n 2008, after discovering that both my daughter Mia and I carry the gene for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), I founded the Israeli CJD Foundation to advance research toward finding a cure. CJD is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that has already claimed the lives of my grandmother, my father, and my brother, causing certain death within just a few months. While rare globally, Israel has the highest incidence of the genetic, hereditary form of the disease in the world, with onset occurring as early as age 30.
Driven by a deeply personal mission and the continuous anxiety shared by affected families, I lead our efforts to accelerate international research, advance early diagnostic methods, and push toward a cure.
Our Engine for Change: The National Biobank To empower global research for this disease that is so rare worldwide, the Foundation established the National CJD Biobank in collaboration with Clalit Health Services, Soroka Medical Center, and MIDGAM:
🧪 360 Participants enrolled
🩸 515 Longitudinal sample collections
🌍 Collaborating with 10 leading research teams worldwide
We provide these valuable research samples to top scientists in Israel and around the world free of charge to eliminate barriers, accelerate scientific breakthroughs, and bring a cure.
💙 100% Volunteer-Run | Every donation goes directly toward research to save lives.
➡️ Tax-Deductible | Donations qualify under Section 46.
Thank you for standing with us to enable a breakthrough and change the future for many families.
Alice
Founder & Director, Israeli CJD Foundation