September 22, 2014

Today's Top Alzheimer's News

NIH funding key to spurring basic research, Meryl Comer talks about her book "Slow Dancing with a Stranger" on CSpan, and the latest glimmers of hope on the Alzheimer's drug front (read more). 

Must reads and watch 

  • A September 21, 2014 News Observer editorial (NC) called for increased funding for the National Institutes of Health to spur basic research. According to the editorial, "Research stymied is a discovery not made, a drug not developed, and even if early research has made progress, that progress will cease without the money to carry it on. Scientific research, after all, isn’t a profit-making venture…The NIH has conducted a noble mission and one that has produced benefits with worldwide impact. But it now appears to be pulling uphill when it comes to getting congressional support. That’s why Valdivia and others in academic research have to conduct an intense campaign, on a fairly regular basis, to ensure that support for research will continue. In fact, the NIH justifies its mission every day, in thousands of laboratories all around the United States. The only question about its funding should be, “How much more can we give?”"
  • A September 20, 2014 Associated Press article (via WUSA9) highlighted Meryl Comer's book Slow Dancing with a Stranger and her work to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease. According to the article, "In "Slow Dancing With a Stranger," Comer offers an unflinching and intimate account about what it means to surrender one's career to care for a stricken loved one and conveys a sense of passion and even frustration with a society that she believes has been slow to acknowledge the spread of Alzheimer's disease or make adequate provisions to tend to its caregivers…George Vradenburg, a co-founder with Comer of the nonprofit group USAgainstAlzheimer's, said he hopes that Comer's book - whose proceeds will benefit research - stirs conversation about a disease many prefer not to think about."I hope America gets mad," Vradenburg said. "Why we aren't getting mad is in part because it's invisible. And in part, it's associated with aging - 'Oh, they lived a long life, and they have to die some way, anyway. So what?'"
  • A September 20, 2014 C-Span.org video segment featured a talk by Meryl Comer about her book Slow Dancing with a Stranger. 
  • A September 18, 2014 MariaShriver.com post included an excerpt from Meryl Comer's book Slow Dancing with a Stranger. According to Meryl, "Alzheimer’s creates a vacancy in our lives that cannot be filled. I want to enjoy being with those I love while I can still make memories with them. Memories warm us. Separated from our memories, good or bad, who are we?"
Research, science, and technology 
  • A September 19, 2014 Investor Place article reported on positive developments in Alzheimer's drug development. According to the article, "But nothing lasts forever. The last couple of years have seen great strides not just in the healthcare industry’s understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, but great strides in the way pharmaceuticals are made…While big pharma is still many years away from what could be considered anything close to a “cure” for Alzheimer’s disease, a decade of complete and utter failures of AD drugs seems to be coming to a close. The next generation of these drugs looks promising enough to win approval. Perhaps even more important, determining the true cause of Alzheimer’s disease is finally within reach. That cause might well end up being amyloid beta plaque. It might not, though, and one of the alternative R&D paths could have the potential to leap forward. Whatever the case, the investing in Alzheimer’s disease is sure to bear more fruit over the coming 10 years than it did for the past 10."
  • A September 19, 2014 New York Magazine article reported that teenager Kenneth Shinozuka was among the winners of the 2014 Google Science Fair for his "impressively practical invention for helping with the difficult task of taking care of a relative with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia." According to Shinozuka, "To protect their safety and alleviate the burdens on their caregivers, I invented a low-cost wearable sensor technology for real-time, reliable detection of patients’ wanderings.