USA2 SPOTLIGHT

A July 13, 2018 Univision op-ed (in Spanish) by LatinosAgainstAlzheimer's Executive Director Jason Resendez underscores the impact of dementia caregiving on millennials and highlights the unique impact this caregiving is having on the nation's Latino community. This piece is part of a collaboration with Univision to raise awareness of key health concerns in the Latino community. 

MUST READS

A July 17, 2018 Time article focused on Bill Gates’ efforts to combat Alzheimer’s disease by developing a diagnostic test for early detection. Gates is committing more than $30 million to the Diagnostics Accelerator, in conjunction with the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, Dolby Family and Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, to create new strategies for diagnosis. According to the article, “The project will solicit and then fund the most promising ideas for developing a test for Alzheimer’s, whether that be in the form of a blood test, a retinal eye scan, a urine or saliva test or even some other innovative way of detecting the signs of the disease.” Also covered by CNN, Medscape and others.

A July 16, 2018 The Patriot Ledger article spotlighted Project Talent, a landmark national study of 440,000 American teenagers that began in 1960, by the American Institutes for Research and funded by the United States Office of Education. The study recently launched a 58-year follow-up focusing on Alzheimer’s disease, memory and cognitive health. The original goal was to help guide young people into the best careers for them.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

A July 17, 2018 South China Morning Post article reported that four Hong Kong universities will receive funding totaling HK$180 million (almost $23 million U.S.) to study the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on ethnic Chinese. According to renowned researcher Nancy Ip Yuk-yu of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, “In Hong Kong, we predict there will be 330,000 people with this illness by 2039, so there is a pressing need to find a cure to improve people’s health.” Stressing the need for diversity in research, “Different ethnicities have different genetic susceptibility to different diseases and so far most of the database on Alzheimer’s is for Caucasians.” 

ALZ TECH

A July 17, 2018 Futurity article highlighted a new super-resolution “nanoscope,” which offers a 3D view of brain molecules with 10 times greater detail than before. The nanoscope is helping researchers better understand the structure of amyloid plaques found in people with Alzheimer’s disease. According to Gary Landreth at Indiana University School of Medicine’s Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, “It gives insight into the biological causes of the disease, so that we can see if we can stop the formation of these damaging structures in the brain.” Also covered by News Medical Life Sciences, Photonics and Science Daily.  

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Register for the “Family Caregivers: Innovative New Resources and Things You Didn’t Know” webinar on July 20, 2018 at 12pm (EST), from the Society for Participatory Medicine. The discussion will focus on resources available to family caregivers, provide helpful tips and an overview of the legislative landscape.