NEW YORK, NY –   The Young Professionals of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF), a public charity founded by the Estée Lauder family in 2004, celebrated its first ever fundraiser, The Last Taste of Summer, on Wednesday, September 9, 2009. The event was hosted by Bumble and bumble at its Meatpacking District headquarters, The House of Bumble, 415 West 13^th Street, 6^th floor. Bluefly.com was the generous underwriter for the event.

Over 100 guests enjoyed fabulous summer cocktails by mixologist Elayne Duke, provided by Bulleit, Ciroc, and Don Julio, while they feasted on the gorgeous sunset view and tasty hors d’oeuvres in the indoor/outdoor space. The raffle featured something for everyone, including dining, sports, fashion, opera, and travel packages such as weekends in Harrah’s Atlantic City and La Samanna Resort in St. Martin.  Additional sponsors include HBO, Red Stripe, and Zagat. Before raffle prizes were pulled, committee member Spencer Freedman spoke, thanking the guests for their commitment to the cause of Alzheimer’s drug discovery and sharing his personal reflections on the disease. All guests left with fully stocked gift bags that educate and delight.

“I have witnessed the ravaging effects Alzheimer’s has had on my father for the past four years, something I never dreamt I would have to face in my 20s,” says committee member Carly Murphy, 29, of client services in Sotheby's contemporary art department. “I am so happy to have the opportunity to work with ADDF, and in particular the Young Professionals committee, to raise awareness of this disease in my peer group and work toward the goal of eradicating the effects of this disease for future generations.”

Committee member Irfan Qureshi, M.D., 33, says, “As a neurologist, I frequently see patients who are filled with dread every time they lose their keys or forget a name because they know that therapies for this progressive disorder are limited in number and not very effective. ADDF addresses this problem by propelling scientific discoveries into better prevention and treatment strategies that actually benefit patients and their families.”

About the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF)

ADDF (www.alzdiscovery.org) is the only public charity whose sole mission is to accelerate the discovery and development of drugs to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias and cognitive aging. We award grants to leading scientists conducting breakthrough drug discovery research. ADDF uses a venture philanthropy model to bridge the worldwide funding gap between basic research and later-stage development, using any return on investment to support new research. Since 1998, we have received over 2,000 requests to fund new ideas for Alzheimer’s drugs. For all, we provided expert reviews and recommendations to advance their programs. We granted more than $37M to fund over 244 Alzheimer’s drug discovery programs in academic centers and biotechnology companies in 15 countries. The ADDF website explores headline news on Alzheimer’s disease, updated weekly.