The IND is located in the magnificent, new Sandler Neurosciences Center on the Mission Bay campus of the University of California San Francisco. Here, a cohesive interactive group concentrates on research and drug discovery in the neurodegenerative diseases. Over the past few years, there has been a remarkable and expanding consensus that many—if not all—neurodegenerative diseases are due to the accumulation of prions.
The overarching goal of the IND is to develop drugs that stop prion accumulation and, thus, halt neurodegeneration. We aim to put an end to the day when a neurologist gives a patient a diagnosis of one of these dreaded neurodegenerative diseases, but can offer no hope.