Dear Friend,

We are delighted to share with you the recent milestone of the “non-profit” Need Institute Foundation, which has reached its seventh year of activity. Over these years, we have tirelessly worked in the field of Neurodegenerative Diseases, with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Here are some of our recent initiatives.

Smart Home Care is our latest project, supported by Fondazione Cariplo. Within this project, the Need Institute is actively identifying potential cognitive issues among individuals belonging to a defined elderly population. Our aim is to provide effective home support for elderly citizens, paying particular attention to the socio-healthcare and housing sectors, and actions to combat loneliness. Within a specific urban area (Milan, Zone 6), the project’s main objective is to enhance existing services dedicated to vulnerable elderly people, making them more flexible and accessible, as well as personalized and designed based on the specific needs of individuals and their caregivers. The ultimate goal is to create a replicable operational model that provides a good quality of life and, in line with the values of the Need Institute, preserves the autonomy of people with cognitive frailties as much as possible.

Additionally, the dissemination of the Park-Up project continues with interest from users. This is a tele-rehabilitation service for motor, speech, and cognitive therapy for people with Parkinson’s Disease. Furthermore, the potential use of cognitive tele-rehabilitation sessions from this service for “mild cognitive impairment” in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease is also being evaluated.

Recently, thanks to the work of one of our Neurobiologist researchers in collaboration with the European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) of Rita Levi Montalcini in Rome, Need Institute has contributed to acquiring interesting results regarding the pathophysiological alterations in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, with particular reference to the mechanisms of accumulation and toxicity of the TDP43 protein at the neuronal level. These new insights, which could lead to further developments with therapeutic implications, have recently been published in the prestigious international journal Neurobiology of Disease.

We will continue to promote studies and initiatives by identifying and supporting young professionals (doctors, biologists/biotechnologists, neuropsychologists, etc.) skilled in Neuroscience. Therefore, we are writing to remind you of a small gesture that can make a big difference.

Donate your 5×1000 to the Need Institute Foundation: with your contribution, we can continue to finance both scientific research, which is essential to improving the understanding and treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases, and socio-healthcare research to offer support and assistance to those affected by these debilitating diseases.

If you wish, please sign and indicate the tax code of Need Institute (97762860159) in the designated space within your tax return form (730, CUD, Unico).

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your help.

Kind regards,