot about and that deserves far more attention and investment,” said Mr. Green. “I’m a big believer that using data in the right way can improve people’s lives. And it was motivating to see Dr. Elahi’s fearless commitment to progress the research of this disease. Her patient-centered approach, scientific rigor, and bold vision for finding treatments for CADASIL and translating discoveries into broader breakthroughs inspire optimism. I’m eager to play a part in this work that has the potential to yield profound impact on patients.”
To read more about Jeff and Steve’s friendship and commitment to CADASIL research, click here.
The vision of this new center is to become a leading hub for research and clinical care dedicated to neurovascular degenerative disorders, with a strong emphasis on advancing innovative clinical trials for CADASIL, brain vascular aging, and dementia. The center’s multidisciplinary teams will focus on extending brain healthspan and preventing dementia in individuals with genetic risk for cerebrovascular disease and in aging populations. Its discovery science will remain firmly patient-centered, bridging clinical and bench research to address a singular, urgent goal: extending the brain’s healthspan in those most vulnerable to vascular contributions to cognitive decline and dementia. The center’s integrative approach will combine clinical data, molecular profiling, and experimental modeling to identify biologically actionable targets—beyond the primary disease-causing genes—as well as associated biomarkers to accelerate the path from scientific discovery to effective treatment.
“This extraordinary grant from the DataPhilanthropy accelerates the mission of the Friedman Brain Institute to turn scientific discoveries into new therapies that improve patients’ lives,” said Paul J. Kenny, PhD, Ward-Coleman Professor and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Interim Director of the Friedman Brain Institute at Mount Sinai. “Dr. Fanny Elahi is a world-leading expert on CADASIL, whose pioneering work at the intersection of vascular biology, clinical neurology, and biomarker development uniquely positions her to lead transformative advances against this devastating genetic disorder. Under Dr. Elahi’s leadership, this new center will harness the full translational power of our neuroscience enterprise to address CADASIL and other devastating neurovascular conditions.”
The center will be guided by an international advisory board of experts from academia and industry and serve as a hub for breakthrough innovation in vascular neurodegeneration. Dr. Elahi believes that blood vessels and their breakdown may be the earliest and most treatable roots of dementia.
Dr. Elahi’s career reflects a deep commitment to patient-centered science. In 2019, she began working with cureCADASIL, a patient advocacy group, to build the first U.S.-based therapeutic discovery program for CADASIL—earning a 2022 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative grant to close key knowledge gaps and engage patients in the research process. Mount Sinai recruited her earlier that year to build a full translational pipeline for vascular contributions to neurodegenerative disease. The center will also leverage Mount Sinai’s wealth of expertise and knowledge in both vascular disorders and drug development and have affiliated faculty across departments, existing centers and institutes.
“This is a watershed moment for not only the CADASIL community but neurovascular research as a whole,” emphasized Dr. Elahi. “With this support, we have the opportunity to transform years of scientific discovery into tangible progress for patients and their families. Mount Sinai is uniquely positioned to lead this effort through the creation of a dedicated center focused on advancing translational research and developing novel therapeutics for neurovascular disease. Importantly, the insights generated here will extend far beyond CADASIL, advancing our broader understanding of vascular brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders.”
About DataPhilanthropy
DataPhilanthropy is a nonprofit organization committed to data-driven giving, strategically funding initiatives that create measurable, scalable impact in communities nationwide. By aligning philanthropy with analytics and outcomes, DataPhilanthropy ensures resources are deployed effectively to generate lasting social change.
For more information, visit https://dataphilanthropy.org/ or find DataPhilanthropy on LinkedIn
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 10 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2025-2026.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube.