The Cowell Foundation invests $500,000 in CLEAR Foundation to advance biomarker-based dementia detection at new UBC lab
Landmark gift fuels world-class scientific talent and biomarker innovation at UBC.
VANCOUVER, BC, May 28, 2026 /CNW/ - CLEAR (Canadians for Leading Edge Alzheimer Research) Foundation, whose singular mission is funding dementia research, is proud to announce a visionary $500,000 investment from The Cowell Foundation, advancing the next frontier of dementia research.
This transformational four-year commitment will fund two high-impact programs:
- An Operating Grant supporting established BC dementia researchers.
- A Research Trainee Award cultivating the next generation of scientists.
Talent funded through this gift will be based at UBC's newly launched Core Facility for Neurology Biomarker Innovation (CFNBI), now open inside UBC Hospital, under the leadership of Dr. Cheryl Wellington, Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UBC.
Building on a decade of research excellence, the CFNBI has produced over 50 publications, managed more than 70 projects, and built a network of over 140 collaborators, collectively attracting more than $75 million in research funding. Dr. Wellington and her team are pioneering the use of simple blood tests to detect protein biomarkers that reflect real-time biological changes in the brain. This breakthrough approach has the potential to replace costly neuroimaging and invasive procedures, making earlier and more equitable diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias possible for patients across BC and beyond.
"Our family knows the profound impact dementia can have on loved ones and caregivers," said The Cowell Family. "It is our hope that this gift helps advance discoveries that protect memories, strengthen families, and bring us closer to a future free from dementia."
Unlike many charities, 100% of public donations made to CLEAR Foundation are directed to funding dementia research in Canada.
Currently, over 770,000 Canadians are living with some form of dementia, a number projected to nearly double by 2050. Sustained research funding is essential to deepening our understanding, strengthening prevention, and one day finding a cure.
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About CLEAR Foundation: CLEAR Foundation is an independent national charitable foundation supporting biomedical research into Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
To support dementia research or to learn more about CLEAR Foundation, visit www.clearalzheimers.ca.
SOURCE CLEAR Foundation
Media Contact: Claire Lynch, Executive Director, CLEAR Foundation, [email protected].
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