USA2 SPOTLIGHT  

A September 22, 2015 WLOX.com article and video reported that U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the EUREKA Act to establish prize-based incentives to “encourage more public-private collaboration in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia.” The article quoted UsAgainstAlzheimer’s chairman George Vradenburg as saying, “The EUREKA Act would spark smart public-private partnerships to leverage America's best minds with the great work at NIH in a fiscally responsible manner. We look forward to working with Senator Wicker to advance the EUREKA Act into law." Also reported on byHottyToddy.com and YallPolitics.com. 

MUST READ OPINIONS 

A September 22, 2015 The New York Times opinion piece by Marcy Houle underscored the looming shortage of trained doctors to care for America’s aging population. According to Houle, “Currently there are fewer than 8,000 geriatricians in practice nationwide — and that number is shrinking. ‘We are an endangered species,’ said Dr. Rosanne Leipzig, a geriatrician at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. At the same time, the nation’s fastest-growing age group is over 65. Government projections hold that in 2050 there will be 90 million Americans 65 and older, and 19 million people over age 85. The American Geriatrics Society argues that, ideally, the United States should have one geriatrician for every 300 aging people. But with the looming shortage of geriatricians, the society projects that by 2030 there will be only one geriatrician for every 3,798 older adults…A vast majority of Americans have no conception of what lies ahead and — without geriatricians available to provide their health care — how substantially their lives will be affected. I know. It means that soon we may all soon be in the land of the pink bibs.”

A September 22, 2015 The Florida Times-Union editorial called for more Alzheimer’s research. According to the editorial, “For too long, scientists weren’t even sure what caused the symptoms. Now we know that it involves a buildup of a protein in the brain called beta-amyloid. Scientists are working on drugs that would reduce plaques, tangles and inflammation. This brutal disease robs people of their brain function and stresses caregivers and families. More research is both needed and justified.”

A September 22, 2015 The Sacramento Bee opinion piece Susan Disney Lord called for support of California Senate Bill 613 to “adopt physician guidelines for Alzheimer’s disease management – and to help the 590,000 Californians living with the disease today.” Susan Disney Lord is the granddaughter of Roy O. Disney and serves on the board of directors of the California Southland chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.

RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

A September 23, 2015 Reuters article reported that “Food group Nestle has taken a further step into the medicine business by signing a research collaboration agreement with a Swiss biotech company to develop an Alzheimer's disease diagnostic test.”

A September 22, 2015 Health Day article reported that “A drug that combines a cough suppressant with a heart medication might offer a safer option for calming the agitation that commonly affects people with Alzheimer's disease, an early clinical trial suggests.” 

A September 22, 2015 UPI.com article reported that “Using a substance that binds to proteins in the brain called amyloids, and positron emission tomography, or PET, scans, researchers have found the method can detect early markers for Alzheimer's disease as accurately as cerebrospinal fluid sample testing.”