New Brain Scanners Allow Live Detection of Alzheimer's Features

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, can now visualize specific features of Alzheimer's disease in living patients. This capability stems from a $10 million portion of a new $23 million gift from Cary and Will Singleton. The funding supports advanced brain scanners for the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, known as UCI MIND. Joshua Grill, director of UCI MIND, stated that the new technology allows the team to characterize disease features while a person is still alive. Previously, these specific features were detectable only after death.

The Singleton couple has supported the institute for years. Their new donation follows an $80 million funding package received last year. That earlier sum was led by a $50 million gift from the Quilter family to establish a new building. The Orange County Community Foundation facilitated the latest gift through a donor-advised fund. Grill noted that the idea of enhancing the impact of the new building resonated with the couple during their meetings.

The remaining $13 million of the Singleton gift will support the construction of Ann Hutchinson Quilter Hall. The five-story building is located on the UCI School of Medicine campus. It is expected to open in 2029. The expanded space is designed to accommodate the institute's current faculty of 75 and add new research programs. The building is named after Ann Hutchinson Quilter, whose family provided the initial capital for the structure.

Cary and Will Singleton live in Newport Beach and have a history of philanthropy. They founded the Singleton Foundation for Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship in 2015. The foundation uses digital media and games to teach financial and business concepts to younger generations. In 2020, the couple donated $40 million to the Pacific Neuroscience Institute Brain Center at Providence St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica. Cary serves on that institution's board. The couple also supports the Wooden Floor and the Orange County Rescue Mission locally. Will Singleton is the son of Henry Singleton, the co-founder of Teledyne Inc.

UCI MIND, founded in 1995, is one of 35 Alzheimer's disease research centers in the U.S. funded by the National Institutes on Aging. In September 2025, the institute received an $18 million, five-year federal grant. This grant supports a multi-center study on LATE, a form of dementia that affects up to 40% of older adults. LATE mimics Alzheimer's symptoms but has different underlying causes. Dr. S. Ahmad Sajjadi, an associate professor of neurology at UCI, leads the study. The research aims to validate existing biomarkers and discover new ones for LATE.

Grill said the center is preparing for a separate clinical trial testing two therapies that target plaques and tangles. These are brain abnormalities linked to Alzheimer's disease. The trial will be among the first to test both therapies in combination in the same patient. Over the past five years, the center has seen five FDA approvals for Alzheimer's disease treatments. Two of these drugs are intended to treat agitation associated with the condition. Grill noted that these approvals give doctors options to improve the quality of life for patients and their family caregivers.