June 16, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

The need to invest in medical research, the state of anti-aging research, and Pfizer's new research approach (read more). 

Must reads

  • A June 16, 2014 Forbes opinion piece by Dr. Steven Salzberg underscored the importance of investing in medical research. According to Dr. Salzberg, "We’re in the midst of a remarkable stream of scientific and medical advances, spurred by dramatic advances in biotechnology, computing, and miniaturization. Our knowledge of biology has led to amazing leaps in our understanding of aging, immune responses, inherited diseases,  and brain function, to name but a few. And yet we’re cutting science funding, year after year." Steven Salzberg is a Professor of Medicine and Biostatistics in the Institute of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins University's School of Medicine. 
  • A June 16, 2014 Vox article reported on the state of anti-aging research. According to the article, "Until recently, what let the naked mole rats conquer cancer and live so long was a total mystery. But over the past few years, a handful of researchers around the world have uncovered strange mechanisms inside their cells that seem to be the basis for the animals' uncommon longevity. The scientists' ambition is lofty, but not surprising: they want to harness these discoveries to one day vanquish cancer and battle aging in humans too. The goal of anti-aging research isn't to raise life expectancy from 80 years to 90 — but to slow aging down, so a 60-year-old can feel like she's 50."
Research, science, and technology 
  • A June 15, 2014 Boston Globe article profiled Pfizer's new research lab in Boston and its unique approach to tackling health challenges through innovation and collaboration. According to the article, "Pfizer’s gleaming 280,000-square-foot research center, which formally opens Monday at a ceremony featuring Governor Deval Patrick and MIT president L. Rafael Reif, will work on therapies to expand the drug maker’s pipeline in rare diseases, inflammation, neuroscience, and cardiovascular diseases. But it will also be working on a new kind of research approach...In a sleek visualization lab, chemist Kevin Hallock brandishes a wand-like flystick to rotate a colorful image of a human brain projected on a giant screen. Hallock, sporting antenna-spiked 3-D glasses, is trying to identify the molecules that act on the brain’s various regions to help develop treatments for disorders such as depression or Alzheimer’s disease."
  • A June 14, 2014 Reno Gazette-Journal opinion piece by Susan Stewart urged readers to join the Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry. According to Stewart, "The registry aims to connect healthy individuals who are committed to preventing Alzheimer’s with scientists carrying out the studies that will accelerate research. Often, it takes a study two years to recruit enough participants, which can significantly delay research findings. By matching enrollees with researchers, the registry is expediting the success of Alzheimer’s prevention research."