Calls on Fans to Help Eclipse the 2013 “War on Alzheimer’s” campaign
and raise over $50,000 to benefit The Scripps Research Institute

Camden, ME New York Times best-selling author Tess Gerritsen is launching her second crowdsourced “War on Alzheimer’s” campaign to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research at The Scripps Research Institute, a leading scientific institute that conducts critical research in the fight against Alzheimer’s. Gerritsen is calling for  Rizzoli & Isles readers, and fellow authors to raise over $50,000 through online donations on the crowdsourcing site GoFundMe.com (http://gofundme.com/WOA-2015).

“Watching my father lose his identity as he struggled with Alzheimer’s is the most devastating experience our family has been through,” said Gerritsen. “This campaign allows us to support the heroic scientists battling this terrifying disease and brings us closer to finding a cure. I truly believe we are almost there.”

The 2013 “War on Alzheimer’s” campaign raised over $50,000 in donations using incentives such as the chance to win naming rights in Gerritsen’s novel “Die Again,” published in December 2014. Gerritsen is again offering a few lucky fans who contribute to this year’s campaign the chance to name characters in her next “Rizzoli & Isles” novel, set for release in 2016.

“The ‘War on Alzheimer’s’ made a welcome contribution towards funding research that aims to one day eradicate this disease,” said James C. Paulson, Ph.D., acting president and CEO of The Scripps Research Institute. “We are thankful for continued commitment the campaign is making in support of our Alzheimer’s research program.”

Gerritsen invites fans to contribute via the campaign’s fundraising page. Contributors can also share stories of their own personal battles with the disease on Gerritsen’s tribute page. Once again, Gerritsen has pledged to match $25,000 to encourage participation and beat the previous campaign total of $50,000.

For more information about The Scripps Research Institute’s research on Alzheimer’s disease, please visit scripps.edu.

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ABOUT TESS GERRITSEN
Tess Gerritsen is a physician and an internationally bestselling author. She gained nationwide acclaim for her first medical suspense novel, the New York Times  bestseller Harvest . She is also the author of the bestsellers Last to Die,  The Silent Girl,  Ice Cold,  The Keepsake,  The Bone Garden,  The Mephisto Club,  Vanish,  Body Double,  The Sinner,  The Apprentice,  The Surgeon,  Life Support,  Bloodstream, and Gravity.  Tess Gerritsen lives in Maine, where she is currently at work on her next suspense novel.

FOLLOW TESS: http://www.tessgerritsen.com, @tessgerritsen, www.facebook.com/TessGerritsen

ABOUT THE SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE (TSRI)
The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is one of the world’s largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. TSRI is internationally recognized for its contributions to science and health, including its role in laying the foundation for new treatments of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. TSRI evolved from the Scripps Metabolic Clinic, which philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps founded in 1924. The institute now employs about 2,700 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL, where its renowned scientists–including two Nobel laureates–work toward their next discoveries. The institute’s graduate program, which awards PhD degrees in biology and chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation. For more information, see www.scripps.edu.

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CONTACTS
Elevate Communications: John Gates, 617.548.8972 JGates@elevatecom.com