January 13, 2016

Today's Top News

MUST READS AND WATCH 

Must WatchA January 13, 2016 The BBC News article and video segment explored the history of the first Alzheimer’s patient and Dr. Alois Alzheimer’s. 

A January 13, 2016 The Telegraph UK article reported that “Speaking ahead of a lecture at the Royal Society, Professor John Hardy, a dementia expert from University College London, said that current drug trials were showing such promise that he believes we are now ‘in an era of great optimism.’” 

A January 13, 2016 The Atlantic article explored the future of NIH after a major funding bump. According to the article, “Congressional disagreements around the agency tend to be limited to how much funding it deserves, not whether it deserves much at all. And as supporters prepare themselves for new budget negotiations around the corner, they’re hoping this increase—with money for Alzheimer’s, precision medicine, and other research—is the first of many to come…The budget bump also allocates funding to the kind of high-profile research taxpayers hope—and expect—the NIH will tackle. It includes specific funding for Alzheimer’s disease, antimicrobial research, and the “unprecedented” Precision Medicine Initiative, a giant, multiyear research project in which 1 million Americans will allow scientists to track their health.”

A January 12, 2016 Huffington Post opinion piece by Howard Dean underscored the need for a non-partisan approach to improve healthcare by tackling diseases like Alzheimer’s. According to Dean, “Unfortunately, we've come to accept disease as an unavoidable part of life. An estimated 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease…We need unprecedented collaboration among industry, government, patient advocacy and academic research communities to focus on moving the needle. This means recognizing that the public and private sectors have complementary roles to play and our end goals should be addressing prevention and disease prevalence first.”

A January 12, 2016 The Kansas City Star by Lewis Diuguid outlined challenges that baby boomers and the nation will face as demographics shift. According to Diuguid, “About 2.1 million of the oldest baby boomers born in 1946 will hit age 70 this year. The cake overwhelmed with many candles is an indication of the challenges these and other booms will face as they age.”


RESEARCH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

A January 12, 2016 Newsmax Health article reported that “Alzheimer’s disease might be caused by a buildup of fatty deposits in the brain that occurs in a similar way to what happens to cause coronary heart disease, a new preliminary study suggests.”

A January 12, 2016 Emory Health Science Blog reported that “NINDS director Walter Koroshetz…said that in the 2016 National Institues of Health budget, neuroscience is now the largest “bucket of money,” especially with the recent boost in funding for Alzheimer’s research.”

 


INTERESTING READS FROM AROUND THE INTERNET

The Washington Post: Control of CRISPR, biotech’s most promising breakthrough, is in dispute

St. Louis Public RadioBlunt, Biden talk about boosting health-care research ahead of State of the Union speech

Next Avenue: Are You Caregiver Friendly? Prove It in This Contest

San Francisco Chronicle: New Bayer exec: time for industry to flip Shkreli narrative