Page 14 - Memora anual Fundación CIEN 2015

1.4. Letter from the Scientific Director of CIEN Foundation
During 2015, the Alzheimer Project Research Unit lo-
cated in the Queen Sofia Alzheimer Center has
been developing the prosed aims. This development
is leading to the consolidation of CIEN Foundation,
whose existence is due to the financial support of
the Carlos III Institute of Health and the Queen Sofia
Foundation, and in 2017 will let us reach our first 10
years of existence. Thus, I would like to begin this let- the Queen Sofia Foundation and during which, in
ter by thanking both institutions. This year 2015 we
have had the honor to receive several visits of H.M.
Queen Sofia to the CIEN Foundation. We have also
been visited by the ISCIII Director General and I
would like to echo the kind words of the Director Ge-
neral of the Institute, who said during his visit that if members of the CIEN Foundation, including the
Jesús Ávila de Grado
Scientific Director of CIEN Foundation
the CIEN Foundation did not exist, it would have to
be created in order to have a national reference in
the area of neurodegeneration that is comparable
to what exists in neighboring countries.
Our main objective is the development of Vallecas
Project, a study that has advanced to publish this
year not only what the project is about but also the
first results that indicate several risk factors that can
accelerate the transition from a cognitively healthy
state to a mild cognitive impairment, a decline that
may be at the beginning of disease progression.
These data will be essential to carry out in the future,
on a consolidated CIEN Foundation, clinical trials
with the at-risk population, which can be classified
by the presence of the risk factors identified.
During 2015 we published 46 scientific articles, seve-
ral of them in collaboration with CIBERNED groups,
institution with which we share several joint interests
in the common goal of preventing and treating neu-
rodegenerative diseases; and with which we carry
out scientific meetings and our Annual Congress, de-
veloped this year 2015 in Malaga with the support of
addition to its high scientific level, we had the plea-
sant news to know that HM Queen Sofia was one of
the nominees to Peace Nobel Prize this year.
I would not like to conclude without thanking all the
scientific and technical, administrative, managerial
staff as well as the Scientific Advisory Committee.
Their hard work and efforts, which is what allows the
improvement and gradual development of the
Foundation, of which we hope to meet many more
years.
Thank you all.